[rarsen]

From a previous February article, waiting to see if any update or alternate to it soon:

TCL will stop selling BlackBerry smartphones in August
https://www.zdnet.com/article/tcl-wi...nes-in-august/
TCL will continue to support existing devices through Aug. 31, 2022, by offering customer and warranty service. The last Android security patch for the Key2 and Key2 LE will be issued in May 2020 and Aug. 2020, respectively. After that, the phones will stop receiving software updates.

[Chuck Finley69]

From a previous February article, waiting to see if any update or alternate to it soon:

TCL will stop selling BlackBerry smartphones in August
https://www.zdnet.com/article/tcl-wi...nes-in-august/
TCL will continue to support existing devices through Aug. 31, 2022, by offering customer and warranty service. The last Android security patch for the Key2 and Key2 LE will be issued in May 2020 and Aug. 2020, respectively. After that, the phones will stop receiving software updates.

No changes with this. It’s still on current schedule.

[Redzinaldas]

https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...889244746.html

Vodafone Chooses BlackBerry AtHoc for Secure Crisis Communications Offering

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

From a previous February article, waiting to see if any update or alternate to it soon:

TCL will stop selling BlackBerry smartphones in August
https://www.zdnet.com/article/tcl-wi...nes-in-august/
TCL will continue to support existing devices through Aug. 31, 2022, by offering customer and warranty service. The last Android security patch for the Key2 and Key2 LE will be issued in May 2020 and Aug. 2020, respectively. After that, the phones will stop receiving software updates.

What kind of alternate are you hoping to see?

Do think it would be nice if they lumped the KEY2 in with the LE for that last update. But in the end that's also around when Google ends support for Android 8. BBMo couldn't issue more patches... if they wanted too.

I know some are still hoping for upgrade to Android 9... and thus more security patches. Or that BlackBerry has a new partner or they themselves with reenter hardware. Neither makes any sense from a business perspective, or BlackBerry's past history of EOL of products.

[EchoTango]

Product and name seem to match up....

Attachment 449044

I think it looks more like a toaster !


Kidding aside, you can see this type of vehicle as an urban transporter and if they ever get the autonomous technology perfected, this is what will pull up to your door one day.


For myself, they will need to pry my Porsche Boxster S from my cold dead hands.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

I think it looks more like a toaster !


Kidding aside, you can see this type of vehicle as an urban transporter and if they ever get the autonomous technology perfected, this is what will pull up to your door one day.


For myself, they will need to pry my Porsche Boxster S from my cold dead hands.

I could see a fleet of these used by someone like Uber (when the autonomous technology is perfected... that seems to still be a ways out).

It's the idea of "Car as a Service" that I can't fully wrap my head around.... several startups looking at this "future".

But let's face it, it a fully autonomous EV Car cost $70K +.... a creative way to provide these to many users is going to be needed.

[Elephant_Canyon]

For myself, they will need to pry my Porsche Boxster S from my cold dead hands.

No, they won't. They can just stop making fuel for it. Then you'll need to buy an electric one

[rarsen]

Being so busy at work I haven't found free time to think about it, just looking for some indication for long term planning. BB feels frequently like a stealth company and not easy to decipher. Hope with time BB will make a strong comeback, though feel that smartphone hardware will remain a small portion of its interests unfortunately. Revenues are in other areas being developed. A possible surprise like KODAK stock today would be interesting.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Being so busy at work I haven't found free time to think about it, just looking for some indication for long term planning. BB feels frequently like a stealth company and not easy to decipher. Hope with time BB will make a strong comeback, though feel that smartphone hardware will remain a small portion of its interests unfortunately. Revenues are in other areas being developed. A possible surprise like KODAK stock today would be interesting.

If you call ZERO being small.... as that's about how much interest Chen has in chasing hardware or even licensing of hardware at this point. If Samsung wanted the keyboard IP to make millions of phones, he of course jump at it. But someone like Unihertz making 5K units... it's not worth their time.

KODAK? BlackBerry could do that as well, file bankruptcy and wipe out all shares. Then reboot and then issue new shares but more in line with the size of the new company.... Doesn't hurt if the new company become a pharmaceutical company overnight with a nice government contract loan to make hydroxychloroquine for Trump. But that's a very short term gain - I didn't even think hydroxychloroquine was being considered a treatment anymore. Not sure what the the terms were on the loan... but I doubt there is much future in it. Both the FDA and CDC are advising not to use it for COVID treatment.

[app_Developer]

I think it looks more like a toaster !


Kidding aside, you can see this type of vehicle as an urban transporter and if they ever get the autonomous technology perfected, this is what will pull up to your door one day.


For myself, they will need to pry my Porsche Boxster S from my cold dead hands.

So that's the future I'm looking forward to. People who just want to get from point A to point B will end up letting systems drive the car, which is way more predictable and safer IMO than having disinterested or unskilled human drivers.

