[La Emperor]

that was a good one! lol..

OT for afterhours but thinking about need of having proper Security initially installed, because when the toothpaste is out of the tube it can become more difficult like some other areas of life:

[video]https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=3784945038468[/url]

[Corbu]

Funny how these "positive" articles always seem to come out of India, recently... You wont't yet catch anyone here in Canada or in the US writing such stuff... Pity! Especially on the part of Canadian media, if you ask me... /rant

In India, BlackBerry sees its best hope for revival | Business Standard News

It is betting on enterprise services and new launches to revive demand. But are the measures enough to steal a march on established players like Samsung and Micromax?

Last month, BlackBerry CEO John Chen had said that India was critical to the revival of the company. And a revival is something the Ontario-headquartered maker of smartphones needs quickly. In the quarter ended May 31, its global shipments crashed 61 per cent to 2.6 million handsets from the same quarter in 2013-14. While the company posted a surprise profit of $23 million after reporting a loss of $423 million in the previous quarter, analysts were quick to announce that the positive news did not signal a comeback. Its market share stands at 0.5 per cent, down hugely from the peak of 20 per cent in 2009.

In this scenario, the safest bet for Chen would have been to focus on China, the world's largest market. But security concerns over BlackBerry's proprietary messaging service is the reason why he can't break into that market. That is what makes Chen focus on India, the second biggest market which is witnessing a boom in smartphone sales: against 44 million in 2013, it is expected that Indians will buy 81 million mobile phones in 2014.

It won't be a cakewalk, though. For BlackBerry, things went "out of control" in the last few years in India: its market share plummeted from 14.8 per cent in April-June 2010 to 7 per cent in 2012, 2.9 per cent in 2013 and just 0.5 per cent in January-March 2014, according to market research company IDC. BlackBerry could not withstand the onslaught from South Korea's Samsung at the top end and from homegrown Micromax at the bottom end. Apple, with its sudden and huge buyback push, too took buyers away from BlackBerry. "There were mistakes, and there was learning. We take the learning forward to boost our strengths," says BlackBerry India Managing Director Sunil Lalvani. "We are not in the market share game anymore. Now the benchmark is profitability. We are in the market to make money."

There's a shift in strategy, in line with what BlackBerry is doing globally. Its strategy now revolves around increased focus on the enterprise segment and adding local twists to its QNX operating system. India, with its large population of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), does offer a significant upside to the enterprise business. Lalvani needs to lure the SMEs, besides bringing back BlackBerry to the attention of large enterprises with the right services and security solutions. BlackBerry has already managed to get more than 2,600 enterprises on board to use BlackBerry Enterprises Services 10 (BES10) after launching it in June this year. One reason for its success is that BlackBerry's secure enterprise service is no longer limited to its own devices. Making it compatible with other devices and platforms helped the company gain customers, says Lalvani. His next challenge is to successfully roll out BlackBerry's newest offering, BlackBerry Enterprise Service 12 (BES12), which could help the company crack the government sector, among others.

There are many more areas that BlackBerry is looking at in India. Mobile payment, at a nascent stage right now, is an emerging opportunity, besides automobile solutions through its QNX operating system. The results have begun to show. In the past few months, the company has gained market share in India across segments, according to Lalvani. "Bringing back QWERTY also helped. So was the price correction," says Lalvani. Last month, it slashed prices of its QWERTY handsets, including the Q5, by up to Rs 6,000, which took the price of some devices to under Rs 10,000. Besides, it has reduced prices of the upper-end Z30, Z10 and Q10 devices in 2013 and early 2014 by up to Rs 13,500 under special offers, which resulted in stocks flying out of the shelves in no time.

Focusing on the top end

Though it has dropped prices, Lalvani emphasises that there will be no device under $150 (approximately Rs 9,000) from BlackBerry. "Our strength is security and robustness. Our focus will be in the upper segment, while we control costs with the Foxconn partnership that enables us to make (inexpensive) devices in Asian countries like Indonesia," He says. In December, BlackBerry had announced a five-year partnership with Foxconn, the world's leading manufacturer of electronic products and components. The first product of the partnership, the Z3, has already been rolled out. Besides India, other priority geographies for BlackBerry are Indonesia, West Asia, South Africa and Latin America - all price-sensitive markets.

