Technology

BlackBerry Offers New Phones But Turns Focus to Software

Published

9 years ago

March 4, 2015

Blackberry’s Executive Chairman and CEO John Chen speaks during a presentation at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona, Spain, Tuesday, March 3, 2015. BlackBerry will launch four new smartphones this year and a new package of cross-platform applications as it continues its “philosophical” shift to making software. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

JOSEPH WILSON, Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — BlackBerry may be launching four new smartphones over the coming year, but the struggling company is staking its future on becoming a giant in software.

CEO John Chen said at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona on Tuesday that since he took over a year and a half ago BlackBerry has undergone a “philosophical” shift away from merely making handsets.

“We are committed to making software as a business,” said Chen. “We are going to evolve.”

The company that once popularized handsets with full keyboards has had to reassess its goals since sales failed to keep up with other smartphones in recent years.

Though it presented its new BlackBerry Leap on Tuesday — a “low-to-mid” market phone that will go on sale in Europe in April and be followed by three more handsets— its focus was on software.

In particular, it wants to make its more business-friendly applications, such as its messaging service, available to non-BlackBerry phones.

It will roll out over the next year the “BlackBerry Experience,” a set of three software packages crafted to improve security and communications for business and government customers. It also presented its “Work Life” software designed to allow companies to separate billing and communications on employees’ smartphones used for both private and business.

The Canadian smartphone maker once commanded 50 percent of the U.S. market, but has seen its share evaporate as consumers flock to devices made by Apple and those run on Google’s Android operating system, like the popular Samsung models.

Chen’s major move to transform BlackBerry came in November, when it separated its most successful applications from its devices and made them available for the operating systems of would-be competitors.

It has since struck new deals to provide software to Samsung.

Chen said BlackBerry will try and strike a balance.

“We are going to compete with Samsung and we are going to collaborate with Samsung,” Chen said. “We have a very small hardware percentage around the world today, so our strategy is to expand our server-available market by making it cross-platform. We can now have a business that spans 99 percent of the market.”

Hardware sales still represent 73 percent of BlackBerry’s revenues, and Chen said his vision is that devices and software become “two pillars” of his business.

BlackBerry’s head of devices Ron Louks told The Associated Press that thumbs need not worry — BlackBerry was not beginning a long goodbye to its smartphones with keyboards.

“For us to be a great company we need balance between the hardware side and the software side, but we are obviously very invested in the hardware business and will continue to be,” Louks said.

Chen said BlackBerry is “stabilizing” financially, but did not disclose figures. “We are going to generate more revenue,” he said.

The Leap has a touch-screen, a five-inch display and 25-hour battery.

Louks caused some commotion by waving another of the three new phones to come this year before hiding it in his jacket. He said it has a dual curve display with a sliding keyboard.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Apple’s Photos App for OSX Replaces iPhoto

Don't Miss

Google Selling Wireless Plans to Get More People Online

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Community

Attorney General Rob Bonta, Oakland Lawmakers, Introduce Legislation to Protect Youth Online

At a press conference in downtown Oakland on Jan. 29, Attorney General Rob Bonta joined Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) to announce two pieces of legislation designed to protect children online. The bills are Senate Bill (SB) 976, the Protecting Youth from Social Media Addiction Act and Assembly Bill (AB) 1949, the California Children’s Data Privacy Act.

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) at a press conference introducing legislation to protect young people online.

By Magaly Muñoz

The bills are Senate Bill (SB) 976, the Protecting Youth from Social Media Addiction Act and Assembly Bill (AB) 1949, the California Children’s Data Privacy Act.

Skinner authored SB 976, which addresses online addiction affecting teenage users, while Wicks’s bill, AB 1949, takes on big tech by proposing data privacy and children rights protections.

“Social media companies unfortunately show us time and time again that they are all too willing to ignore the detriment to our children, the pain to our children, the mental health and physical challenges they face, in order to pursue profits,” Bonta said.

SB 976 would allow parents to control the nature and frequency of the content their under-18-year-old children see on social media. Notifications from social media platforms would also be paused from midnight to 6 am and controls would allow parents to set time limits on their children’s usage based on their discretion.

Skinner stated that the longer that kids are on their phones during the day, the higher the risk for depression, anxiety and other related issues.

The bill would also push to get rid of addictive media that is harmful for young women and girls, specifically image filters that mimic cosmetic plastic surgery.

Bonta and 33 other attorney generals had previously filed a lawsuit against Meta, owner of the popular social media applications Instagram and Facebook. The filing claims that the company purposefully uses algorithmized content that harms younger audiences.

“Social media companies have the ability to protect our kids, they could act, but they do not,” Skinner said.

The Child Data Privacy Act would strengthen existing protections for data privacy under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The lawmakers argue that the law does not have effective protection for those under 18 years old.

Wicks stated that the bill would forbid businesses from collecting, using, sharing, or selling personal data of anyone underage unless they receive informed consent, or it becomes necessary for the purpose of the business.

Wicks added that the acts would make it so that a search on the internet like “How do I lose weight?” would not result in dieting pill advertisements targeting youth, which, some experts report, could be harmful to their mental and physical health.

“In a digital age where the vulnerabilities of young users are continually exploited, we cannot afford to let our laws lag behind, our children deserve complete assurance that their online experience will be safeguarded from invasive practices,” Wicks said.

Supporters of the two acts say they have gained bipartisan support issue, but the authors and Bonta expect them to be met with pushback from the affected companies.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Unleashing the Power_ Discover the The Thrills…F-TYPE Convertible

Published

4 months ago

December 18, 2023

Oakland Post

Performance & Handling
Powered by a robust 5.0 Liter Supercharged 8 Cylinder Gas Engine, the F-Type R75 doesn’t just purr; it roars with a mighty 575 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. Coupled with an 8-speed Automatic Transmission, the car offers an exhilarating drive that is both fast and smooth. The All-Wheel Drive system ensures excellent traction and stability, making it a joy to handle in various driving conditions. The Electric Power Assisted Steering and JaguarDrive Control with Selectable Driving Modes add to the car’s agility, providing a driving experience that is as intuitive as it is thrilling. Additionally, the Adaptive Dynamics and Electronic Active Differential with Torque Vectoring by Braking enhance the car’s responsiveness, making every turn a testament to its engineering prowess. Unique to AutoNetwork.com.

Like us on and share https://www.facebook.com/autonetwork
#AutoNetwork
#AutoNetworkReports
Subscribe to our channel now for more videos.
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/liveautos
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/autonetwork
Coupons Offers and Deals https://www.couponsoffersanddeals.com/

The post Unleashing the Power_ Discover the The Thrills…F-TYPE Convertible first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Elevate Your Ride…

Join us for a virtual car’s best-detailed walkaround of the sleek and stylish 2024 Jaguar F-TYPE AWD convertible. Get an up-close look at the exterior design, interior features, and performance capabilities of this luxury sports car. From its powerful engine to its advanced technology, this video will give you a comprehensive overview of what makes […]
The post Elevate Your Ride… first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 months ago

December 18, 2023

Oakland Post

Join us for a virtual car’s best-detailed walkaround of the sleek and stylish 2024 Jaguar F-TYPE AWD convertible. Get an up-close look at the exterior design, interior features, and performance capabilities of this luxury sports car. From its powerful engine to its advanced technology, this video will give you a comprehensive overview of what makes the F-TYPE AWD convertible stand out on the road. Unique to AutoNetwork.com.