[rarsen]

Anyone care to comment on tax implications without the political double-talk, where the most positive comment on the present US president that I've heard is that he is a Rebel without a Clue...

Opinion: Why it’s OK that the Republican tax cuts will first finance share buybacks
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/gi...ise-2017-12-06

Does corporate America need a tax cut? Here’s what every S&P 500 company actually pays in taxes
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/do...ry_top_stories

[morganplus8]

Anyone care to comment on tax implications without the political double-talk, where the most positive comment on the present US president that I've heard is that he is a Rebel without a Clue...

Opinion: Why it’s OK that the Republican tax cuts will first finance share buybacks
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/gi...ise-2017-12-06

Does corporate America need a tax cut? Here’s what every S&P 500 company actually pays in taxes
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/do...ry_top_stories

This is a hot button topic so I'll take a run at it.

Its fine to think that Reaganomics worked in the past and will work again for us today. There are differences, the first one being debt, they (USA) carry a huge amount of debt, the result of unusually low interest cost for many years now. Because of the lower levels of carrying costs businesses have borrowed to acquire other businesses to the point that the premiums now are just to high. John Chen can't make a purchase of another company, he can't invest the mountain of money that he has now and we don't pay much in taxes through the USA system to benefit from that change.

Now, there are several ways to restrict trade and booster homeland business, one, lower taxes and attract all of the business from off-shore, the second is to apply tariffs, import/countervailing taxes and by supporting local businesses re: purchasing. Trump is doing what any capitalist would do, he is forcing US business to come back to America, he is punishing trade agreements and he will not stop this wholesale change in the way America does business with the rest of the world until the final change takes place, the mass reduction in repatriation of capital earned abroad. We live in a global economy now and American companies hold a tremendous amount of cash in foreign banks. The tax rate is 30% and it is ripe to be amended down to a token amount, say 5%. The net effect is that a major battle is brewing here, between all other countries and the US. Ireland is being paid $ 15 B in unfair trade practices from Apple, Europe is going after Google, etc., when Trump drops the repatriation cost to near zero, look out. All other countries are lining up to establish trade deals with each other to counter the obvious changes that are coming. Trudeau is spending much of his time working deals today so that as a group they can negotiate better deals with America.

The average taxpayer is going to pay for this change, in the form of higher import fees, tariffs, service taxes, duties and penalties. At no point have we heard of micro-economic benefits from tax reform, down the road higher incomes will go directly to higher costs to the average person. Corporations will simply protect themselves from future calamity by shoring up their balance sheets first, paying themselves much higher "performance" bonuses and then it will trickle down to the economy. The repatriation of capital stands to be the biggest attack on foreign economic stability. The world is preparing for more of this kind of protectionism from Trump.

Reaganomics worked because the highest percentage of trade in America, occurred in America. Today, Trump is taking back global trade and re-balancing the books. The trouble is, Americans don't want the kind of low paying wages that allow us to buy ever cheaper technology each year. Canada is the biggest trading partner of the US and so others outside of North America don't see the US as a must have partner. We could see a time when Apple announces that they will no longer sell products directly into several countries, those countries like Ireland will have to purchase Apple goodness from a third party. This will scare other countries into toning down their challenges for compensation/relief.

That's a longer explanation then I planned on! Safe it to say that Trump is far from done here.

[anon(757282)]

The tax cut will be very beneficial for most Americans. It will lower my taxes substantially and will reduce corporate taxes to bring jobs back to the US. It's not a zero sum game. Business grows and more than covers the incremental cost of the tax reductions. Keeping more dollars in the US.

[FeitaInc]

SPHS at below $2 again. Somebody owes somebody a lot of beer.

[bbjdog]

From my TD alerts

BlackBerry Outlines Framework to Secure Connected and Autonomous Vehicles
2017-12-06 03:00:20 PM ET (Marketwired)


WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec. 6, 2017) - While the integration of technology and connectivity in automobiles greatly improves the driving experience, it also creates complex cybersecurity challenges for automakers. To address these new concerns, BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:BB)(TSX:BB) today laid out a recommended framework to harden connected and autonomous vehicles against cyberattacks.