As the focus shifts to profits, BlackBerry has embarked on a huge cost-cutting exercise around the globe. "We have brought down our operational expenses by maximising utilisation of our existing resources. At a time when BlackBerry has cut down headcounts globally as part of the restructuring under the new management, we have actually hired in India, though it has been limited, targeted and solution oriented. Mainly, we strengthened our sales and marketing teams for growing into new segments," Lalvani says.

More than anything else, BlackBerry is betting on its newest innovation, the Passport. Lalvani is hopeful that the device with a square screen and physical keyboard, which will be launched later this month, will be a game changer for the company. Targeted at professionals across sectors, from analysts and bankers to traders and healthcare experts, it is expected to boost BlackBerry's attempts to focus on the enterprise segment.

The Passport is likely to come with a lot of surprises. According to the official blog of BlackBerry, it will have a square 4.5-inch, full HD screen that can accommodate 66 characters in a row, as compared with the 40 on a regular smartphone. Among other features, the Passport will offer access to Android apps as part of the BlackBerry 10.3 operating system update and will have a three-row multi-tasking keyboard. The BlackBerry blogpost is also gung-ho about how the new device will make working on the go easier for professionals: architects can look at designs and schematics, healthcare workers can view X-rays, and traders can watch trading platforms if they have the Passport as their smartphone, says the blog.

However, BlackBerry is yet to announce the price of its newest offering. "It has got a different look and feel. However, pricing will play an important role in deciding the fortune of the product. Passport pricing should appeal to the masses," says Karan Thakkar, senior market analyst (mobile phones and tablets), IDC. Daniel Gleeson, analyst (mobile, media, mobile devices & networks), IHS, a global analytics provider, however, says a single device can't drastically change the future of BlackBerry at this stage. "Instead, Blackberry's future is much more dependent on its services business and the sale of its handsets to its enterprise clients as an add-on," he adds.

Still, some analysts are sceptical about India becoming a strong contributor to BlackBerry's revival. "India is attracting a lot of attention from many handset manufacturers at the moment because the smartphone market is poised for an explosive growth on the same level as seen in China in the past couple of years. This rising tide could help BlackBerry's attempted revival," says Gleeson. "It will still be a challenge for BlackBerry though. BlackBerry will not be able to compete with Apple at the top end of the market, while Android brands such as Samsung and Micromax have already established themselves in the market."

According to Gleeson, the first and the most important thing BlackBerry needs is a market where its Blackberry-10 operating system takes firm roots. Since its launch in early 2013, Blackberry-10 has not succeeded in reversing BlackBerry's decline. "Unless BlackBerry-10 can gain a decent level of market share in an important market, its apps ecosystem will remain limited to emulated Android apps which will mean the performance will not be ideal, further pushing the operating system into difficulty," he adds.

Neil Shah, research director (devices & ecosystems) of Hong Kong-based CounterPoint Technology Market Research, believes the advent of BYOD (bring your own device) trend, rise of rival messaging apps such as WhatsApp, and BBM itself going cross-platform have reduced the overall stickiness to the BlackBerry platform. "Secondly, the BlackBerry devices' form-factor evolution to full-touch alongside the slick but very different BlackBerry-10 has driven loyal BlackBerry users away. We do not see BlackBerry growing at the same pace as the Indian smartphone market and thus BlackBerry will continue to command modest market share in the coming years," he says. But, he adds: "BlackBerry still is a gold standard in terms of enterprise security and mobile management solutions. BlackBerry should look forward to leverage this expertise and grow in enterprise software and services space offering solutions for Indian corporations."

Thakkar of IDC says that India certainly is a focused market and can supplement BlackBerry's revival on the hardware side of the business. The only impeding factor is the pricing. "If Blackberry chooses to be aggressive on the pricing, its revival is very much possible," he says. That, however, does not seem to be on Lalvani's radar screen yet.