Then the only human drivers will be people like us who enjoy our cars and enjoy driving. I think that's a great outcome.

[Chuck Finley69]

Being so busy at work I haven't found free time to think about it, just looking for some indication for long term planning. BB feels frequently like a stealth company and not easy to decipher. Hope with time BB will make a strong comeback, though feel that smartphone hardware will remain a small portion of its interests unfortunately. Revenues are in other areas being developed. A possible surprise like KODAK stock today would be interesting.

Smartphone Hardware is zero of there business and can’t make a comeback without being a diversion of very limited resources. It won’t happen.

The Kodak moment could happen but in some kind of software development.

[dusdal]

https://www.newswire.ca/news-release...889244746.html

Vodafone Chooses BlackBerry AtHoc for Secure Crisis Communications Offering

Shame they only specify the UK so far. Vodafone is massive, so hopefully this deal finds it's way throughout their geographic range.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Shame they only specify the UK so far. Vodafone is massive, so hopefully this deal finds it's way throughout their geographic range.

The real question is what does it mean.....

Is this an exclusive deal and only AtHoc will be offered by Vodafone, or is AtHoc just a new horse in their stable?

Also how many business and governments chose their Crisis Communication based on what a Carrier might be supporting?

These little "pumps" are better than nothing! But without some sort of details, like "UK Aired Forces selected Vodafone and AtHoc to be deployed to the 30K mission critical...... " it hard to know if they really mean anything.

[Chuck Finley69]

The real question is what does it mean.....

Is this an exclusive deal and only AtHoc will be offered by Vodafone, or is AtHoc just a new horse in their stable?

Also how many business and governments chose their Crisis Communication based on what a Carrier might be supporting?

These little "pumps" are better than nothing! But without some sort of details, like "UK Aired Forces selected Vodafone and AtHoc to be deployed to the 30K mission critical...... " it hard to know if they really mean anything.

I thought it was title of new COD 2020 Black Ops release.

[Seadog83]

You mean you haven’t reviewed implications since 2013 when Prem/Fairfax offered $9 per share and then backed away from offer instead agreeing to loan company $1billion and requirements of John Chen hiring to make loan?

I just don't get why you are so confident that you think Prem is obsessed at taking over this company come hell or high water. Companies aren't art. "I love it! I simply *MUST* have it!" Prem will do what makes him the most money, and that is actually getting the share price up.

From my memory and brief googling, the deal didn't fall apart because Fairfax pulled out, but rather because they couldn't find enough other willing partners at $9 to finish the deal, and it simply fell apart. Secondly, is it not as likely that instead of simply being chopped up piecemeal, that they felt it would be far easier to undertake the massive restructuring that would be required privately, without both public and regulatory oversight, or the quarterly results when wall street can't seem to get their head around the fact that massive changes sometimes take longer than 3 months to effect? Instead Prem felt the best path forward was a massive change in direction, a vote of confidence via the $1b loan, and the potential for a bigger payday via the conversion option. BB in 2013 was a vastly different company than today. Bankruptcy was a real possibility. Now I think they're at least pretty much out of the woods in that regard, but of course trundling along quarter after quarter breaking even and playing with yourself isn't exactly a recipe for greatness and profits either....

Here's some back of the envelope math. Prem bought his first 50m shares around $18, or almost $1b. He now has a conversion option for 85m at $500m, and he's made a few hundred m in interest along the way. So he's into this for about $1.2b/135m shares, or a BV of maybe around $9. If he does manage to take it private, he'll need to come up with say $8/shr for the remaining ~500m diluted ones, or ~$4b. He'll be into it for a bit over $5b. Now, while I like Yasch22 and think his writing is excellent, he is the eternal optimist who seems to be out of touch with the last few years. Now even if we take his rosy prediction of a ~6b valuation if BB get scraped, that to me hardly seems like a slam dunk. While Prem would go from the massive losses he's facing today to somewhere between break even to +20%. A turnaround in fortune for sure, but hardly the kind of return you'd be satisfied with after wading through this quagmire for over a decade. No, the best path forward for everyone concerned, is to keep BB a public company, and get the share price up to $20+ vs screwing shareholders, screwing Chen, and being forced to settle for at best dismal returns.

The other option could be that Prem just wants to take it private and running as a going concern himself reaping the profits, but why would he be so confident to throw another $4b of good money after potentially bad unless it was obviously a winning move, and if it was obvious to him, why wouldn't it be obvious to the board/other large owners, and thus why would they go for it?

The fact that Prem has stuck around this long and made himself a series of deals that offer increasingly higher *potential* upside, says to me he sees the possibility for a home run. The path to that home run is to actually get the share price to somewhere decent.

