BlackBerry: Sell the News, or Just Sell? – Research In Motion Limited (RIMM)

The company, which has been delaying the release of both the BB10 OS and the Z10 device for some time, cited testing with U.S. carriers as the reason for the additional delay, though very little color was given. Among other major marketing pushes that have been planned by the company for the coming weeks, BlackBerry has purchased ad time during the upcoming Super Bowl. It seems somewhat ill conceived to whip consumers into a frenzy and then ask them to stay excited for a month until the device is on shelves. It would be a shame to see a legitimate new entrant to the smartphone war lose before it even takes the battlefield.

Don’t get juiced
As a once-upon-a-time fan of BlackBerry, I would love to see the company fight its way back to relevance and offer a legitimate alternative to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Android. While the iPhone remains a highly coveted, user-friendly option, it lacks some of the inspiring innovation that let the company beat BlackBerry back from the top spot. Even if the Z10 is able to make a small dent in the smartphone market, it may help to push Apple and Android to evolve and improve. The two ecosystems have been so busy fighting each other that their duopoly has driven the technology in a limited number of directions. Diversified competition is good for everyone.

From reading the above reviews, the Z10 has some great concepts that Apple and Android might learn from moving forward. Some of the indicator features, centralized messaging system and user interface should be instructive to competitors, particularly if BlackBerry fades away. Still, the takeaway is that even with great hardware and software, if the device is not for sale, not many units will ship.

While there was definitely an element of “sell the news” at work, the delay is the story. Until the device is further reviewed and goes on sale, BlackBerry feels like dead money to me. The upside is extremely limited for the next month, and negatives still abound. As such, BlackBerry is a sell until it shows that delivered smartphones are winning back customers.

The article BlackBerry: Sell the News, or Just Sell? originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Doug Ehrman.

Fool contributor Doug Ehrman has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple.

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