"Protecting a car from cybersecurity threats requires a holistic approach," said Sandeep Chennakeshu, President of BlackBerry Technology Solutions. "Leveraging our experience as a leader in cybersecurity and embedded automotive software, BlackBerry has created a recommended framework to protect cars from cybersecurity threats. If followed, we believe vehicles will not only be secure but BlackBerry Secure."��

Within this framework, automakers and their supply chains can deploy their technology choices to differentiate. BlackBerry's recommendation leverages the company's proven expertise in security and accounts for industry trends in connectivity and automated driving. The key points, outlined in the whitepaper titled "Cybersecurity for Automobiles: BlackBerry's 7-Pillar Recommendation," are summarized below. The full version of the whitepaper can be downloaded here.

Secure the supply chain:��Establish a root of trust by ensuring every chip and electronic control unit (ECU) in the automobile can be properly authenticated and loaded with trusted software, irrespective of vendor or manufacturer. Scan all software deployed for compliance to standards and required security posture. Conduct regular evaluations of the supply chain from a vulnerability and penetration testing perspective to ensure they are certified and "approved for delivery."

Use trusted components: ��Create a security architecture that is deeply layered in a defense in depth architecture, with secure hardware, software, and applications.

Employ isolation and trusted messaging:��Use an electronic system architecture that isolates safety critical and non-safety critical ECUs and can also "run-safe" when anomalies are detected. Additionally, ensure all communication between the electronics in the automobile and the external world are trusted and secure. Further, ECU-to-ECU communication needs to be trusted and secure.

Conduct in-field health checks:��Ensure all ECUs have integrated analytics and diagnostics software that can capture events, and are able to log and report the same to a cloud-based tool for further analysis and to initiate preventative actions. Moreover, automakers should confirm that a defined set of metrics can be scanned regularly when the car is in the field, as well as be able to take actions to address issues via secure over-the-air (OTA) software updates.

Create a rapid incident response network:��Share common vulnerabilities and exposures among a network of subscribing enterprises so expert teams can learn from each other and provide advisories and fixes in shorter time frames.

Use a lifecycle management system:��Proactively re-flash a vehicle with secure OTA software updates as soon as an issue is detected. Manage security credentials via active certificate management. Deploy unified endpoint policy management to manage applications downloaded over the lifetime of the car.

Make safety and security a part of the culture:��Ensure every organization involved in supplying auto electronics is trained in functional safety and security best practices to inculcate this culture within the organization.

[bbjdog]

SPHS at below $2 again. Somebody owes somebody a lot of beer.

I can already taste that beer. Lmho

[he_x3]

Hi all,

Results are in a couple of weeks, so just thought I would post my forecast. I didn't try to get cute; mainly tried to capture management expectations into a model. I come up relatively low compared the analyst estimates on Yahoo Finance (https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BB/analysts?p=BB)

Welcome any questions/feedback about assumptions or anything else. Would appreciate other people's thoughts on what I am missing or what I got just plain ol' have wrong.

Attachment 432071

Considerations:

- SAF - BB benefited from a bump up in cash based revenue last quarter and management expects $20M this quarter. Next quarter, estimated decrease by recent trend of 25%

- Management technically reduced S&S expectation in last quarter's FS. Now estimating at market growth (10-15%) instead of at or above market. Estimated yearly growth at 12.5% - base include last year's S&S revenue plus $27M in prof services revenue

- Q1 conference call stated the way to growth - seeing accelerated billings, professional services, blackberry technical solutions from radar....recap...radar and bbm sdk should provide growth....some prof serv....and expecting IP in second half

(cont'd)

[he_x3]

(cont'd from previous post - waiting to be approved)

- Management expects $100M IP revenue for the year, however, only $40M has been recognized - in Fiscal Q2

- It seems at this point, BTS is a design business. Not aware of any of those designs running to revenue producing products at this time. Bump up in this segment could be driven by Radar – 16 PoCs occurred in the prior quarter…hardware would provide a larger one time bump ($200/$300 per unit as opposed to $10/$20-$30 per month service fee)

- Management expect $5M in handheld device revenue in this quarter and on

The company will continue to have a bit of a headwind as it works through the YoY change in deferred revenue adjustment. This can be seen in the following:

Attachment 432086

Again, would appreciate any thoughts, questions or comments.