It's also possible that the $6 conversion is simply a lotto ticket, and BB isn't destined for greatness. The best of a series of crappy options for Prem, simply *is* to take it private, and break it up while breaking even. In which case even though it would suck for shareholders he may actually be doing us a favour. While I thought the $9 offer in 2013 was garbage, and happy when it fell apart, in hindsight the offer that would have almost got me to even, and got me out of this mess (at least) 7 years sooner would have been a blessing in disguise.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

In the end I think Prems wants BlackBerry to hit a home run to win the game.

But he has a guy on 3rd base ready to steal home and at least tie-up the score, that he has ready as well.

[Chuck Finley69]

I just don't get why you are so confident that you think Prem is obsessed at taking over this company come hell or high water. Companies aren't art. "I love it! I simply *MUST* have it!" Prem will do what makes him the most money, and that is actually getting the share price up.

From my memory and brief googling, the deal didn't fall apart because Fairfax pulled out, but rather because they couldn't find enough other willing partners at $9 to finish the deal, and it simply fell apart. Secondly, is it not as likely that instead of simply being chopped up piecemeal, that they felt it would be far easier to undertake the massive restructuring that would be required privately, without both public and regulatory oversight, or the quarterly results when wall street can't seem to get their head around the fact that massive changes sometimes take longer than 3 months to effect? Instead Prem felt the best path forward was a massive change in direction, a vote of confidence via the $1b loan, and the potential for a bigger payday via the conversion option. BB in 2013 was a vastly different company than today. Bankruptcy was a real possibility. Now I think they're at least pretty much out of the woods in that regard, but of course trundling along quarter after quarter breaking even and playing with yourself isn't exactly a recipe for greatness and profits either....

Here's some back of the envelope math. Prem bought his first 50m shares around $18, or almost $1b. He now has a conversion option for 85m at $500m, and he's made a few hundred m in interest along the way. So he's into this for about $1.2b/135m shares, or a BV of maybe around $9. If he does manage to take it private, he'll need to come up with say $8/shr for the remaining ~500m diluted ones, or ~$4b. He'll be into it for a bit over $5b. Now, while I like Yasch22 and think his writing is excellent, he is the eternal optimist who seems to be out of touch with the last few years. Now even if we take his rosy prediction of a ~6b valuation if BB get scraped, that to me hardly seems like a slam dunk. While Prem would go from the massive losses he's facing today to somewhere between break even to +20%. A turnaround in fortune for sure, but hardly the kind of return you'd be satisfied with after wading through this quagmire for over a decade. No, the best path forward for everyone concerned, is to keep BB a public company, and get the share price up to $20+ vs screwing shareholders, screwing Chen, and being forced to settle for at best dismal returns.

The other option could be that Prem just wants to take it private and running as a going concern himself reaping the profits, but why would he be so confident to throw another $4b of good money after potentially bad unless it was obviously a winning move, and if it was obvious to him, why wouldn't it be obvious to the board/other large owners, and thus why would they go for it?

The fact that Prem has stuck around this long and made himself a series of deals that offer increasingly higher *potential* upside, says to me he sees the possibility for a home run. The path to that home run is to actually get the share price to somewhere decent.

It's also possible that the $6 conversion is simply a lotto ticket, and BB isn't destined for greatness. The best of a series of crappy options for Prem, simply *is* to take it private, and break it up while breaking even. In which case even though it would suck for shareholders he may actually be doing us a favour. While I thought the $9 offer in 2013 was garbage, and happy when it fell apart, in hindsight the offer that would have almost got me to even, and got me out of this mess (at least) 7 years sooner would have been a blessing in disguise.

Fairfax and Prem don’t want the company other than for selling purposes. I’m not sure why Fairfax and Prem originally bought into BlackBerry Limited other than a great sales pitch about the future of BB10 and it’s monetization strategy like BBOS or something else.

I don’t really believe that Fairfax or Prem ever really wanted to privatize in the first place. In 2013, I believe the intent was to force BlackBerry Limited into play with another bidder countering Fairfax and Prem offer. When that didn’t happen, plans B, C and now D have been implemented.

I suggest that Fairfax and Prem are merely allowing BlackBerry Limited to remain in place. No further monies have been committed. It’s easier to structure a deal by eliminating minority shareholders. You’re arguing that 80s style LBO would be against minority shareholders. I agree but it’s the strategy that gets Fairfax and Prem out with smallest loss or even reasonable to better profits if whatever their planned exit strategy is.

Fairfax and Prem’s interests nor strategies are even close to aligned with yours and other minority shareholders. He already has institutional friendly shareholders as future partners.

Your statement about his $9 offer is my point. Everyone is looking to get out with optimal loss or gain most likely. All their strategies of 7 years suggest going private cheap enough allows Fairfax and Prem their best exit strategy.

