BlackBerry news stories on Newser

BlackBerry Surrenders on Consumer Market

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:57:38 CDT

Struggling BlackBerry maker Research in Motion said today it will cede most consumer markets after failing to compete with flashier touch-screen phones such as Apple's iPhone and models that run Google's Android software. Instead, RIM said it will return to its roots and focus on business customers, many of whom...

RIM's Co-CEOs Step Down

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:58:20 CST

A big shuffle at Research in Motion last night, as Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis—who have served together as co-CEOs for two decades—stepped down, turning over the top position at the struggling company to former chief operating officer Thorsten Heins. Balsillie and Lazaridis also gave up their co-chairmanship,...

VW Is Right: Shut Off the BlackBerries

Kevin Spak — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:33:05 CST

Three cheers for Volkswagen! The German automaker has decided to turn off the email server for its employees' BlackBerries every day before and after work, and Roger Cohen of the New York Times thinks it’s a visionary move. Constantly being plugged into work has real costs, and while employees should...

VW: We'll Deactivate Email When Staff Not Working

Dustin Lushing — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 05:59:05 CST

Some workers in Germany will no longer have to worry about getting an email from the boss during dinner. Volkswagen has agreed to loosen the digital shackles by shutting down email service on their employees' BlackBerries during non-work hours, kissing the typical 24-hour accessibility goodbye. Europe's largest car manufacturer set...

BlackBerry Execs Get Smashed, Ground Flight

Matt Cantor — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:55:05 CST

'Tis the season of headaches for BlackBerry: Two Research in Motion executives got incredibly drunk on a flight from Toronto to Beijing on Monday night, prompting pilots to turn the plane, which was north of Alaska, around. They landed in Vancouver, where the men were arrested, Gawker reports. George Campbell,...

BlackBerry Users Sue RIM Over Outage

Kevin Spak — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:38:05 CDT

Research In Motion has been slapped with a pair of lawsuits over its recent protracted email, IM, and web outage , one on behalf of users in the US and the other on behalf of users in Canada. The US suit, filed yesterday in California, was filed by user Eric Mitchell...

Clinton Gets Gadhafi News on BlackBerry

John Johnson — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:50:49 CDT

So how does a world leader react to big world news? Pretty much the way everyone else does, apparently. "Wow," says Hillary Clinton when she sees unconfirmed reports of Moammar Gadhafi's capture on her BlackBerry. "Huh." (See the CBS video below.) Then she tells others nearby, adding a dose...

BlackBerry Unveils New Operating System

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:23:27 CDT

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion unveiled a new operating system today in hopes of grabbing some attention away from the iPhone and Android phones. The new BBX system combines existing BlackBerry elements with RIM's previously announced QNX operating system for phones and tablet computers. RIM said BBX will incorporate the...

RIM: Sorry About BlackBerry Outage ... Want Free Apps?

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:00:15 CDT

In an attempt to appease the tens of millions of angry customers who were affected by the days-long BlackBerry outage last week, Research In Motion is handing out $100 worth of free premium apps starting Wednesday. "We’ve worked hard to earn [customers’] trust over the past 12 years and we’re...