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BlackBerry Samsung Partnership for Mobile Security

Two of the most renowned and appraised mobile tech companies in the world agreed upon a collaboration meant to create and develop a new species of Android security that was never achieved before. The BlackBerry Samsung partnership aims to offer Samsung’s flagship phones such as the Galaxy Note 4 and the Galaxy S5 new levels of security.

Starting early 2015, BlackBerry will give Samsung phones what was called “a highly secure mobility solution.” This solution is represented by the intertwining of Samsung’s own Knox security systems with those provided by BlackBerry, thus making future Android powered smartphones a monument of safety.

According to both companies’ officials, this historical BlackBerry Samsung partnership is strategic and beneficial for both parties, providing them both with a common goal. In the words of Samsung’s Knox Business Group vice president:

“This strategic partnership is grounded in our mutual goals [of] being the most secure in mobility. Our respective leadership positions in enterprise mobility and consumers devices are a perfect match to offer customers that need to be equally productive and secure.”

While BlackBerry considers this long – term commitment with Samsung “the tip of the iceberg”, it also has some of its own projects to implement and grow. During the same event that announced the partnership with Samsung, BlackBerry also offered extended details on its BES12 server software, a long awaited solution dedicated to corporate and government clients. This new platform allows agencies and companies to safely use mobile connections. The best part, however, is that the BlackBerry platform allows all major operating systems such as Google Android, Apple iOS and Microsoft’s Windows to benefit from the enhanced sharing and security features.

Facing market share failure with its smartphones, BlackBery came with the bold plan of offering alternative and powerful security solutions to its competitors and address the sectors the company is most familiar with: the corporate and the governmental ones. In case you had any doubt, the BES12 security platform represents a huge part of the BlackBerry Samsung partnership announced on Thursday.

Besides the engagement with Samsung, BlackBerry also partnered up with other players in the tech field, such as Brightstar, which is the largest wireless distribution company in the world, and also with business software company Salesforce.com. Reports say that due to these announcements, and especially because of the newly promoted BlackBerry Samsung partnership, the Canadian company’s shares went 7% higher.

Not giving up on its own fleet of smartphones, BlackBerry also announced a future smartphone, the BlackBerry classic to be released and go on sale on December 17 this year.

New BlackBerry Passport Smartphone is a Massive Hit

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Earlier this week we’ve talked about the new BlackBerry Passport smartphone and how peculiar looking it is. Today, we’ve got the some official sale numbers and it’s looking pretty good for BlackBerry.

The new BlackBerry Passport appealed to people much more than was initially predicted. The new smartphone for BlackBerry sold out in hours after going on sale on the web on Wednesday, it was announced by John Chen, BlackBerry CEO, today in a statement.

Although the exact numbers are still a blur, John Chen did say that shopblackberry.com sold out the square-ish phone in only six hours and that Amazon sold out in ten hours. This can only mean that the people are loving the new BlackBerry Passport and that BlackBerry still has a fighting chance at survival.

BlackBerry has been with one foot in the grave, after many of its latest flagship phones didn’t sell. It put all of its money and effort into the new BlackBerry Passport and we’re glad to see that it’s a success. The smartphone has a price tag of $599.

Is it too early to celebrate a comeback for BlackBerry? Maribel Lopez, analyst, thinks so:

Over time, I’d like to see the revenue mix shift to software and services, since the device business is a losing battle for most companies. There is some potential for sales of more special purpose devices, but general smartphone sales are a loss leader.

Will BlackBerry focus less on hardware and more on software in the future, as it would be wise? Most likely not. And maybe BlackBerry doesn’t need to because the new BlackBerry Passport will save the company from certain death.

Are you excited about the new BlackBerry Passport? Drop us a line in the comment section below and share your thoughts about this new smartphone. We love hearing from our readers.

BlackBerry Launches New BlackBerry Passport

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BlackBerry may be a dying company, but it’s not waiting around, doing nothing and waiting for the impending doom, it’s struggling! Back in June we reported on how it acquired Secusmart Communication Company and today we’ve got all the details concerning a new BlackBerry phone. BlackBerry will launch a new smartphone tomorrow, the new BlackBerry Passport.

The new BlackBerry Passport will unveil tomorrow, September 24, in hopes to revive the Canadian tech company. If the new BlackBerry Passport impresses and does well in terms of sales, then maybe we’ll hear more about BlackBerry, but if not, it may be the last nail in BlackBerry’s coffin.