[CDM76]

Maybe a good idea to give these celebrities brand new passports. A lot of celebrities were BlackBerry fans. Time to come back.

Posted via CB10

That would be more marketing in one single move than BlackBerry has done in the last 3 yrs combined!!

Posted via CB10

[CDM76]

Funny how these "positive" articles always seem to come out of India, recently... You wont't yet catch anyone here in Canada or in the US writing such stuff... Pity! Especially on the part of Canadian media, if you ask me... /rant

In India, BlackBerry sees its best hope for revival | Business Standard News

Actually there have been a couple lately. Still hard to find but they are out there.

Posted via CB10

[Shanerredflag]

Eazzy Peazzy

[BanffMoose]

Maybe a good idea to give these celebrities brand new passports. A lot of celebrities were BlackBerry fans. Time to come back.

Posted via CB10

Connected to BES10, with BBM Protected enabled....explain to them the security/privacy features. Show them the BBM Protected prompt "Protected. Enter a message." Offer comfort of mind during a period of distress.

[bungaboy]

Add another one . . .

After the horse has left the barn!

Apple patches 'Find My iPhone' exploit

Summary: Apple has patched an exploit with its Find My iPhone online service that may have been used by hackers to gain access to personal photos stored on iCloud accounts belonging to some 100 celebrities.


Apple patches 'Find My iPhone' exploit | ZDNet

[bungaboy]

The Truthiness Of BlackBerry's Security

The Truthiness Of BlackBerry's Security - BlackBerry Ltd. (NASDAQ:BBRY) | Seeking Alpha

[bungaboy]

The Globe & Mail version if Celeb iCloud hacked story.

Can you imagine the headline and story content if this happened to BlackBerry?

Apple iCloud under scrutiny as nude celebrity photos leaked


Apple iCloud under scrutiny as nude celebrity photos leaked - The Globe and Mail

A mass leak of nude celebrity photos is sparking fears about iCloud vulnerability and renewed warnings that people need to be more careful with their digital content.

News of the photos of A-list singers and actors began to appear Sunday on the bulletin board 4chan. Among the targets were Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, whose publicist confirmed photos of her had been accessed, the reality star Kim Kardashian and award-winning singer Rihanna.

According to people who saw the original post on 4chan, the person was claiming to have taken the photos from iCloud accounts and was seeking to sell them for Bitcoins.

“This is a flagrant violation of privacy,” Ms. Lawrence’s publicist Liz Mahoney wrote in a statement. “The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos.”

With Apple remaining tight-lipped, technology analysts have been debating the ways these images might have been accessed. Theories range from phishing scams to poorly chosen passwords, with an alleged security vulnerability emerging as a strong candidate.

According to The Next Web Blog, someone recently posted a way to attempt multiple passwords in quick succession. That could have opened the door to what is called a “brute force” attack. Canadian tech analyst and writer Carmi Levy, who stressed that it was still early and that the incident was still being investigated, pointed to this as a plausible scenario.

“Basically they can try a million different passwords on Jennifer Lawrence’s account and Jennifer Lawrence will have no idea that this is going on,” he said in a phone interview Monday. “Eventually they just busted in the front door. It was essentially the equivalent of using a battering ram. It wasn’t subtle, it was just trying again and again and again after they managed to disable the alarm.”

From the first access, he added, the hacker could use information found in the account to pursue other people.

In a piece posted Monday, The Next Web said “it seems Apple patched the [vulnerability] today.”

The technology company did not immediately respond Monday afternoon to a request for comment about iCloud security and this alleged vulnerability.

Hacking of celebrities’ phones became a scandal that rocked the media in Britain, where it emerged that many people had not changed the default password that came with the device. And even when they take greater care, the scrutiny of celebrity life means that it can be easy for hackers to jump through security hoops such as questions about a mother’s maiden name or the elementary school the star attended. In a major U.S. case, a Florida man used publicly available information to access the email accounts of celebrities including Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera “I have been truly humiliated and embarrassed,” said Ms. Johansson, who had nude photos taken, said in a tearful videotaped statement played in court at the man’s 2012 sentencing.