Thanks,

[Corbu]

https://which-50.com/blackberry-baid...r-partnership/
Blackberry And Baidu Announce Autonomous Car Partnership

Blackberry and Chinese internet giant Baidu are working together to accelerate the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicle technology for automotive OEMs and suppliers worldwide.

These days BlackBerry is a cybersecurity software and services company. Last year it opened its Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre which is housed within the BlackBerry QNX facility in Ottawa, Ontario.

While its core product is internet search, Baidu is highly active in the development of autonomous driving. Baidu’s “Project Apollo” — an open source platform for driverless cars — aims to release fully autonomous vehicles by 2020 and it recently announced plans to invest $1.5 billion in autonomous driving start-ups over the next three years.

The two companies said they will work together on multiple initiatives which may include BlackBerry QNX providing its safety-certified operating system as the foundation for Baidu’s Apollo autonomous drive platform.

“BlackBerry QNX has established itself as the OS platform for safety-certified production-based systems,” said Li Zhenyu, General Manager of Intelligent Driving Group, Baidu.

“Our aim is to provide automakers with a clear and fast path to fully autonomous vehicle production, with safety and security as top priorities. By integrating the BlackBerry QNX OS with the Apollo platform, we will enable carmakers to make the leap from prototype to production systems. Together we will work toward a technological and commercial ecosystem for autonomous driving, intelligent connectivity and intelligent traffic systems.”

As part of the collaboration, the companies may also look to integrate Baidu offerings like CarLife, DuerOS cloud-based voice recognition, and its high-definition maps to run on the QNX OS platform.

“Baidu is making tremendous strides in artificial intelligence and deep learning. These advancements paired with BlackBerry’s safety-critical embedded software and expertise in security are crucial ingredients of driverless cars,” said John Wall, Senior Vice President and GM of BlackBerry QNX.

“Joining forces with Baidu will enable us to jointly explore integration opportunities for multiple vehicle subsystems including ADAS, infotainment, gateways, and cloud services.”

Securing Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Blackberry also outlined a recommended framework to harden connected and autonomous vehicles against cyberattacks.

As cars become computers on wheels the auto industry needs to get serious about cyber security.

The key points, outlined in the whitepaper titled “Cybersecurity for Automobiles: BlackBerry’s 7-Pillar Recommendation,” can be downloaded here.

“Protecting a car from cybersecurity threats requires a holistic approach,” said Sandeep Chennakeshu, President of BlackBerry Technology Solutions.

The framework includes recommendations such as ensuring every chip and electronic control unit (ECU) in the automobile can be properly authenticated and loaded with trusted software, irrespective of vendor or manufacturer and making safety and security a part of the culture.

[masterful]

that is awesome news! thanks Corbu.

[Corbu]

BlackBerry to Announce Third Quarter Fiscal 2018 Results on December 20, 2017

[Corbu]

More on Baidu's efforts

http://usa.baidu.com/adu/
Autonomous Driving Unit

https://which-50.com/baidu-puts-1-5-billion-behind-driverless-car-start-ups/
Baidu Puts $1.5 Billion Behind Driverless Car Start-Ups

Plus this:
By the end of 2020, Baidu hopes to offer a platform that can handle full autonomous driving on both urban roads and highways, and mass-producing its own self driving cars at a later period. It also plans to use its voice interaction and AI operating system DuerOS that already has more than 100 partners (such as Nvidia, Haier, Media, HTC, Vivo, and Harman International), together with the Apollo platform to create the world's largest autonomous driving system with high-precision maps, and setting up Apollo companies around the world. Baidu has recently begun a spree of acquisitions targeting AI and technology startups to further advance its AI ambitions, it aims to become the global leader of Artificial Intelligence just as China outlines its plans to achieve global AI leadership by 2030, and to "make DuerOS the most widely used conversational AI platform in the world". Project Apollo has also been praised as "an important milestone for the automotive industry and artificial intelligence". According to a report, Baidu's self-driving AI technology may be valued at nearly US$650 billion and produce a US$120 billion annual revenue for the company by 2021, it will also boost its market cap to over US$1 trillion in the long term.