New BlackBerry Passport – Tech Specs and More

To begin with, the new BlackBerry Passport is a 4.5 inch smartphone that has the classical physical BlackBerry keyboard that so many used to love and cherish. It will be launched at events in London, Toronto and Dubai and afterwards in stores around the world, 15 days later.

It is going to cost $599 free of contract, which is below the prices of Apple’s new iPhone 6 and Samsung’s flagship, the Galaxy S5. And it’s a good thing that the new BlackBerry Passport is cheaper, it’s getting off to a good start. The design is also quite interesting, as the new BlackBerry Passport is one square mobile device.

As for what’s under the hood, it’s quite impressive. The 4.5 inch display features a great 1440×1440 pixel resolution with a 453 ppi pixel density. This is the only feature that has been officially confirmed. Other purported tech specs include 3 GB of RAM, a 2 MP front-facing camera, 32 GB of internal storage and a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor. All this in a body which is thought to weigh 194.4 grams. Quite impressive, don’t you think?

Do you miss the physical keyboard enough to get the new BlackBerry Passport? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Blackberry Acquires Secusmart Communication Security Company

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Blackberry was once the king of business mobile phone industry. In the last couple of years, Blackberry went through massive restructuration. After two years, the process comes to an end. John Chen, Blackberry CEO since November 2013, wants to put the company on a new track. Now that Blackberry acquires Secusmart, a new important direction is communication security. Secusmart is a “the leading expert in the development and implementation of comprehensive anti-eavesdropping solutions for German government agencies and organisations responsible for the provision of emergency services as well as governments and public authorities abroad”, according to their presentation.

Privacy concerns rose to unprecedented levels in the last couple of years. The Asange and Snowden affairs convinced governments to tighten up their communication security. In the age of big data, it does not matter so much anymore if the entity is a public or a private body, so corporations intend as well to protect themselves against eavesdropping.

Apple teamed up with IBM to offer iPads and iPhones to corporations seeking specific services and Blackberry attempts to maintain its position with the acquisition of Secusmart. We talked back in June about how Blackberry will now offer all Amazon apps.

Blackberry acquires Secusmart to offer security solutions to public and private bodies

Blackberry and Secusmart have been partners since 2009, but from now on Blackberry wants to have full control over the communication security development plans. Companies, as well as government agencies, are Secusmart clients. The German government wants even more of its members to use Blackberry devices. More than 3000 Ministery of Interior members already use Secusmart equipped Blackberry handsets, according to Ubergizmo. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, uses a Blackberry handset as well, but this did not stop the American foreign intelligence to tap it, causing a diplomatic scandal. Canadian government members use the company’s handsets too.

A phone with Secusmart installed costs 2000 euros, according to ValueWalk. The technology developed by Secusmart applies to mobile phones, as well to landlines, still widely used in the private and public sectors.

Chen says the company will start hire new people soon after the lay-offs will finish at the end of July. The company will hire new people at a slower reserved pace, to avoid past financial mistakes. Blackberry acquires Secusmart and it might be a first step in a new age of growth for the Canadian company.

John Chen Strikes Back: BlackBerry Z3 Smartphone to Conquer Indonesia

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We have talked about BlackBerry in the past, commemorating its “once-upon-a-time” glory and hoping the company will get back on its feet. We have nothing but respect for John Chen and his efforts to resurrect the brand with original, reliable and outstanding products. We were also impressed by the Q20, a keyboard – centric smartphone presented earlier this year during the Mobile World Congress event, but the latest news concerning the Canadian company are not half bad either. As we said before, John Chen is not only a tech artist, but a good strategist also and it seems that almost out of nowhere, BlackBerry strikes back with a budget smartphone dedicated to Indonesia itself.

So what is so great about this? First and foremost, the newly launched BlackBerry Z3 smartphone is the first handset produced under the supervision of CEO John Chen since his appointment. Secondly and most importantly, it is specifically dedicated to an emerging market and an emerging customer group. BlackBerry has still some loyal customers in Southeast Asia and given the economical expansion of the region, they now have the money and the opportunity to invest in new tech gadgets. The middle class is becoming quite powerful, financial speaking, and BlackBerry is targeting exactly those customers with its budget smartphone. The attempt to fight against giants Samsung and Apple is considered by some to be futile, as BlackBerry already lost the fight years ago.

