[OMGitworks]

Somebody missed out on the first round of bribes, so now they want a second kick at the can.

I don't know, maybe having an "illegal" phone will be cool and drive sales???

[morlock_man]

Somebody missed out on the first round of bribes, so now they want a second kick at the can.

Confused?

They're upset about revenue lost from smuggled phones. I don't see why this is bad... the demand is so high that people are breaking the law to get their hands on these phones.

[Bugmapper]

Confused?

They're upset about revenue lost from smuggled phones. I don't see why this is bad... the demand is so high that people are breaking the law to get their hands on these phones.

Oh, I guess I didn't read carefully enough. I took it as ALL BB10 devices were illegal, and BlackBerry had to resubmit their request to sell their new devices in Indonesia.... and I just assumed that there would be more "fees" along with the renewed application.

[morlock_man]

Oh, I guess I didn't read carefully enough. I took it as ALL BB10 devices were illegal, and BlackBerry had to resubmit their request to sell their new devices in Indonesia.... and I just assumed that there would be more "fees" along with the renewed application.

Naaaa... the only other take away from this is that BBRY needs to launch faster in Indonesia.

[bungaboy]

iTunes security hole lets users download any pre-release album stream for free | The Verge
lol, I'm sure you'll like my comment

Another interesting bit.

Watch out iTunes, 20% of all BlackBerry World sales are from music

Luke Johnson by Luke Johnson 20 May 2013

BlackBerry World music sales are higher than expected, accounting for 20 per cent of all sales

Apps have quickly become the must-have base for all smartphone users and platforms, but BlackBerry has found that music is still a driving force in digital sales, accounting for 20 per cent of all BlackBerry World purchases.

While there is no denying the success of iTunes to Apple, a number of other manufacturers have failed to fully capitalise on the digital music sales market. However, Canadian handset and platform creator BlackBerry has suggested it is seeing unparalleled success on the music front.

�20 per cent of overall purchases on BlackBerry World is music,��20 per cent of overall purchases on BlackBerry World is music,� Charlie Miller, BlackBerry�s Director of Alliances said. Speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews he added: �That�s just music, not movie and TV and that�s a lot higher than some.�

While not naming names, Miller revealed that this one fifth split is notably higher than many of BlackBerry�s main rivals. He stated: �I can�t comment on the other guys, but what I can say is that proportionally that is a very high number.�

With an increased use of its music purchasing facilities, BlackBerry has hinted that it could be reaping higher monetary rewards that some of its rivals, with album sales also significantly higher than what is expected of such a mobile digital content outlet.

�The breakdown of sales is a really interesting trend that we follow,� Miller said. �Right now, we see a higher proportion of album sales than is typical. Still the primary purchase is singles but we do see a very high number of album sales coming through.�

[leafs123]

Another interesting bit.

Can't be possible. The Netflix CEO said that BlackBerry 10 devices aren't used for entertainment.

[BlackistheBerry]

BlackBerry making inroads into cars



Cars are about to become hyper-connected to their drivers, and analysts are betting that BlackBerry will be the one to make it happen.

The key will be Blackberry?s QNX software, which it first used in its lack-luster PlayBook tablet. But where the tech giant is really making strides is inside automobiles.

QNX is a Unix-like real-time operating system, designed for the embedded devices market. Initially released in 1982, it was acquired by BlackBerry in 2010.

QNX has been slowly replacing Windows CE as the default platform inside cars to connect drivers? smartphones to their vehicles, simply because auto manufactures just aren?t that pumped about embedding Windows.

And because QNX is a distributed OS - that means anyone can license it from BlackBerry - it opens up the market for app developers and more.

As the trend moves towards replicating the desktop computer experience inside our automobiles, BlackBerry could be poised to make a huge comeback.

The future will be seamlessly integrating the connection between a user?s smartphone and car. To be able to run the same applications off your phone onto the dashboard screen, stream music from your phone?s library through your car?s speakers, and even controlling your car (locking/unlocking, remote starting, etc.) with your phone. Some are even predicting a car?s gauges may be replaced with your phone.

Drivers may eventually use an app on a smartphone to check tire pressure, driving history, oil levels and other such systems. Right now, to do this requires a physical connection between phone and car via the car?s OBD-II port.

That?s why if your "check engine" light comes on, you?ll need to visit your dealership to find out why. An always-connected car would not only be able to push the same message to your smartphone, but in real time.

