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RIM co-CEO claims upcoming BBX OS platform will ‘leapfrog the competition’

By on October 17, 2011 at 8:51pm in Mobile News


RIM is about to announce something huge, and it’s going to take the world by storm. At least that is according to co-CEO Jim Balsillie who, with the rest of his embattled BlackBerry team is going to announce the BBX Platform tomorrow at the keynote address at the BlackBerry DevCon Conference.

“We’ve leapfrogged everyone with what we’re announcing [on Tuesday] and you’re going to see it on display. We built an engine back in the mid-90s that served us incredibly well for 15 years, and in the past couple of years, we’ve had to build the engine of the future while still driving the engine we’ve got.”

The anticipation is high not only because of RIM’s fall from grace in recent months, but because just last week the company was dealt its biggest PR blow in nearly three years: for three days, service was interrupted in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and most of North and South America. What started out as a switching problem turned into a full-blown outage. Today, the company announced plans for restitution, a $100 app pack free to all BlackBerry users, regardless of whether they were affected by the outage.

BBX, which is expected to be based on the QNX platform that is used on the BlackBerry Playbook, is an industrial-strength OS that, before it was bought by RIM, was used by nuclear power plants, manufacturing facilities and oil rigs. The news couldn’t come at a better time, too: RIM’s share price has more than halved in the past six months, down from its high of $144 in mid-2008 to just $22 today. After the mild success of the Playbook, which has only sold 700,000 units to date, and the grudging welcome of the latest crop of BlackBerry phones, BBX is the company’s chance for greatness.

“Nobody wants success for this company and return to the shareholders, and nobody in this world wants it more than Mike [Lazaridis] and I,” Mr. Balsillie said.

Here’s hoping.

Source: Financial Post
Via: CrackBerry 

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Discussion

48 comments for “RIM co-CEO claims upcoming BBX OS platform will ‘leapfrog the competition’”

  1. Let’s me make a prediction… No it won’t.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 52 Thumb down 40

    Posted by Chris | October 17, 2011, 8:55 pm
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    • The only thing that “Leapfrogs” is the native email Application for the Playbook that is “coming This Summer”. So that still hasn’t arrived and they announced something else??
      The article mentions the PR Blow; its all PR!! NOTE how they don’t have any solid dates; not for the email for the Playbook; not for the new QNX phones coming in Q1(or whatever they will call it). RIM is just trying to make noise and “ride the PR wave” tomorrow with the release of ICS. People and the media will unavoidable compare them to eachother, the difference is that ICS is a REALITY, QNX isn’t finished.

      RIM: Over promising and Under delivering, for a long time. They are running out of tricks to keep the stock above $20:
      (MS, Google,HP, HTC-Acquisitions; billionaires; the Patents they own etc.
      Fire the CEO’s tomorrow and watch the stock jumping to $30+ tomorrow! But it won’t happen, and the completion of QNX this year won’t happen either. I am very sorry for RIM; The Canadian Nokia and the “AVRO” of the 21st century.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 10

      Posted by Timothy | October 17, 2011, 11:15 pm

  2. orly.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 18

    Posted by Polaris | October 17, 2011, 8:55 pm
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  3. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Okay.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 26 Thumb down 22

    Posted by Matt | October 17, 2011, 8:56 pm
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  4. For their sake, I hope it will. Competition is good. Will it? Probably not.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 59 Thumb down 7

    Posted by zar | October 17, 2011, 8:59 pm
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  5. It will be the first cross platform os. It will be a game changer.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 24 Thumb down 14

    Posted by jb | October 17, 2011, 9:00 pm
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  6. I am not a BlackBerry user, and never have been, but I am still very interested in what QNX will have to offer.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 40 Thumb down 7

    Posted by Dor | October 17, 2011, 9:02 pm
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    • Just look at the Playbook, a browser, lack of apps, no native email… you get the idea.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 32

      Posted by A. Carmine | October 17, 2011, 9:08 pm

  7. I believe that it is technically possible for RIM to ‘leapfrog’ but with their leadership/culture I have serious doubts. Good luck RIM- I want to see you come back. Maybe take a more subtle approach until you have something to show us, however.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 38 Thumb down 0

    Posted by jay | October 17, 2011, 9:06 pm
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  8. I like Rim..I hope they will make it this time.. the playbook is amazing … I own 2 and so far its good but needs more applications

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 5

    Posted by iTards | October 17, 2011, 9:07 pm
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  9. Didn’t they say that about the playbook? Why believe them now? Until they get half a apps like iphone and android, people won’t switch. a phone is dumb, becomes smart after the apps are installed

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 6

    Posted by Alex | October 17, 2011, 9:08 pm
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    • RIM is not going to a lot release apps on their own. 3rd party developers are the ones that do it. Besides how many apps do you need anyways?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2

      Posted by bobbi singh | October 18, 2011, 6:19 am

  10. oh cmon RIM, please stop making statements like this until you get a working prototype out for some 3rd party reviews.

    you’re over-promising again, and it’s really getting embarrassing when you can’t deliver on these promises.

    /owner of a 9900

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 39 Thumb down 2

    Posted by Seren | October 17, 2011, 9:08 pm
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  11. Half a million apps I meant

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Alex | October 17, 2011, 9:09 pm
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  12. they just have to do what no mobile OS provides right now, until windows 8 arrives that is….

