The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition Research in Motion announced an order of one million new BlackBerry 10 smart phones. The Globe's Iain Marlow writes RIM's volatile shares surged on the news, continuing a recent winning streak. RIM said the deal is with one of its "established partners," which it did not name. The large bulk order of the new BlackBerrys comes as RIM makes its push into the critical U.S. market. The order is likely from one of the two largest U.S. wireless carriers: AT&T or Verizon. In separate announcements, AT&T said on Monday the Z10 will be available on its network starting March 22 and Verizon said Wednesday it would launch the touchscreen Z10 on March 28. The BlackBerry Q10, which retains a physical keyboard, is not expected to launch until at least April. It is difficult to compare the initial sales of the Z10 -- the sole new BlackBerry on sale -- with previous launches of the many versions of BlackBerry models. However, the size and timing of the million-device order clearly sent a positive message to a jittery market eager for a sense of how the Z10 is selling around the world -- and, consequently, RIM's chances of thriving in the market.
Ms. Krista Seggewiss reports
BLACKBERRY PARTNER PURCHASES ONE MILLION BLACKBERRY 10 SMARTPHONES
One of Research in Motion Ltd.'s established partners has placed an order for one million BlackBerry 10 smart phones, with shipments starting immediately. This order marks the largest-ever single purchase order in BlackBerry's history.
"An order for one million devices is a tremendous vote of confidence in BlackBerry 10," said Rick Costanzo, executive vice-president, global sales, BlackBerry. "Consumers are ready for a new user experience, and BlackBerry 10 delivers. With strong partner support, coupled with this truly reinvented new platform, we have a powerful recipe for success."
BlackBerry unveiled the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smart phones on Jan. 30. BlackBerry Z10 is now available for purchase in a number of markets around the world and will be available in the United States starting this month.
Research in Motion Ltd., doing business as BlackBerry, is committed to bringing a solution that will separate and secure work and personal data on mobile devices to third party platforms. Secure Work Space for iOS and Android will be managed through BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, BlackBerry's multiplatform enterprise mobility management solution which builds upon more than a decade of enterprise and security expertise and is the most widely deployed mobility solution in enterprises today. An update for BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 will soon extend BlackBerry security capabilities for data-at-rest and data-in-transit and provide complete separation between work and personal data. The BlackBerry Secure Work Space solution includes secured client applications for e-mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos, secure browsing and document editing for each device that is provisioned via BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10.
"With BlackBerry Balance technology, we offer the industry's only true compromise-free separation of work and personal data and applications," said David J. Smith, executive vice-president, enterprise mobile computing. "With Secure Work Space for iOS and Android devices, we're extending as many of these features as possible to other platforms, critical in today's bring your own device world. BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 offers administrators a single, intuitive platform enabling them to effectively and securely manage a variety of devices while protecting their corporate assets and at the same time providing employees the flexibility they desire."Closed beta testing for Secure Work Space has already started and general availability will be offered by the end of the second quarter of calendar year 2013.