However, since Chen came aboard, the company gave signs of stability, even if there is no talking about profits just yet. The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone doesn’t feature the BlackBerry iconic keyboard, but it costs around $190 and encompasses enough high – quality specs and features to be considered a hit. The company’s officials put their hopes in the Z3, while on a management level, it seems that Chen is thinking even bigger: in December, BlackBerry partnered up with Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, the one making all sorts of gadgets for Apple, and the collaboration seems to be beneficial for both: BlackBerry intends to transfer all manufacturing and inventory management to Foxconn, while focusing on services and software.

The BlackBerry Z3 smartphone is said to become available on other markets as well, but so far there is little information about them. However, even if the retailers selling the Z3 in Indonesia stated that everything goes well so far, analysts consider this is BlackBerry’s swan song in Southeast Asia, as they already lost too much, too fast, especially in direct comparison to Samsung.

BlackBerry Wins Early Legal Battle Round Against Typo Products

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There were hard times for BlackBerry in the last years and this showed tremendously in their constant market share loses and the diminishing of their loyal customers’ legions. It is true that BlackBerry’s market value took a shattering fall from more than $80 billion in 2008 to less than $5 billion this year, but this doesn’t mean the Canadian company, which once shaped the world’s view and take on mobile phones, doesn’t have some plans for the future or the ability to fiercely fight in the court of law to protect its patents. The story between BlackBerry and start – up company Typo Products began with the start – up manufacturing iPhone keyboards for the U.S. market and BlackBerry dragging them to court for ripping off the BlackBerry’ physical keyboard design.

According to the news,

U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco ruled that BlackBerry is likely to prove its infringement claims against Typo Products and would be damaged if the sales of the $99 iPhone keyboard were allowed to continue.

In other words, the court aims to ban Typo Products to further manufacturing and selling physical iPhone keyboards for the U.S. market, as they seem to have stolen BlackBerry conceptual design and technology, but former American Idol host and company co – founder Ryan Seacrest wants to appeal the early ruling soon enough, claiming that Typo Products deliver legit products that aim to improve everybody’s lives. However, according to the sources, court papers show that Typo Products stated that they will go out of business if the ban on their iPhone keyboard selling isn’t lifted.

BlackBerry wins early legal battle round against Typo Products and admits it is pleased with the ruling, as the company is going through enough rough times as it is, while Typo Products released a statement expressing the company’s disappointment regarding the decision. However, BlackBerry’s dark ages may come to an end, as recently fresh CEO John Chen announced a lot of new surprises coming from their part and the biggest of them all, the return of the command keys on high – end BlackBerry smartphones, is the most appreciated one.

Keyboard – Centric BlackBerry Smartphones to Hit the Market Soon

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BlackBerry once had its own customer niche to cater, and quite an important one: big corporate clients and governmental clients. But somewhere along the way, BlackBerry started to lose its edge and leverage over its pool of fans in the face of the unstoppable rise of Apple devices and Android – powered handsets, which translated into financial loss and the alienation of the former satisfied customers. But BlackBerry’s Chief Executive Officer John Chen says the world should get ready for a powerful comeback!

John Chen is a tech artist, or so this is the reputation that precedes him, and the recent news regarding a series of high – end keyboard – centric BlackBerry smartphones was very much welcomed by the specialists and the customers who rooted for the return of the command keys. The best surprise coming from BlackBerry this year was, without a doubt, the Q20, presented during the Mobile World Congress trade fair, which came with a trackpad and the command keys. This “classic” will hit the stores by the end of this year, while John Chen promised that the

company’s engineers have designed at least three different next-generation handsets that are being “kicked around right now.”

It may be a trend that new and visionary CEO’s of hi – tech giants start hitting us with amazing news and innovations, after all the time the said companies have been losing market share, fans and faith, but we cannot do anything else than respect them for their courageous come – backs and efforts to bring their companies back on the right track. We are talking about Microsoft’s CEO, of course, another tech and business artist who, just like Chen, intends to instill a new soul to the company and push it further on the path to success. So BlackBerry fans, gather around, as this year is going to be great for all of you!

BlackBerry announces free calls and Channels for BBM on iOS and Android

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BlackBerry has a lot riding on the success of their cross-platform messaging service BBM, since the hardware side of the company is failing to grab any attention and they have announced their first big update coming to iOS and Android in 2014.

