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Crackberry Addicts Fear Microsoft Takeover
Analyst: offer of $50 per share already on the table...
Reuters last week stirred up the ire of Blackberry fans everywhere by suggesting that dipping Research In Motion stock value could make the company a tasty acquisition target for Microsoft. RIM's shares, worth more than $148 on the Nasdaq market just four months ago, are trading around $62 today. "I'm fairly certain they have a standing offer to buy them at $50 (a share)," one analyst told Reuters last week. Not everyone sees the logic in a Microsoft RIM acquisition, some wondering where the logic is in Microsoft jumping into the Linux-based handset business. The pressure isn't exactly on RIM to make a deal either; while their stock has taken a beating -- their net income shot up 72% last quarter.
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baineschile
2600 ways to live
Premium Member
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI

baineschile

Premium Member

If its for sale...

And can compete with Google, M$FT will buy it.

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

1 recommendation

en102

Member

Re: If its for sale...

If you can't beat them... buy them.
Then decide if you want to run them out of business, or just add to your existing.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned) to baineschile

Member

to baineschile
They did already buy Danger which deals with the Sidekicks.

halo5
join:2000-07-20
Dayton, OH

halo5

Member

Noooooooooooo!

BB > WinMo.
JJV
Premium Member
join:2001-04-25
Seattle, WA

JJV

Premium Member

Crashberry

I have to yank the battery out of my Windows Mobile phone at least once a day to reboot it.
I would hate to see what Microsoft would do to the Blackberry.
neftv
join:2000-10-01
Broomall, PA

1 edit

neftv

Member

Or maybe...

.... just to be a contarian. Maybe Microsoft wants to make the win mobile phones blackberry based so they will have mobile based OS that will be better. Even to get better than Apple. Let's face it Blackberry has great products but their BB media player has some features missing (screen saver, not shutting off when you holster the phone to name a couple).

tad2020
join:2007-07-17
Orange, CA

1 recommendation

tad2020

Member

logic

quote:
Not everyone sees the logic in a Microsoft RIM acquisition, some wondering where the logic is in Microsoft jumping into the Linux-based handset business.
Simple, to kill it and replace it with it's own software product.

Doctor Four
My other vehicle is a TARDIS
Premium Member
join:2000-09-05
Dallas, TX

Doctor Four

Premium Member

Re: logic

Giant AntiSpyware, anyone?

I can probably name more than a dozen other examples where
Microsoft bought out and gutted a competing company in order
to offer their own (and usually much crappier) product, though
the Giant buyout is the one I remember the most.

bbrkdub
join:2001-10-03
San Antonio, TX

bbrkdub to tad2020

Member

to tad2020
said by tad2020:
quote:
Not everyone sees the logic in a Microsoft RIM acquisition, some wondering where the logic is in Microsoft jumping into the Linux-based handset business.
Simple, to kill it and replace it with it's own software product.
Exactly. Microsoft has done this before. When they bought HotMail they switched from FreeBSD to Win2K.
»www.theregister.co.uk/20 ··· n_switch

This doesn't appear like a far fetched idea to me and, if you're Microsoft, makes plenty of business sense.

dnoyeB
Ferrous Phallus
join:2000-10-09
Southfield, MI

dnoyeB

Member

BB needs work

Every BB I have had totally sucks for Plantronics Bluetooth. My Motorola phones work like a charm with the exact same headsets. BB needs to get with it on Bluttooth.

As to the shares. It would be silly for MS to have a 'standing' offer to buy RIM at $50 a share, and announce it. That would almost guarantee the price never hit $50.

pcdebb
birdbrain
Premium Member
join:2000-12-03
Brandon, FL
ARRIS DG1670

pcdebb

Premium Member

Re: BB needs work

said by dnoyeB:

Every BB I have had totally sucks for Plantronics Bluetooth. My Motorola phones work like a charm with the exact same headsets. BB needs to get with it on Bluttooth.
my plantronics headset has been totally trouble free the almost two years I've had it paired with my BB. much more reliable than the moto headsets that i've replaced in very short order.

dnoyeB
Ferrous Phallus
join:2000-10-09
Southfield, MI

dnoyeB

Member

Re: BB needs work

never used a moto headset. But the moto phone with the plantronics headsets are flawless.

I have a BB Pearl and its shit for BT. I have tried for 6 months and even had the phone reflashed and had it in the tmobile store and they saw the crapiness. Ill back it up and return it. Ill let them give me a new one. its got icons that wont turn off now anyway. To me BB writes good software, but buggy software.

Their tech support is a one trick pony. All they know how to do is insist you reinstall the OS. Thats their deterrent to keep you from requesting support.

So I have used a wired headset for the last several months and it sounds great...

maxxim
@shawcable.net

maxxim

Anon

bullshit

That analyst f... idiot. This idiot just wan to make money when price goes down.

what a fck... idiot

LaZ3R
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

LaZ3R

Premium Member

Re: bullshit

That's some quality english writting you got there.

I'd be pretty sad if Microsoft bought out RIM ...

creativedog
Premium Member
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA

creativedog

Premium Member

Re: bullshit

said by LaZ3R:

That's some quality english writting you got there.