Then there will be the addition of Wi-Fi in cars (which has already started; for example, Audi?s 2014 Allroad will ship with its own Hotspot). Connected cars will then assist the driver with current traffic information, or maybe the car will download your kid?s latest TV shows overnight so they?re ready to be played en route to day-care the next day.

Keeping the software inside automobiles is key to all this, and right now, there isn?t an easy way to upgrade an automobile?s on-board computer system. In fact, many brand-new cars on the sales lot are equipped with five-year-old infotainment systems.

And many digital strategists are banking on Blackberry being the one to bring these forecasts to reality with its QNX OS, and within a two year time frame.


http://www.autonet.ca/en/2013/05/20/...o-their-owners

[bungaboy]

Another feel good story . . . . .

Britain's Cameron tells Google and others to play fair on tax

Reuters

Monday, May 20, 2013 6:24 PM GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday told Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and other business leaders that he expected their companies to pay their taxes in exchange for benefiting from low tax rates.

Cameron's intervention came days after British lawmakers accused Google of using "smoke and mirrors" to avoid paying tax, fuelling a debate over corporate taxation that has angered the public and led to calls for a tougher approach from the government.

Cameron was speaking at a regular quarterly meeting of the government's business advisory group attended by Schmidt at which corporate taxation was discussed.

"He said, on tax and transparency, that as part of having very low corporation tax he expects companies who are due to pay tax, to pay that tax," a government source said.

All those present at the meeting agreed with Cameron's position, the source said.

Britain holds the G8 presidency and will host a meeting of G8 leaders on June 17-18 at a golf resort in Northern Ireland. Cameron said in April that tax compliance was one of his G8 priorities, along with trade and financial transparency.

Earlier on Monday, Cameron wrote to Britain's overseas territories, urging them to "get their house in order" over the sharing of tax information.

Google is one of several high-profile companies to face far greater scrutiny of its tax affairs in recent months. Apple Inc., Microsoft and Amazon.com have all been in the spotlight at a time of weak economic growth, high levels of public debt and squeezed household incomes in Britain.

[bungaboy]

Meanwhile . . . . . . in other news . . . . .

Galaxy S4 Storage Controversy Televised, Samsung Reviews

By Nicolaas Du PlessisMay 20, 2013 1:06 PM - Source: Tech Radar

Samsung responds to the Galaxy S4's storage space controversy, after being criticized on BBC One.

Those who own a Samsung Galaxy S4 are sure to be familiar with the now public problems the company has been facing concerning the phone's internal storage. Users have found that almost half of the advertised internal storage of the 16 GB version is used by the phone's own operating system and installed apps. While Samsung has stated that this is due to the "more powerful features" the phone houses, and that the external storage can be expanded, the issue still remains that only the internal storage can be used for installed applications, of which there are remarkably few.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Storage Space

Of all the people who are upset, Anne Robinson from BBC One's Watchdog took issue with Samsung not doing anything about this flaw and decided to voice her concerns on international television. In doing so, Samsung has subsequently released a statement saying that they "appreciate this issue being raised and will improve [their] communications," adding that they are "reviewing the possibility to secure more memory space through further software optimization." Do you think that phone companies should be reprimanded for advertising misleading information concerning their product's storage space, or are customers at fault for having too high expectations and not doing their research thoroughly enough? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

[YangFui]

Look guys, I have to vent here. For those that know me you know I'm not a day trader so don't hit me with crappy responses. Why are we still at this SP level when there's so much good going on with BBRY? I'm just asking because we chat back and forward every day about the same things and charts are posted saying the same things and yet we're still sitting here at this level. Yes, you can point at where we were at a certain time, but we are still just going deeper down when we should be at least at $17 right now. Yes I've seen her charts, but for christ sakes we were already at $18 once. Okay, just needed to vent, and no today's green doesn't count for still being under valued. Again, just venting amongst friends....

Hi LCJR,

I was going to start my take by asking you why you think we're your friends--but I don't know you well enough to joke with you like that. (On a serious note, I'm glad that your family members are okay.)

I liked other responses to your question especially the one written by Dapper37, who wrote "Now that the story has turned positive and there's so many people that are about to be proven wrong. They're fighting against this outcome for both financial and reputational reasons."

