[W Hoa]

Could BlackBerry profit from the FBI's iPhone hack? - The Globe and Mail

If the government hack frightens off Apple�s new corporate customers, it�ll likely be BlackBerry they go running to.

[Corbu]

Amber alert...
BlackBerry could stand to benefit after U.S. authorities hack iPhone - BNN News

[spiller]

Could BlackBerry profit from the FBI's iPhone hack? - The Globe and Mail

"While blackberry stock dipped" (today)


But here we are up 2.5%. Why even add what the stock is doing if it's not significant?

Posted via CB10

[Corbu]

"While blackberry stock dipped" (today)

But here we are up 2.5%. Why even add what the stock is doing if it's not significant?

Typical G&M unnecessary and slightly biased drive-by comment, IMO.

[Corbu]

OT:
Powermat CEO Said to Offer Resignation Amid Board Power Struggle - Bloomberg Business

[kadakn01]

If heins gets hired again, someone should have AtHoc send an alert!

Posted on my Priv

[Corbu]

Vote early and vote often, as they used to say in my neck of the woods!
HTC One A9 vs. BlackBerry Priv: Smartphone Madness 2016

[world traveler and former ceo]

http://www.profitconfidential.com/st...have-a-chance/

Posted via CB10

[RLTurn77]

Not necessarily. I mean an updated newer version with same form factor. Built device loyalty. Switching device names all the time doesn't build that name recognition we had with Bold. IPhone has device recognition because every damn phone they make has that name. How would you feel if you were a case maker and constantly changing the design or an app developer constantly having to change the screen size/resolution ? I'd hate making cases and designing apps for those devices so I may just not bother.

I don't care if it's Z30-2 or Priv 2. Just keep a damn name and form factor and update it a couple of times. Build some device recognition and device loyalty.

Posted via CB10

THANK YOU! Been advocating for this for a while. Might hear more on Friday RE HW, might not, but hoping a late Spring new device and improve the Priv for Fall 2016 and call it Priv 2.

Whatever (if they stay in HW with Android) they release in the next Q or 2, keep that name and do the same next year.

BlackBerry has enough trouble selling phones, but they're all over the place with names, form factors, etc. This confuses app devs and everyone else not glued to a phone forum.

Posted via the CrackBerry App for Android

[farmwersteve]

Anyone adding to their bbry position before friday?

I added some with the hopes of turning a quick buck or two, but then I am a situation where I won't want to sell, and if the stock drops, I guess I will hold it

....so, it seems that I just added to my position regardless!

Posted via CB10

[bbjdog]

Clarity!


http://blogs.blackberry.com/2016/03/...on-blackberry/

Posted via my BlackBerry Passport

[BanffMoose]

THANK YOU! Been advocating for this for a while. Might hear more on Friday RE HW, might not, but hoping a late Spring new device and improve the Priv for Fall 2016 and call it Priv 2.

Whatever (if they stay in HW with Android) they release in the next Q or 2, keep that name and do the same next year.

BlackBerry has enough trouble selling phones, but they're all over the place with names, form factors, etc. This confuses app devs and everyone else not glued to a phone forum.

Okay, this is a bit US-centric, but BlackBerry needs to figure out its VZW problem. Aren't they close to half of the US market? I'm still pissed that the only new BB10 device I can get on VZW is a Classic. Like others, I would like either a Passport or another Z30! I just need one that works on VZW.

As far as Android's concerned, I think they can only feasibly offer sliders like the Priv and still be able to stand out. They can't offer a 1:1 phone since they would be the only Android OEM to provide such a resolution and its highly doubtful Android developers will specially code apps for a 1:1 ratio.

The plethora of BB10 models wasn't all bad since they were supposedly aimed at different segments of the market (high, mid-range, entry). Pity, they only had one go at each range before Chen (or should I say Loukes?) came on-board and decimated hardware and OS development.

[DaSchwantz]

Nice day today, BBRY included. Janet spread the wings of her inner dove and suddenly it was dollar down and risk on.

And in a total OT, for those who don't like Yahoo, you should know that they are currently reporting a JOKE article from the New Yorker as FACT - that the FBI managed to hack the iphone, but then immediately ruined it by knocking over a glass of water on it while giving each other high fives, lol. Seriously, Yahoo is reporting it as real news.

Posted via CB10

[CDM76]

As far as Android's concerned, I think they can only feasibly offer sliders like the Priv and still be able to stand out. They can't offer a 1:1 phone since they would be the only Android OEM to provide such a resolution and its highly doubtful Android developers will specially code apps for a 1:1 ratio.

The plethora of BB10 models wasn't all bad since they were supposedly aimed at different segments of the market (high, mid-range, entry). Pity, they only had one go at each range before Chen (or should I say Loukes?) came on-board and decimated hardware and OS development.