BBM Voice is the top of the new feature list, a free way to call anyone who has BBM installed, this will also allow video calls through the application, putting BBM against Hangouts and FaceTime in the video calling space.

Channels are the next feature in the big update, allowing users to join chat rooms based on interests, hobbies and other relevant topics – this is also a way for BlackBerry to grab consumer brands, adding chat rooms specifically for promoted channels.

BBM will also add faster and easier photo sharing, coinciding with the launch of Instagram Direct. We are not sure if BlackBerry will be announcing any new group photo messaging features, we doubt they will unless they see Instagram Direct as a strong competitor.

The big update will be coming to iOS and Android, the two major platforms BBM is available on. We still have no news on when BBM will come to Windows Phone or any other mobile OS, we expect BlackBerry is trying to hold off the launch for as long as possible.

Early reports are great for BBM, apparently BlackBerry has grabbed over 40 million downloads across iOS and Android. If the app continues to grow at this rate it will surpass Instagram in users before mid-2014 and will become a valiant competitor against WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

BlackBerry has not said where they will take BBM, some early reports said BlackBerry wants to split the app from the company and then look for buyers, but this idea may have been crushed with the big change in management.

BBM to come preloaded on some LG Android smartphones

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BlackBerry has grabbed another Android partner to start pre-installing BBM on their phones, the second most popular electronics company in South Korea, LG, has jumped on board the bandwagon, started by their bitter rivals Samsung.

LG has said this will not be coming to all of their Android smartphones and the likelihood it will be on any high-end smartphones in slim, unless BlackBerry has managed to cut some slick deal to become the messaging service of choice on LG devices.

The move is for all the emerging markets where LG tries to gain market share, BBM is still a loved application and has been the main source of sales for cheap BlackBerry sales worldwide – possibly keeping BlackBerry from going under much sooner.

Samsung hit the first deal with BlackBerry, adding BBM to every smartphone in Africa. This is a big win for both companies, Samsung will undoubtedly sell more devices since they are advertising BBM pre-installed on it and BlackBerry will gain more active users.

Even though BBM has yet to make a huge amount of money for BlackBerry, it is quite like one of those popular startup applications, like Instagram and Snapchat. If it didn’t have the old BlackBerry company holding it back, investors would probably put the $1 billion price on the applications head.

BBM has been downloaded over 10 million times on the Google Play store alone, making it one of the biggest messaging apps on Android right now. On iOS, the figure may be even higher, extending the BBM to thirty or even forty million downloads on the two platforms.

There is still no clear date for BBM on Windows Phone and we still don’t know if BlackBerry will look to bring BBM to the web or any other mobile platforms. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Skype thrive because they are available on literally every platform that is available.

BlackBerry partners with 12 Android OEMs to preinstall BBM

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BlackBerry may be down in the dumps, but their messaging app BBM is hitting all sorts of records on Android and iOS, surpassing almost all early analyst predictions for the application after getting over twenty million downloads in a week on both platforms.

The Canadian smartphone maker has already grabbed twelve OEM partners who will preinstall BBM onto their devices. This is a big push by BlackBerry to make BBM the most well known messaging service on both BlackBerry and Android, as well as iOS.

Unsurprisingly, BlackBerry has failed to grab any of the big names in the Android ecosystem – considering they are almost all making their own messaging applications, we doubt partnering up with BBM would be the best way to progress their own first party apps.

The current list of OEM partners includes Be, Brightstar, Celkon, EVERCOSS, IMO, Micromax, Mito, Snexian, Spice, TECNO, TiPhone, and Zen. These may not be known in the US, but some are well known in Latin America, Asia and Africa and may grab a more installed userbase with BBM pre-installed on their devices.

Samsung did partner up with BlackBerry in Africa to offer BBM first on Android, a clever move by Samsung, considering BlackBerry huge installed userbase in Africa who already use and love BBM. It is a move to bring Samsung products into the regions where they currently have little control.

Android is currently not the place where BBM thrives the most, iOS users are having the most fun out of the application, with more users picking up and using the free app on their iPhone and iPad. This is surprising, considering the huge iMessage userbase and big competitors like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

BlackBerry may not be a company valued over $5 billion, but their app BBM could take them to a whole new level of wealth if they are able to manage the app and make sure the userbase sticks on and keeps using and utilising some of the features to make BlackBerry money.