[grahamf]

I'm just wondering how everyone feels about all of the suitors.

I know I'm personally kind of rooting for Lenovo. They turned around IBM's laptop division and even now Thinkpads are well known for their excellent hardware. Problem is, Lenovo isn't well known for software, and there's the fear that the Chinese government may exert pressure on Lenovo to interfere with Blackberry's security.


How would you feel if Blackberry was split, with hardware going to Lenovo while all software (services, OS) staying in Canada?

And on a side note should Blackberry consider expanding it's software suite to include a server os and software (email server, databases, web services, etc)? QNX is designed to be pretty reliable and handle demanding tasks, so it could possibly take on Windows server and Linux server.

[wxmancanada]

I know I'll get shot for saying this - but I would have liked to have seen Google pick them up. I love both companies and have a lot of services and devices with both. I would love to see some hybrid Android with BBM, Hub and keyboard device come out. Maybe they could have put the Play Store on BB10 devices - wouldn't that be cool? Either way, I can't fully explain why, but it seems like it would have worked.

Now, from the current landscape - IBM might be a good fit. I'd like to see someone who picks it up for what the company is - not to just put the company up on blocks and strip it of the patents.

Maybe we would have seen BlackBerry flavoured KitKat bars - now we'll never know.

[grahamf]

Oddly enough I'm a little bit more suspicious of American companies than Chinese ones, and the CEO of Google literally got laughed at when he tried to tout the security of Android.

[iiTroNiickz]

Either google or sony.
I thinl Google would be cool because i would love to see an android power qnx.
And sony because its my favorite company and i just looove their hardware and i think acquiring blackberry will improve their software. (also it would be nice to see some extra security on psn, april 2012 anyone???)

[Pluto is a planet]

CURVEBALL:

I'm going with Nike. They're a company that dare I say, has better marketing than even apple. Why would they buy BlackBerry? No clue but this is my fantasy land so they want to for whatever reason.

Posted via CB10

[bb624]

Amazon like everything about them.

[Giro_UK]

I have no issue with BlackBerry Hardware. It's beautiful. As is the brand 'Blackberry'. It'll be a sad day if they become rebranded.

So I think Lenovo would be one of the only options.
Stack 'em high and sell them cheap...

BlackBerry will buy itself back and then licence BB10 software to Lenovo to flood the far east market and the world.
Meanwhile flagship devices will remain Blackberry's.
As the phone business re-emerges, they'll then concentrate on QNX again, computing and integration into vehicles, creating a QNX ecosystem.. and then licence all that to others for vehicle manufacturers for example.

Well, something like that.

Posted via CB10

[playbookster]

Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, IBM, Cisco, Intel, IBM, AMD, any of them will do.

[hrim5493]

Cisco Def. They lead corporate communications. Similar core compentantcies with BB

Posted via CB10

[tmanthib]

CURVEBALL:

I'm going with Nike. They're a company that dare I say, has better marketing than even apple. Why would they buy BlackBerry? No clue but this is my fantasy land so they want to for whatever reason.

Posted via CB10

Yes, then they could put a phone in the heel of the shoe and we could talk or text from our shoe. You know like Maxwell Smart did on the TV show, Get Smart. Lol. That was in the 60's.

Posted via CB10

[fmb8]

How about taking the for sale down, replace the top executives with capable people to turn this ship around. This current crew had a plan, it failed horribly & are looking for the nearest exit with a disgustingly hefty payout! They have an incredible arsenal of tech weapons but have no clue on how to get it launched... successfully!
Avoid similar incompetence by having new execs rewarded for performance.
Almost any buyer will not give a damn about this company as it sits today & will be certain to profit from it by stripping it for parts leaving current & future customers out in the cold. Lenovo is not the answer & Google is probably the worst thing that could happen for anyone who's interested in anything remotely familiar to what blackberry is today!