In psychology there is a K�bler-Ross model that describes the five stages humans experience when grieving. I would like to apply those to how analysts are probably going to feel when they realize that they are wrong about BlackBerry. (I retain recordings on my DVR of Joe Kernen chortling when asked about BlackBerry's comeback potential and of all three regular panelists on "Options Action" who *unanimously* dismissed the possibility that BlackBerry could survive at all [this was aired about 7 weeks ago]. I expect one day to be able to play those recordings to strengthen my ongoing conviction that there are indeed no gurus.)

So here are the stages I expect professional analysts (as well as investors in general) to go through--they apply to anyone who has openly balked at BlackBerry's newest technologies, its leadership, and its comback potential:

1) Denial: They don't feel that BlackBerry has a chance. They see Crackberry members as deranged and irrational.
2) Anger: They watch in disbelief as BBRY stock appreciates in value. They begin to realize that Crackberry members are in love with truly terrific technology that rivals or exceeds other perceived best-of-breed offerings.
3) Bargaining: They try in desperation to convince themselves as well as others that BBRY is experiencing death throes (such as the "dead cat bounce") rather than actual valuation increase.
4) Depression: They begin to realize what they previous felt was the impossible: they were wrong about BlackBerry--and now they have to face this uncomfortable reality.
5) Acceptance: They not only recommend a buy on BBRY, but they also buy some shares for themselves.

[plasmid_boy]

Question for BB_Trader, why The Bear? Why not The Pig? You act more like The Pig on Yahoo, thanks.

What BB_Trader? I haven't been reading his posts.
Seriously, BB_Trader you have been an arsshole in every sense of the word - spilling crap, causing people to pinch their nose and walk the other way.
At 14 years old, I learned that the best way to live and to make money is to provide value. Give people what they need and you will be repaid proportionately. I started with food and housing (at 15) and now knowledge and healthcare. It had worked out well for me so far.
This little BBRY thread is quite reflective of a human society and I think that the same rule applies. Amazing amount of value is provided daily by its members (charts, research, opinions, questions, comic relief, and sentimental factors). You have contributed nothing and been an annoying flea on people's arse. I hope that you take this as a friendly advice and make it helpful to your life (both online and off).

[bungaboy]

Do you see what I see . . . . Do you hear what I hear . . . . .

LoL . . . . . Ed Bott doesn't agree.

Microsoft Monitors Skype More Closely Than Previously Believed: Report

Huffington Post
Monday, May 20, 2013 9:48 PM GMT

Your Skype conversations aren't very private, a new report reveals.

In an experiment, tech news site Ars Technica found that two out of the four links they sent over Skype were accessed by a computer that matched Microsoft's IP address.

The report basically demolishes the commonly held notion that Skype is using so-called end-to-end encryption--basically locking up your message from when you send to when it's received, Ars Technica points out in its report on Monday.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

To be fair, on Skype's privacy policy, it is clearly stated that Skype has the right to scan and review your instant messages and SMS:

Skype may use automated scanning within Instant Messages and SMS to (a) identify suspected spam and/or (b) identify URLs that have been previously flagged as spam, fraud, or phishing links. In limited instances, Skype may capture and manually review instant messages or SMS in connection with Spam prevention efforts.

So why the fuss? Sure, everyone knows that Microsoft and Skype have the ability and right to read your messages, nobody ever expects their messages to be read. After all, what are you writing about that could be mistaken for "spam, fraud, or phishing?" Actually, these sorts of bots that scan for suspicious links and material have made big mistakes before.

Last March, San Francisco-based writer Tienlon Ho was kicked off of Google because the bots searching for spam and phishing thought that a document of usernames and passwords she had in Google Drive violated Google's terms of service.

The issue was first raised by The H Security last Tuesday. The security news site's associates in Germany experimented with sending HTTPS URLs through Skype's instant messaging tool and found that those URLs were visited by an IP address matching Microsoft headquarters soon after they were sent.

Ed Bott from ZDNet didn't agree with H Security's assertion that Microsoft is reading people's messages. He argues that there was no hard evidence that any humans or machines were reading any Skype communications. In a post from last Wednesday, Bott writes:

If you share a URL in a Skype instant message, there’s a possibility (not a guarantee, just a chance) that a SmartScreen server will ask for more information about the server from which that URL originated. It will then use that information to help determine whether that link is legit.