I'd be pretty sad if Microsoft bought out RIM ...
What is "writting?" Nice move, Capt. Grammar.

Classic.

Dan48
Trailer Park Supervisor
Premium Member
join:2002-12-17
Eh?

1 edit

Dan48

Premium Member

Re: bullshit

Good job, you are fail at understand.

You clearly understood that gibberish so, here's the detailed version:

Laz3r was pointing out at the cursing and cussing towards the articles originator by the OP.

And your response to the response is all but typical. Christ, flame on the flame on the flame?

creativedog
Premium Member
join:2000-12-03
Richmond, VA

creativedog

Premium Member

Re: bullshit

said by Dan48:

Good job, you are fail at understand.

You clearly understood that gibberish so, here's the detailed version:

Laz3r was pointing out at the cursing and cussing towards the articles originator by the OP.

And your response to the response is all but typical. Christ, flame on the flame on the flame?

Whatever....speaking of typical, are you one of the folks that always wanted to be a mod but just never got asked?

He pointed out someone's "quality English" and then can't spell? Give me a break.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium Member
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

KrK

Premium Member

Re: bullshit

I LOL'ed at your post. Nothing better then watching someone own themselves...

dlorp
@cloud9.net

dlorp

Anon

incorrect info

The BlackBerry platform isn't Linux-based. It's a mix of a custom OS/kernel that runs various Java applications that make the phone, calendar, email, etc. all work. The fact that it runs Java and uses / in pathnames is about all the BBOS and Linux have in common.

asdfghjklzx5
Premium Member
join:2004-05-03

asdfghjklzx5

Premium Member

I see a lot of WM hating here

I have owned both a Blackberry and a WM phone, and I was happy with both. I had a BB pearl 8100 for over a year. It had a great user interface, but the media player did suck.

My Windows Mobile phone has it's problems too. The interface can be a tad clunky, but it has worked much better as a media player for me.

I can see how BB users might not like WM, but both platforms have their issues.

halo5
join:2000-07-20
Dayton, OH

3 edits

halo5

Member

Re: I see a lot of WM hating here

Agreed.

I've had 3 different BB's for a few years now from work. This summer we renewed our contract and our rep offered us Moto Q9e's that they just started to offer to try out.

While the phone itself was great, and the "fun" side of the phone was better than the BB's, the business side was crap in my opinion. Especially after looking around to find out my only options were to "buy 3rd party apps for WinMo". Screw that. Couple that with included apps not having an "exit" option which would require a battery pull if you didn't remember to go into Task Manager and clear all running processes. Meh.

WinMo has a lot of cool stuff, but for a business phone that is used constantly, the BB's for me are easier to work with.

RIM didn't get where they are by luck, they got there by making a solid product and didn't sway. Who knows what would happen if M$ got their hooks into them.

blueeyesm
join:2003-09-05
Waterloo, ON

blueeyesm

Member

Bad idea

As someone who lives in the city where RIM is based, this would be bad overall. Not only for the company, but its employees, as many of us up have seen firsthand what happens when a U.S. based company acquires a Canadian one - it stays for six months, overworks its employees, sends up managers to take over the inner workings, then shifts all the jobs south!

Lani Keiki
@comcast.net

Lani Keiki

Anon

Let's hope that doesn't happen

That's it. If Mr. Softy buys RIM, I'm getting an iPhone next time around!

JE
JE 's BACK BABY
Premium Member
join:2000-12-15
Charlotte, NC

1 edit

JE

Premium Member

STAY AWAY M$

We the people love BlackBerry. Stay away you big bully. We don't want your junk on our phones!

TomClancy
Freedom Isn't Free
join:2003-04-23
...

TomClancy

Member

Crap!

Damn it! I just started to like Blackberry phones... even though I own a Symbian phone.

Crap!

joako
Premium Member
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null

joako

Premium Member

YES!!

Get rid of the unnecessary BES crap finally! Crackberry + Exchange (w/o BES) = Happy users get their crackberry and happy sysadmin no longer need to deal with an unnecessary piece of software.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

Re: YES!!

said by joako:

Get rid of the unnecessary BES crap finally! Crackberry + Exchange (w/o BES) = Happy users get their crackberry and happy sysadmin no longer need to deal with an unnecessary (and very expensive) piece of software.
Fixed.

BB Enterprise software is expensive which is why we are looking at alternatives like the Motorola Q.
rootberg
join:2000-08-30
Vernon Hills, IL

rootberg

Member

Re: YES!!

Exactly. My company looked into BB but could not justify the cost of the software/hardware to connect it to our exchange servers. The Windows Mobile devices needed no special software and it was easy for our admins to set up exchange to work with it(WM).
El Gaupo
Premium Member
join:2006-07-15
Buckhorn, NM

El Gaupo

Premium Member

In Luv

I love My BlackBerry............MS dont so much
ebubman
join:2002-01-17
Mechanicsburg, PA

ebubman

Member

crackberry

they call 'em "crackberry's" for a reason. most folks (not all mind you) who have them are rather addicted. bub