[Corbu]

UPDATE:
It would seem the above link has been taken down in the last few minutes...

On the source:
Which-50.com is a source for digital intelligence that connects Australia’s senior business decision makers with a network of digital transformation specialists.

[he_x3]

Hi all,

Results are in a couple of weeks, so just thought I would post my forecast. I didn't try to get cute; mainly tried to capture management expectations into a model. I come up relatively low compared the analyst estimates on Yahoo Finance

Welcome any questions/feedback about assumptions or anything else. Would appreciate other people's thoughts on what I am missing or what I got just plain ol' have wrong.



Considerations:

-SAF - BB benefited from a bump up in as received revenue last quarter and management expects 20 million this quarter. Next quarter, estimated decrease by recent trend of 25%

-Management technically reduced S&S expectation in last quarter's FS. Now estimating at market growth (10-15%) instead of at or above market. Estimated yearly growth at 12.5% - base include last year's S&S revenue plus 27 million in prof services revenue

-Q1 conference call stated the way to growth - seeing accelerated billings, professional services, blackberry technical solutions from radar....recap...radar and bbm sdk should provide growth....some prof serv....and expecting IP in second half

-Quarterly S&S revenue is a plug based on the constraint of 12.5% growth - have a bit more transparency in other line items

[W Hoa]

BlackBerry and Qualcomm Extend Strategic Relationship to Deliver Automotive Platforms for Next Generation Vehicles

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/bl...133000595.html

[Corbu]

Thanks!

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Dec. 7, 2017) - BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:BB)(TSX:BB) and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM), today announced a strategic collaboration to develop and produce cutting-edge automotive platforms for the next generation of connected vehicles. As a part of the non-exclusive relationship, the companies have agreed to optimize select Qualcomm Technologies' hardware platforms with BlackBerry's QNX software for use in virtual cockpit controllers (VCC), telematics, including eCall and Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology, electronic control gateways, digital instrument clusters and infotainment systems. Additionally, BlackBerry and Qualcomm Technologies have agreed to optimize BlackBerry over-the-air (OTA) software and BlackBerry Secure Credential Management (SCM) Services for use with select Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ modems, supporting both companies' commitment to offer high performance automotive platforms quickly and cost-effectively.

"BlackBerry and Qualcomm Technologies have had a long-standing relationship for over a decade, collaborating on technologies that have revolutionized the way people live and work," said Sandeep Chennakeshu, President of BlackBerry Technology Solutions. "Today's announcement elevates our relationship as we aim to accelerate the delivery of the next generation platforms that connected vehicles will rely upon."

"As innovation in the automotive industry accelerates it becomes necessary for industry leaders to work together to deliver leading-edge technology platforms that help to make vehicles safer, more connected, and increasingly autonomous," said Patrick Little, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Today we're building on our longstanding relationship with BlackBerry to develop automotive platforms that will accelerate the industry toward a more connected future."

[Corbu]

John Chen to Deliver Keynote Address at the North American International Auto Show | Inside BlackBerry

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS – also known as the Detroit Auto Show) announced today that BlackBerry Executive Chairman & CEO John Chen will deliver a keynote address to the conference live from the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. The presentation will take place on Monday, January 15, 2018 at 2:10 PM EST and will be globally livestreamed.

The keynote will cover BlackBerry’s transformation into a world leader in cybersecurity solutions and services with special attention paid to our emergence as one of the most trusted partners in the automotive industry. During the address, BlackBerry will also unveil and demonstrate a new product that will help to shape and secure the future of connected and self-driving cars.

Additionally, from January 14-21 we will have a display located in the “eMobility” community within AutoMobili-D where we will further showcase our technology.

[anon(9100201)]

John Chen to Deliver Keynote Address at the North American International Auto Show | Inside BlackBerry

The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS – also known as the Detroit Auto Show) announced today that BlackBerry Executive Chairman & CEO John Chen will deliver a keynote address to the conference live from the Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan. The presentation will take place on Monday, January 15, 2018 at 2:10 PM EST and will be globally livestreamed.