Mr. Levy said that the most recent incident was a reminder that digital security has to be taken seriously. It’s a warning that he and other analysts have repeated many times but seems to have trouble sinking in.

“You don’t have to be a celebrity to be affected by this particular attack,” he said. “This is a message to all of us that we are still not doing enough to maintain our online security. That we are still committing questionable content to digital platforms, like naked pictures or compromising photos or videos, under the false assumption that we believe that they are private. When, in fact, once something has been digitized or captured digitally it is never going to be even remotely private. You know, the very act of taking a picture on an iPhone can instantly commit it to the cloud.”

[Corbu]

BlackBerry isn’t playing around with the Passport and its battery life. As confirmed in the leaked spec sheet, the BlackBerry Passport will feature a 3450 mAh integrated non-removable battery.

According to the spec sheet, BlackBerry has a battery life target of 19 hours usage + 8 hours standby. This alone is an impressive battery life, which will pit the Passport as one of the best battery powered smartphones.

To put this into perspective, one our friends with a Passport sent the above photo showcasing the Passport’s incredible battery life. How awesome will it be to go an entire day (or more!) with only one charge?

BlackBerry should be formally announcing the Passport later this month, with an expected release of October in parts of Europe and Asia.

Thanks to BlackBerry Passport has Incredible Battery Life | N4BB

[lcjr]

You guys know where I stand on celebrities. I’d rather focus on the software of Blackberry than focusing on some human carrying a Blackberry that’s famous only later to be brought into bad light. Don’t get so wrapped up into who’s carrying a Blackberry but rather why they are carrying it. Just my thoughts...

[CDM76]

If it was icloud that was hacked the device in their hands doesn't make a difference anyway.

Posted via CB10

[TimJohnSmith]

If it was icloud that was hacked the device in their hands doesn't make a difference anyway.

Posted via CB10

I would disagree. iCloud is available on Apple products and Windows PCs. Though it is perceived as an Apple product for Apple products. So a breach of this magnitude, if not suppressed, will hurt Apple's image. But not if they hold another device in hand.

Tim Smith from my Z10 on Rogers

[Superfly_FR]

I would disagree. iCloud is available on Apple products and Windows PCs. Though it is perceived as an Apple product for Apple products. So a breach of this magnitude, if not suppressed, will hurt Apple's image. But not if they hold another device in hand.

Tim Smith from my Z10 on Rogers

AFAIK the breach is supposingly a brute force attack to iCloud login.
Such brute force attacks are extremely well known for ages and I can't believe people at apple left the door open to this (seems confirmed since they patched). Even for basic websites (those I make) this is the alpha of security tests.

It is even more pathetic than the "goto:error" flaw discovered a few months ago ... but you can count on apple P.R to smoke it and discharge their responsability on third party vendors/software and "weak passwords" they should forbid, to begin with.

This is an A+B demo that security is a culture, not an app or layers of add-ons.

[bungaboy]

AFAIK the breach is supposingly a brute force attack to iCloud login.
Such brute force attacks are extremely well known for ages and I can't believe people at apple left the door open to this (seems confirmed since they patched). Even for basic websites (those I make) this is the alpha of security tests.

It is even more pathetic than the "goto:error" flaw discovered a few months ago ... but you can count on apple P.R to smoke it and discharge their responsability on third party vendors/software and "weak passwords" they should forbid, to begin with.

This is an A+B demo that security is a culture, not an app or layers of add-ons.

Any you forgot to add Apple's "you are holding it wrong" excuse.

[ophjacks45]

OT, but this could be the start of a celeb backlash. @kirstendunst reaction on Twitter says it all.

theRock1975, rarsen, jxnb and 6 others like this.