Good point. I know some opinions differ, but I feel that if they want to increase sales worry about form factors not price points. Instead of high, mid, low range have physical keyboard, all touch slab, and slider. Make them the best you can and build 2 or 3 versions of them.....over two or three years

Let companies buy version 1, then all those people get jealous because next year people get the new versions then the next year the next newest and suddenly the people with version 1 now want version 3 and boom repeat sales. (if only it was that easy eh). And people all recognize the Priv name (or whatever name) because they ALL have the same named device.

Posted via CB10

[BanffMoose]

warning : all below is 100% speculation, there's no factual information herein.

I believe there might be a future in this area but won't fit what most (here) expect.
Starter : BB10 going forward (major version) would probably lose its ART if the PRIV or any other Android device remain in the catalog.
Second : general audience apps will more than likely miss at least for a while.
Third : the price tag will be high, under the high grade / high security marketing justification (and the mandatory high ASP, to remain at least close to break even).

So, while I'd applause such direction (I DO believe there's a "most secure" market and the 3 points above will be negligible in this context), wonders might be ... but probably not where and in smaller proportions (earnings wise) one might think.
Bottom line : keywords "most, unique, unmatched" have to be tracked in next E.R. We'll probably have to read between the lines (re: guess estimate) again; if PRIV met a reasonable success, only the next occurrence of an Android device will be the justice of the pace.

Again, IMHO, personal, etc.

There's a ceiling for their price hike though. Corporations and governments probably aren't going to be willing to pay $900+ (or even higher SecuSmart Tablet prices) for phones for middle management or below. If they do, their refresh interval will probably increase to 6+ years assuming hardware lasts. Meanwhile their competitors generally have a 2-3 year refresh cycle.

Losing ART on BB10 may be fine if BlackBerry actually allocated some resources to fixing whatever frameworks they broke when moving from 10.1 to 10.2 and especially from 10.2 to 10.3. Older apps may suddenly start working again.

[DaSchwantz]

There's a ceiling for their price hike though. Corporations and governments probably aren't going to be willing to pay $900+ (or even higher SecuSmart Tablet prices) for phones for middle management or below. If they do, their refresh interval will probably increase to 6+ years assuming hardware lasts. Meanwhile their competitors generally have a 2-3 year refresh cycle.

Losing ART on BB10 may be fine if BlackBerry actually allocated some resources to fixing whatever frameworks they broke when moving from 10.1 to 10.2 and especially from 10.2 to 10.3. Older apps may suddenly start working again.

The Android versions can fill the price needs for middle management and below. Basically if corporations want a highest security OS they have to pay for it, and there aren't any other options out there. If you're already paying that person six figures plus in salary, is it really a huge issue to drop $1k per year (assuming a 2yr device life) to make sure that same person has a secure device? Azz backwards thinking, if you aks me.

Posted via CB10

[BanffMoose]

The Android versions can fill the price needs for middle management and below. Basically if corporations want a highest security OS they have to pay for it, and there aren't any other options out there. If you're already paying that person six figures plus in salary, is it really a huge issue to drop $1k per year (assuming a 2yr device life) to make sure that same person has a secure device? Azz backwards thinking, if you aks me.

Yeah, but we are talking corporate and governmental logic here.

But the problem with splitting high security (BB10) vs medium security (Android), is that it puts even more pressure on the BB10 price point. There are more middle managers than C-suite execs.

[DaSchwantz]

Appears like certainty now ... and apple to fight back to force FBI to reveal how they did it.
Marketing 101 : don't pretend you can do if you can't.
Related rule : If you failed, shut up]

No way in hell this goes anywhere.


Posted via CB10

[DaSchwantz]

Yeah, but we are talking corporate and governmental logic here.

But the problem with splitting high security (BB10) vs medium security (Android), is that it puts even more pressure on the BB10 price point. There are more middle managers than C-suite execs.

Yeah but there's a lot of people that make six figures where the economics work, not just the c-suite. Hacks will push the price up, not BBRY. They'll just offer the best solution.

Oh, and has anyone discussed the idea that they could just open source the ART and let third parties run with it? Would that necessarily compromise the security of BB10?

Posted via CB10

[Corbu]

OT:
Hackers Breach Law Firms, Including Cravath, Weil Gotshal - WSJ

Federal investigators explore whether cybercriminals stole confidential information to be used for insider trading

March 29, 2016 7:18 p.m. ET

Hackers broke into the computer networks at some of the country’s most prestigious law firms, and federal investigators are exploring whether they stole confidential information for the purpose of insider trading, according to people familiar with the matter.