[app_Developer]

I can’t find it on google right now, but I remember Watsa’s announcement. The only specific reason he gave was that BB was a great Canadian brand and one of Canada’s technology jewels and that this was a great opportunity to get in. To my ears there was a strong personal/emotional element to what he said.

He and his team, like all human beings, have their hits and their misses. That’s normal. But I think they are too smart and too experienced to throw significant more cash into this to take it private. There is just no way to reasonably get even $5B out of the parts, unless you find a BB fan with deep pockets who has some vision there. Even Cylance itself Today is not worth what BB paid for it, and that’s the biggest asset they have.

[Seadog83]

Fairfax and Prem don’t want the company other than for selling purposes. I’m not sure why Fairfax and Prem originally bought into BlackBerry Limited other than a great sales pitch about the future of BB10 and it’s monetization strategy like BBOS or something else.

I don’t really believe that Fairfax or Prem ever really wanted to privatize in the first place. In 2013, I believe the intent was to force BlackBerry Limited into play with another bidder countering Fairfax and Prem offer. When that didn’t happen, plans B, C and now D have been implemented.

I suggest that Fairfax and Prem are merely allowing BlackBerry Limited to remain in place. No further monies have been committed. It’s easier to structure a deal by eliminating minority shareholders. You’re arguing that 80s style LBO would be against minority shareholders. I agree but it’s the strategy that gets Fairfax and Prem out with smallest loss or even reasonable to better profits if whatever their planned exit strategy is.

Fairfax and Prem’s interests nor strategies are even close to aligned with yours and other minority shareholders. He already has institutional friendly shareholders as future partners.

Your statement about his $9 offer is my point. Everyone is looking to get out with optimal loss or gain most likely. All their strategies of 7 years suggest going private cheap enough allows Fairfax and Prem their best exit strategy.

In much the same way as Rice Dawg's warning about not taking BB's success to be fait accompli, I would caution the same on the other side of the coin. You act as if everyone has written off BB, it's destruction and eventual bankruptcy is certain, and Prem being in the position he is, is well positioned to recover more than his share - by hook or crook. I'd agree with you if you take the first few points as given.

I however, do not necessarily think that's the case. The reason I made the comment about the $9 looking pretty good today in hindsight, is quite literally because the stock has had a 2 year garbage run and is currently sitting in the 4s. This is a stock however that has tripled or doubled in months multiple times over the last decade - sometimes spurred by a singular event like the QCOM payment in 2017, other times for seemingly no reason at all like in late 2012 when it ran from the 6s to the 18s. That's why I'm saying 9 is looking pretty good right now. After the QCOM run in the 14s, 9 looked really bad. If BB every gets it's act together, there's a significant event like a big lawsuit win (FB?), a notable activist investor comes in, or hell even just for whatever reason sentiment starts to turn, there's no reason we might not see a similar run. The market is fickle, what's hot today may not be tomorrow, and vice versa. If BB ever gets back to the double digits, people will no longer wondering "how do I get out?!" but rather "How much can I make". Greed and Fear.

[rarsen]

General information as newer cars are increasingly providing the product:

Lorraine Complains: What we hate about infotainment systems
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/autos/news...?ocid=msedgdhp

[Corbu]

PR:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...301104532.html
BlackBerry Releases Free Reverse Engineering Tool to Help Fight Cybersecurity Attacks

[Chuck Finley69]

PR:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...301104532.html
BlackBerry Releases Free Reverse Engineering Tool to Help Fight Cybersecurity Attacks

Free * argh !!!!!!!

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Free * argh !!!!!!!

Did they make this for themselves anyway? Might be no cost to them, but if it's a tool others in the security market might could use, and if it got BlackBerry name tossed around more in security circles? Or got used by young software engineers in training at university or trade schools...

Would have been better to see an announcement like this, last year. And the bottom line, is the bottom line - so this doesn't do much right now. Heck it might not every help them to sell more security software...

But I don't have an issue with free... heck I wish QNX had remained more "free" than it has become.

[Chuck Finley69]

Did they make this for themselves anyway? Might be no cost to them, but if it's a tool others in the security market might could use, and if it got BlackBerry name tossed around more in security circles? Or got used by young software engineers in training at university or trade schools...

Would have been better to see an announcement like this, last year. And the bottom line, is the bottom line.

But I don't have an issue with free... heck I wish QNX had remained more "free" than it has become.

Simply commenting on another non-revenue generating press release. I’m sure there’s a strategy for this announcement. I just wish they could explain for us IT dummies....

[EchoTango]

PR:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...301104532.html
BlackBerry Releases Free Reverse Engineering Tool to Help Fight Cybersecurity Attacks

If Blackberry really wants to be a leader in the cyber security market it has to find ways contribute to the overall capability progression of the industry. While this seems counterproductive, it is one major way for Blackberry to gain some standing and credibility in this relatively small close-knit community.

In other words, sometimes you have to give to get.