The keynote will cover BlackBerry’s transformation into a world leader in cybersecurity solutions and services with special attention paid to our emergence as one of the most trusted partners in the automotive industry. During the address, BlackBerry will also unveil and demonstrate a new product that will help to shape and secure the future of connected and self-driving cars.

Additionally, from January 14-21 we will have a display located in the “eMobility” community within AutoMobili-D where we will further showcase our technology.

Great, hope he is able to make it clear to the audience and the public that BB is the NVDA of the car software side

[Corbu]

anon(9100201) and rarsen like this.

[robot_ca]

Hi Corbu. Can you post that tweet for us guys that are on the mobile version please? Thanks!

Sent from my Awesome Z30

[robot_ca]

Great, hope he is able to make it clear to the audience and the public that BB is the NVDA of the car software side

Agreed. To your point, there are lots of great partnerships and deals happening. Time to for the rest of the world to be more aware of what is really going on at the new BlackBerry.

Sent from my Awesome Z30

[Corbu]

Hi Corbu. Can you post that tweet for us guys that are on the mobile version please? Thanks!

Sure.

It has to do with the Detroit Auto Show's announcement:

BlackBerry‏ Verified account @BlackBerry

John Chen will deliver a keynote address at this year's Automobili-D (@NAIASDetroit) where #BlackBerry will break news with a new product. Register to learn what it means to make connected cars #BBSecure . Cell Phones, Smartphones & Mobile Phones from BlackBerry.com

And John Chen's own tweet acknowledging this:

John Chen‏ Verified account @JohnChen

John Chen Retweeted Detroit Auto Show
Looking forward to it

[La Emperor]

Update on Press release yesterday regarding Baidu and BLackberry.

"While no definitive agreement is in place between the two companies, Blackberry and Baidu are in active discussions. Terms of the agreement are yet to be defined and the parties confirmed to Which-50 negotiations are ongoing."
https://which-50.com/blackberry-baid...r-partnership/

[Corbu]

Thanks, La Emperor!

FTR:

UPDATE: Blackberry And Baidu Are Negotiating An Autonomous Car Partnership
Tess Bennett

Blackberry and Chinese internet giant Baidu are in active negotiations to collaborate on the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicle technology for automotive OEMs and suppliers worldwide, Which-50 can reveal.

Yesterday we received a press release Which-50 believed was standard company announcement and published the story titled “Blackberry and Baidu announce autonomous car partnership.”

After publication we were informed the press release, which included quotes from senior executives from both companies, had been mistakenly distributed to the press and was inaccurate.

We took the story down however over the last 24 hours we have confirmed the basic facts.

While no definitive agreement is in place between the two companies, Blackberry and Baidu are in active discussions. Terms of the agreement are yet to be defined and the parties confirmed to Which-50 negotiations are ongoing.

“While we look forward to working with them, no definitive agreement is in place,” a BlackBerry spokesperson told Which-50.

Blackberry also held an event in Shanghai yesterday which Baidu was involved in.

Both companies are highly active in the driverless car space.

These days BlackBerry is a cybersecurity software and services company. Last year it opened its Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre which is housed within the BlackBerry QNX facility in Ottawa, Ontario.

And while its core product is internet search, Baidu is investing in the development of autonomous driving. Baidu’s “Project Apollo” — an open source platform for driverless cars — aims to release fully autonomous vehicles by 2020 and it recently announced plans to invest $1.5 billion in autonomous driving start-ups over the next three years.

The prematurely distributed press release said the two companies will work together on multiple initiatives which may include BlackBerry QNX providing its safety-certified operating system as the foundation for Baidu’s Apollo autonomous drive platform.

Baidu’s offerings like CarLife, DuerOS cloud-based voice recognition, and its high-definition maps may be integrated into Blackberry’s QNX OS platform.

[Corbu]

Tess Bennett‏ @tessbennett

Over the last 24 hours I've learnt Blackberry has some passionate followers

Tess Bennett @tessbennett
I don't know if this still counts as a scoop but I've been able to confirm Baidu and Blackberry are negotiating an autonomous car partnership https://which-50.com/blackberry-baid...r-partnership/ …
2:04 PM - 7 Dec 2017 from Sydney, New South Wales