The firms include Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, which represent Wall Street banks and Fortune 500 companies in everything from lawsuits to multibillion-dollar merger negotiations.

Other law firms also were breached, the people said, and hackers, in postings on the Internet, are threatening to attack more.

It isn’t clear what information the hackers stole, if any, but the focus of the investigation is on whether confidential data were taken for the purpose of insider trading, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office and Federal Bureau of Investigation are conducting the probe, which began in the past year and is in its early stages, the people said. Representatives for both declined to comment.

Cravath said the incident, which occurred last summer, involved a “limited breach” of its systems and that the firm is “not aware that any of the information that may have been accessed has been used improperly.” The firm said its client confidentiality is sacrosanct and that it is working with law enforcement as well as outside consultants to assess its security.

A spokeswoman for Weil Gotshal declined to comment.

The cyberattacks show what law-enforcement officials have been warning companies about for years. As hacking tools and hackers for hire proliferate in certain corners of the Internet, it has become easier for criminals to breach computer networks as a way to further a range of crimes, from insider trading to identity theft.

In recent years, a number of major retailers have been breached, as was J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the country’s biggest bank by assets. In those cases, hackers stole data such as credit-card numbers and email addresses that they could use to make fraudulent purchases or entice customers into scams.

The attacks on law firms appear to show thieves scouring the digital landscape for more sophisticated types of information. Law firms are attractive targets because they hold trade secrets and other sensitive information about corporate clients, including details about undisclosed mergers and acquisitions that could be stolen for insider trading.

Hackers often steal large amounts of information indiscriminately and then analyze it later to see how it could be useful, making it difficult to determine early on in these types of investigations whether any information was actually used for insider trading, observers said.

The potential vulnerability of law firms is raising concerns among their clients, who are conducting their own assessments of the firms they hire, according to senior lawyers at a number of firms.

A case last year shows that hackers have gone after sensitive material to fuel illegal trading. In that case, brought by federal prosecutors in New Jersey and Brooklyn, N.Y., hackers in Ukraine allegedly breached newswires companies in the U.S. and stole news releases about corporate earnings before they became public. Stock traders then made lucrative bets based on the releases, prosecutors said. At least three of defendants have pleaded guilty, and the case is pending.

The federal investigation into the law firms is one of several recent cyber-related incidents that have affected the legal industry.

In February, a posting appeared on an underground Russian website called DarkMoney.cc, in which the person offered to sell his phishing services to other would-be cyberthieves and identified specific law firms as potential targets. In phishing attacks, criminals send emails to employees, masked as legitimate messages, in an effort to learn sensitive information like passwords or account information.

Security firm Flashpoint issued alerts to law firms in January and February about the threats and has acquired a copy of a phishing email that is aimed at law firms, according to a person familiar with the alerts. “It has definitely picked up steam,” this person said.

Law firms said they have double-checked their cybersecurity defenses in response to the posting and raised more awareness about the issue internally. It isn’t clear if the hacker’s efforts have resulted in any breaches. A Flashpoint spokeswoman declined to comment on the alerts.

One senior partner at a top law firm said he often receives suspicious emails from people who pretend to be seeking legal representation. “Law firms are being deluged with attempts to crack their systems,” he said.

Law firms last year formed an information-sharing group to disseminate information about cyberthreats and other vulnerabilities. It is modeled after a similar organization for financial institutions.

So far, 75 law firms have joined the group, said Bill Nelson, chief executive officer of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which oversees the legal group and similar entities that focus on other industries, such as retail.

One of the trickiest questions for law firms is when they are required to publicly disclose a data breach. Forty-seven U.S. states have their own breach-notification laws, forcing law firms and other companies to navigate a patchwork of different rules.

[masterful]

Wow that is pretty big...

Posted via CB10 on my BlackBerry Passport

[Corbu]

FWIW, a personal opinion regarding the above post: I don't know what BB is doing in terms of sales/marketing but if I were in their shoes, I would hit that vertical sector (Law Firms, Legal Departments, etc.) with great viguour!!

[Corbu]

Vote again!
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium vs BlackBerry Priv: Vote best smartphone ? Mobile Madness 2016

[masterful]

FWIW, a personal opinion regarding the above post: I don't know what BB is doing in terms of sales/marketing but if I were in their shoes, I would hit that vertical sector (Law Firms, Legal Departments, etc.) with great viguour!!

This was last summer so maybe they have already. Remember the new acquisition of the security consultant firm in UK?

Posted via my BlackBerry PRIV

[markmall]

I can't believe that anyone still believes that bbry does any marketing. The rumor is that Chen is going to follow the example of the central banks -- lower marketing spending from zero to negative.

I think this means he puts a peel sticker for Samsung over his Bentley.