Posted on August 4, 2009, at 12:09 PM .
RIM has launched a new campaign on their WinWithBlackBerry site. The contest offers the chance to instantly win prizes such as one of 10 BlackBerry devices, accessories and discounts.
It seems Jim Balsillie had a hand in this contest because you can also win a ton of hockey prizes. You can win hockey jerseys, game tickets and an all expenses paid trip for 4 to a “North American Hockey League finals game” and $2,000 spending cash.
The contest works on points, and the more you participate in the contest, the more points you get.
Check out WinWithBlackBerry for registration and more contest details.
[Hat tip]
Posted on July 24, 2009, at 9:59 AM .
Today in New York, the bidding starts for Nortel Networks Corp.’s largest business unit. RIM has been denied entry into the bidding process because it has failed to sign an agreement that the other businesses have signed.
Nortel CEO Mike Zafirovski, has explained to the press that RIM is refusing to sign what Zafirovski has called “a standard non-disclosure agreement before getting a close look at Nortel’s books.”
RIM has said it will continue to find ways to purchase the business unit and add it to RIM’s valuable intellectual property portfolio. If RIM does manage to purchase the business unit, they will have access to CDMA and LTE technology which will go a long way to improving BlackBerry devices and network infrastructure.
“That’s really what these guys are after,” said Nizar Assnie, vice-president of Vancouver-based IE Market Research Corp. The next-generation technology will provide carriers with the ability to offer cellphones with advanced, data-heavy features such as video streaming at ultra-fast speeds. Leading in LTE is a must “if you’re going to be a serious network infrastructure player in the wireless space [in] ten years,” he said.
There is clearly something more to the “standard non-disclosure agreement” that is causing RIM to refuse to sign. If one had to guess, the agreement probably contains some element that RIM legal, Balsillie and Lazardis, deem to be detrimental to the profitability of the purchase. Either that, or perhaps they don’t see the purchase as being a necessary step for the company, and they’re saying “take our offer or leave it, we’re not signing anything.”
[Via]
Posted on July 21, 2009, at 9:31 AM .
This economy is providing a great deal of opportunity for companies looking to acquire technology and profitable ventures that add to the books. Nortel is a company that has been in financial dire straits for years, and they are having a bankruptcy auction on July 24th, 2009, where RIM has been barred from making bids.
Nortel’s CDMA and Long Term Evolution Access businesses are up for auction, but RIM has been told it could be qualified for bidding only if it promised not to submit offers for other Nortel assets for a period of one year. In seeking to impose this condition, Nortel and its advisors were fully aware of RIM’s desire to purchase other Nortel assets as part of a solution to retain key portions of Nortel’s business under Canadian ownership. Despite repeated efforts, Nortel, its advisors and its court-appointed monitor have rejected RIM’s repeated attempts to engage in meaningful discussions.
A preliminary review, reveals RIM would be prepared to pay in the range of US $1.1 billion for the assets. This is a great deal for Nortel, which could use the cash, and it’s a great deal for RIM, which could use the CDMA and LTE technology to improve BlackBerry devices and infrastructure.
Jim Balsillie said “RIM is extremely disappointed that Nortel’s world leading technology, the development of which has been funded in part by Canadian taxpayers, seems destined to leave Canada and that Canada’s own Export Development Corporation is preparing to help by lending $300 million to another bidder. RIM remains extremely interested in acquiring Nortel assets through a Canadian ownership solution that would serve the dual purpose of keeping key wireless technologies in Canada and extending RIM’s leadership in the research, development and distribution of leading edge wireless solutions, but RIM has found itself blocked at every turn.”
Nortel is a failing company while RIM is both profitable and a source of Canadian patriotism. At this point, we should consider government intervention to move this deal ahead.
Posted on July 20, 2009, at 11:49 AM .
RIM’s Annual General Shareholders’ meeting was last week, July 15th, and some of the best news to come out of it was actually from a child in the audience. While he probably isn’t a shareholder, he had a good question for the RIM executives.
“Are you going to make a phone more for kids so that my Mom will let me get one?” the kid asked.
While Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis didn’t have a concrete answer for the kid, they seemed optimistic. “There’s lots of opportunity and, you know, if the current BlackBerrys aren’t acceptable to your mother, hopefully the next ones will,” Lazaridis said.
This is an interesting market as children are becoming more tech savvy at increasingly younger ages. Who knows, maybe in 10 years your 5 year old will be hooked up to a BES and getting push email.
Other news at the AGM included a chat about the sponsorship behind the U2 360 Tour, to get more consumers interested in BlackBerry devices.
[Via]
Posted on June 8, 2009, at 8:01 AM .
Jim Balsillie Unveils Dramatic Revitalization for Copps Coliseum
On Tuesday, June 9th, there is a critical court hearing to determine whether the Coyotes can be relocated when they’re sold out of bankruptcy. The Make it Seven campaign needs to present the judge with evidence of bigger, stronger and deeper numbers of Hamilton backers.
Use the “Tell a Friend” feature to tell your neighbours, co-workers, family and friends to sign up to makeitseven.ca.
Posted on May 29, 2009, at 11:27 AM .
[ED NOTE: If you've registered at makeitseven.ca, you have already seen the message from Jim Balsillie. I thought I'd repost the letter for those who haven't seen it and to encourage more registrations.]
A message from Jim Balsillie:
Yesterday, Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes filed documents in court confirming his receipt of our offer to purchase the team for US$212.5 million, that the offer expires June 30, 2009 and that it is conditional upon moving the team to southern Ontario. We learned that the court has moved up its date to hear arguments on the question of relocation to June 9th and Judge Baum has said he will rule on this issue shortly after. If he rules the team can be relocated, the Judge has also indicated he will move the date of the auction we have asked for up to June 22nd.
We have maintained from the beginning that we need to be in control of the team by then to know if we can move it this year, or if we have to keep it in Glendale for another year and then move it to its new home, Copps Coliseum, where we have secured the rights to a long-term lease.
We are moving ahead. In the days ahead, I will have more exciting details to share with you about bringing this team to Canada.
In the meantime, we need our voices to be heard. Currently, we have over 130,000 people signed up www.makeitseven.ca and we need to reach out to hockey lovers throughout Canada and the world to expand our movement. If each of you were able to get one friend to sign up, we could mobilize over a quarter of a million people in an online movement.