[jake simmons3]

I would just like to point out that is this security breach was bbry and not apple blackberries stock would be down atleast 15 percent in pre-market but seeing how its about apple they are up in pre-market

[theRock1975]

Is that a pile of sh*t?



Posted via CB10

[ophjacks45]

Is that a pile of sh*t?

Posted via CB10

Yes, it would appear so. Explained eloquently by the Washington Post.

Kirsten Dunst?s choice words for Apple after nude photo leak - The Washington Post

[StormieTwo]

For Apple, all news is good news.
iCloud hacked = a-list celebs use apple, you should too!
The a-listers will be upgrading to the new iPhone because of the hack, so you should. Yadda yadda yadda.
Pizza sh*t!

BB10 4 ME

[ibpluto]

APPL stock is up on an announcement that they have struck deals with major credit cards for a mobile wallet. The street has already brushed aside the icloud hack with zero SP backlash. I shudder to think what would happen to BBRY SP if this happened to them.

This to me shows an opportunity for BBRY to have their own cloud, hope we see something there soon.



CB10'n it via da Z...30

[Mr BBRY]

OT ALERT:

Looks like ACAD got some pretty big news - "ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for NUPLAZID™ (Pimavanserin) for Parkinson’s Disease PsychosisBusiness Wire(Tue 9:00AM EDT)"

Morgan - Would you kindly take a moment to advise any stock holders on how to play this? Do you think this means it's time to take profits, or is this going to propel this stock further over the next few weeks / months? I'm asking more in general terms for a better understanding on how to play the basket full of bio techs I'm holding (i.e. HALO). Thanks very much in advance.

EDIT: Sorry All. Forget ACAD and divert your attention back to BBRY! Looks like its on fire!

BlackBerry Limited (BBRY)
-NasdaqGS Following
10.50 Up 0.32(3.14%) 10:05AM EDT - Nasdaq Real Time Price

[jake simmons3]

woah?? lol

Traders are back in action.

[morganplus8]

OT ALERT:

Looks like ACAD got some pretty big news - "ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for NUPLAZID™ (Pimavanserin) for Parkinson’s Disease PsychosisBusiness Wire(Tue 9:00AM EDT)"

Morgan - Would you kindly take a moment to advise any stock holders on how to play this? Do you think this means it's time to take profits, or is this going to propel this stock further over the next few weeks / months? I'm asking more in general terms for a better understanding on how to play the basket full of bio techs I'm holding (i.e. HALO). Thanks very much in advance.

EDIT: Sorry All. Forget ACAD and divert your attention back to BBRY! Looks like its on fire!

BlackBerry Limited (BBRY)
-NasdaqGS Following
10.50 Up 0.32(3.14%) 10:05AM EDT - Nasdaq Real Time Price

MR BBRY!

I'll mention something very quickly here regarding this OT, ....... ACAD is firing on all cylinders now, they are now able to file an NDA for "Prim" and that will occur in 2014, this NDA might get special treatment again and that will move the official launch date of the drug forward, well into 2015. What you need to know about "Prim" is that it is an indicator for several other major medical issues and we are just seeing the very beginning of what's in store for this drug, ACAD's development program and the price of the stock. The news is bullish for the stock this Fall, the Biotech Indexes all recently broke into all-time-highs last week, so you are invested in one of the most promising companies at a time when their business sector is going bananas and their drug is just starting to gain traction. ACAD has a quarter billion in cash, no debt and a huge revenue stream coming. The final point I'll make is that now that the drug is officially heading to market, you will see Doctors prescribe it for off label patients with other medical issues. The potential of this drug to go viral for other indications is huge. It's my favourite biotech next to HALO. GL

I'll come back to the board later and update the chart for BBRY, cheers to all on the iCloud mess, BB rules in security. Now I have to run and short AAPL.

[sidhuk]

Morgan8
Before you short apple. You may wanna read this. http://www.readability.com/m?url=htt...w/41531745.cms
She is upset that she wasn't part of the hack. She is gonna buy IPhone and gonna use icloud. Lol

BlackBerry Z30. The best smart phone.