BlackBerry Ltd (BBRY) News: Sales Forecast, Cross Platform Service & Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NOK)

Editor’s Note: Related tickers: BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK)

BleakBerry: The gloomy outlook (IDG)
It all seemed so positive at BlackBerry Live in Florida earlier this year, didn’t it? New BlackBerry 10 devices were on the horizon, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) was going to be made available on other platforms, and BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) 10.1 was garnering headlines. Alas, BlackBerry’s management saw their high hopes come crashing back down to Earth this summer, as the new devices missed sales forecasts and the company continued to bleed money. Only 2.7 million phones running the BB10 operating system were shipped in the quarter ended June 1, and according to Gartner, BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) commanded just a 2.7-percent share of the global smartphone market in Q2.

BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)

BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY) Reports Strategic Alternatives; Mobily App Store, BBM For Android (eMarketsDaily)
BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) recently made an announcement in earlier this month that it would take into account strategic alternatives to improve value and increase scale in order to speed up BlackBerry 10’s deployment. It was also exclaimed that special committee would deem several options like, partnerships, joint ventures, or even a sale of the company. Mobily has introduced its Mobily App Store on Tuesday within the official platform of BlackBerry World. It is indeed a first initiative in the Middle East in the telecom zone.

Microsoft buys Nokia: what does it mean for rivals? (TheGuardian)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)‘s purchase of Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK)‘s handset business, along with a long-term licence of its patent portfolio and for its Here maps products, has sent shockwaves through the industry. What everyone wants to know is: what does it mean? There’s no single answer to that, because it depends where you stand. So what does this deal mean for … This is the second handset business Microsoft has bought. The first was Danger, in February 2008 for $500m (£322m).

BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) Facing Hard Times (eFinanceHub)
In a meeting of strategic alternatives, member of BlackBerry’s board said that they are hopeful as they will survive in the market by making smart-phones. According to Wall Street Journal, the director of BlackBerry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) said that they will keep their place as a niche player but they are planning to sell off some parts. Bert Nordberg, who recently joined the board in February, approved this statement but he avoided to specify the parts to be sold off. He added further that it is difficult to stay in a huge Market as a small player. BlackBerry said that in the beginning of this month they may look for an outright sale.

BBM Android app shown on video pre-release (PhonesReview)
It’s no exaggeration to say that there’s a lot of interest right now in BBM for Android and iOS apps that are due to release shortly. The BlackBerry Messenger service is about to go cross-platform for the iPhone and Android devices, and hot on the heels of previous leaks the BBM Android app has now shown up on video pre-release. We’ve been following the BBM apps for Android and iOS devices for some time, and we know from the many comments we’ve received to previous posts that plenty of readers are eagerly waiting to be able to use BBM.

Microsoft-Nokia fallout (CNBC)