Posted via CB10

[donmateo]

Anyone who will continue doing what BB does, but properly. No parting out

[Roo Zilla]

Why does BlackBerry need to be purchased? They have almost $3B in cash and no debt plus 60M subscribers. Or does that not mean anything anymore?

[donmateo]

It doesn't when management is abysmal, marketing is a miscarriage and the company talks out of both sides of its mouth.

I'm BlackBerry all the way, don't get me wrong. But I'm also a realist and business person who realizes that the current systems and procedures are suicide. If BlackBerry wants to survive, it will reinvent itself with a new business model and plan.

Posted via CB10

[badiyee]

It doesn't when management is abysmal, marketing is a miscarriage and the company talks out of both sides of its mouth.

I'm BlackBerry all the way, don't get me wrong. But I'm also a realist and business person who realizes that the current systems and procedures are suicide. If BlackBerry wants to survive, it will reinvent itself with a new business model and plan.

Posted via CB10

I agree, although some people will point out that it has tried and failed, for whatever reasons, although I imagine that BlackBerry won't go down that easily, with or without being sold.

[Sexy Sadie]

I want everybody that complaints about missing the physical keyboard to buy the Q10 or Q5.

[kylef5993]

Lenovo or Google.

I agree with what someone else said about Google being their best option. Even though Google already has Android I feel that they are a smart enough company to know the benefits of BlackBerry. I think that they could keep Android but then use bb10 as a more professional/business device. Google would then refine the sideloading of Android apps so that BlackBerrys use the Google Play Store rather than BlackBerry world. This would allow BlackBerry to keep its amazing security and market share but also giving it more potential as a platform since it would have more apps and opportunities for growth. BlackBerrys will never be an entertainment phone. They will always be more businessy.

[birdman_38]

Why does BlackBerry need to be purchased? They have almost $3B in cash and no debt plus 60M subscribers. Or does that not mean anything anymore?

Their cash on hand is $2.6 billion and on the decline. And they're not gaining subscribers overall. In two years or less BlackBerry could be bankrupt. With a track record of incompetent management, they don't want to take that chance.

[kim725]

In my woefully limited opinion, Lenovo would be better than Google. Somehow, I think Google would just cannibalize the best parts of Blackberry for Android, and that'll be the end of Blackberry as a distinct brand/type of phones vis-a-vis the Android tribes and Apple.

On the other hand, if Lenovo could successfully get a decent chunk of the consumers in China to buy Blackberrys, that will be one solid customer base (in addition to all the other existing loyal Blackberry holdouts elsewhere in the world), for Blackberry to rebuild itself from.

Of course, I'm being rather optimistic here. Security concerns from Canada and the US will probably kill any attempted takeover by Lenovo.

[Sexy Sadie]

In my woefully limited opinion, Lenovo would be better than Google. Somehow, I think Google would just cannibalize the best parts of Blackberry for Android, and that'll be the end of Blackberry as a distinct brand/type of phones vis-a-vis the Android tribes and Apple.

On the other hand, if Lenovo could successfully get a decent chunk of the consumers in China to buy Blackberrys, that will be one solid customer base (in addition to all the other existing loyal Blackberry holdouts elsewhere in the world), for Blackberry to rebuild itself from.

Of course, I'm being rather optimistic here. Security concerns from Canada and the US will probably kill any attempted takeover by Lenovo.

I think you are right.

[potatoguy]

anyone who knows that marketing is key to selling, not getting on a stage and say soon or such and such date only to see it go by with out as much as a peep from the company.

[Varlagas]

Lazaridis for a comeback and company turnaround � la Steve Jobs

Posted via CB10

[Brutal Efficiency]

Is it sad that I think a BlackBerry and Nintendo partnership would be great?

Both need a little bit more capitol though.

Posted via my Z30.

[Tariq Nasir]

Google, hands down. This would be a win win for both parties.

Posted via CB10

[paul collins2]

I think Sony should buy them personally because of the technology they have.

Posted via CB10