Alexis Kleinman

[rebekahlynnharrison]

Hello all, I'm back from a lovely 3 day stint of camping at Yogi Bear.
Twas lots of sun and fun for the kids and now it's back to r-e-a-l-i-t-y.
Hoping this week will bring us into the $16 arena. A little praying can't hurt. LMBO!!!

[cjcampbell]

Meanwhile . . . . . . in other news . . . . .

Holy crap..... an 8GB OS. Talk about bloated. I know some have complained about the lack of space on their new BB's but I have 4 full pages, have started the 5th, and still have 9.8GB left.

[lcjr]

Hi LCJR,

I was going to start my take by asking you why you think we're your friends--but I don't know you well enough to joke with you like that.

You can feel free to joke around as much as you'd like. We're all big boys and girls here. lol Seeing that I'm not an analyst and am still in the learning stages of investing, I get frustrated at times by the rollercoaster effect we have here with the SP. It's all good and I'm sure one day the stock will trade normally. Thanks for the response.

[leafs123]

Good pricing here.

T-Mobile BlackBerry Q10 pricing gets detailed | CrackBerry.com

[matthewriedle]

I would also like to add that a lot of institutional investors and analysts are conservative by necessity. Their clients generally don�t like them to be seen as taking speculative risks. Let�s face it, BB as a brand had a terrible reputation among the technology crowd for nigh on three years now. As an institutional investor you don�t want to get too far ahead of your clients perceptions. Perceptions, especially in the US, is that BB is yesterdays news. Altogether too many influential people would look at their Analyst like their hair is on fire now if one of them were to suggest investing in BB. They would be correct that, fundamentally, BB/BBRY is a good value and growth pick up right now but BB/BBRY�s legacy reputation is keeping the mainstream analysts on the sidelines until the mainstream catches up to the reality.

BB/BBRY getting a quarter or two under its belt and some penetration into market share, will do wonders to change these perceptions. Meanwhile us BB/BBRY longs remain the �early adopters� and that�s fine. But in my estimation this is where we are, and why.

So if you are long on BB/BBRY � remember this and don�t worry about the day to day stuff. Perception will start to catch up to fundamentals on June 28th.

[morlock_man]

Early morning raid?

I can't wait until next Monday. The TSX will be open while the US Exchange is closed. If the history of this stocks movements on those kinds of days holds out, it'll soar.

[Charles Martin1]

BBRY and BB are traveling in opposite directions...

[BB_Trader]

Chart of the day:

Attachment 163790

It's simple, we found support at the uptrend line after falling for 4 days. We are above the 5-dma and the 50-dma and that's bullish. Today we need to stay above the $ 14.80's and hopefully close above $ 15.30/shr. The entire market backed off yesterday, not just BBRY, when we learned of the tragedy in Oklahoma. Horrible news there, that's reality and none of what we do here each day matters when you see what they are going through.

Let's get above $ 15.30/shr and hold it this time, we are simply going to $ 16.00/shr on TA and will run into resistance at that level.

Question for BB_Trader, why The Bear? Why not The Pig? You act more like The Pig on Yahoo, thanks.

??? no position in Yahoo, however, thinking of shorting it in light of the Tumblr buy, in the meantime enjoying my short BB position this morning at $15.43. Cheers, gotta go, may have to cover for a profit if the BB pump is turned back on. All the best for a great day everyone. Happy day trading

[bungaboy]

Good pricing here.

T-Mobile BlackBerry Q10 pricing gets detailed | CrackBerry.com

Yes it is good pricing. Q10 for "$579.99 outright". I paid $699.99 CAD for mine, and, I was glad to do so.

[slipstream89]

its going down

[Superfly_FR]

Any OS is vulnerable to a security leak, including Apple. I doubt that BB10 is locked tight! Without BIS, I feel it is not as secure as it used to be.

Sorry, but this is a flaw by design. Not a software vulnearability. It's just the way it has been built that is a huge error. And the proof of uneducated project managers. Any first level security aware manager would have killed this before birth.
This is cultural and this is why apple won't match any serious competitor in the security area until they replace poets by killers ...

[cjcampbell]

its going down

It's only been open for 20 minutes... go grab a coffee and sit back with the paper for a while

[slipstream89]

You sir, are absolutely correct! mcdonalds coffee it is!...i hate timmies

It's only been open for 20 minutes... go grab a coffee and sit back with the paper for a while