    Make a fully featured office suite that has both a phone and tablet UI. Some of the applications available are good but none are reall up to the task of serious work.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

    Posted by cellcon | October 17, 2011, 9:16 pm
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  13. RIM ‘n I had an affair 6 or 7 years ago. Lasted a while, but then 2 yrs ago it began to turn into a love/hate relationship… Which brings us to present. I still own one (Torch at this point) but have had to many issues over the last 2 yrs :( I may just leave u BB… Samsung S2 LTE looks like she’s young ‘n fresh, ready for me to pick her right up. Hope she isn’t high maintenance!! LOL

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2

    Posted by jjfurry | October 17, 2011, 9:25 pm
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  14. Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 15

    Posted by hello | October 17, 2011, 9:30 pm
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    • No, It should be “Mike [Laziridis] and “I”".

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 5

      Posted by Adam | October 17, 2011, 9:37 pm

    • @Hello You are correct. @Moi is wrong. ‘Gramatically-speaking’ it should be ‘me’, not ‘I’. And I wish all the best to Blackberry with this new OS. I don’t want to see a successful Canadian brand fail at this stage of the game.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 9

      Posted by W B | October 17, 2011, 10:08 pm

    • If you are going to make a grammar related comment, on a site where people discuss mobile tech, you should really brush up on your own first.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

      Posted by rj | October 18, 2011, 10:17 am

  15. BBM + raw power of Android and you’ve got me hooked also make sure widely used apps are closely integrated into the system.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0

    Posted by WirelessCluelessGuru | October 17, 2011, 9:31 pm
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  16. Ummmmm…..no. He got it right…at least grammatically speaking.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 4

    Posted by moi | October 17, 2011, 9:37 pm
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  17. RIM ‘n I had an affair 6 or 7 years ago. Lasted a while, but then 2 yrs ago it began to turn into a love/hate relationship… Which brings us to present. I still own one (Torch at this point) but have had too many issues over the last 2 yrs :( I may just leave u BB… Samsung S2 LTE looks like she’s young ‘n fresh, ready for me to pick her right up. Hope she isn’t high maintenance!! LOL

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 1

    Posted by jjfurry | October 17, 2011, 9:43 pm
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  18. Hahahahahaha…..this is the funniest news of the year.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 12

    Posted by user | October 17, 2011, 9:52 pm
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  19. Err Daniel, no one would call the Playbook a “mild success”. It SHIPPED 700,000 units to retailers, and many are not sold. The shipment dropped from 500,000 units in the first quarter available to 200,000 in the subsequent quarter.

    No matter how you look at it, the Playbook is a flop, both in terms of sales and features.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 3

    Posted by kenypowa | October 17, 2011, 9:53 pm
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    • I like the Playbook, it’s a good tablet but it wasn’t marketed very well, it indeed hasn’t been selling well but then again what other non-iPad tablet has been selling well? Just about every one of them has been struggling because they’re not an iPad.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

      Posted by TeknoBug | October 18, 2011, 9:45 am

  20. … so tell me again why I should drop a bunch of money on a 9900?

    Will I be able to upgrade to the new OS? If not, I’m WAY safer getting the Nexus Prime.

    /have 8+ blackberries so far… not sure if more are in my future.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0

    Posted by kman | October 17, 2011, 9:54 pm
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  21. They can barely “leapfrog” their previous model of BlackBerry phone and the expect me to believe that they can do that to the competing mobile OS’? The only thing they could announce that would “leapfrog” the competition is full Android app compatibilty…. that is until tomorrow evening at 10PM EST when Google announces Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) with lots of core feature upgrades.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 10 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Marc | October 17, 2011, 10:02 pm
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  22. What’s Rim really need is a new CEO, not this 2 evil clown.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 3

    Posted by Dave | October 17, 2011, 10:04 pm
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    • Forget ” Leapfrog the competition” How about: “Leapfrog CEO’s!!”

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1

      Posted by Timothy | October 17, 2011, 10:55 pm

  23. Jim Balsillie also said the Torch 9800 was going to leapfrog the competition. We all know how well that turned out. Jim needs to stop running his mouth and start delivering. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised – the same guy who said he would deliver a hockey team to Hamilton fell short of expectations. Story of his life.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Shill | October 17, 2011, 10:10 pm
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  24. They’re announcing it TOMORROW??

    The same day ICS is being announced?!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    Posted by bummy | October 17, 2011, 10:15 pm
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    • joint venture with google?

      i hope they succeed cause they’re a Canadian company

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0

      Posted by kool guys | October 17, 2011, 11:52 pm

  25. Good luck topping the nexus prime!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Graison | October 17, 2011, 10:25 pm
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  26. Maybe if they mean by “the competition” as old Nokia phones

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1

    Posted by Matt EH | October 17, 2011, 10:36 pm
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  27. PlayBook has its price slashed because it’s a “mild success”? The PlayBook is boring. Not a lot of apps, no widgets.

    Jim is right about one thing, it is “more than Mike and I”. Add the word “do” to the end which is omitted but understood.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1

    Posted by NM | October 17, 2011, 11:17 pm
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  28. Rimm should focus on making the best smartphones in the world and forget the tablet market! Make three different styles of phones and always stay ahead of the competition. GM use to be the largest auto maker and they took it for granite. The competition leaped frog ahead of GM and this is the same situation with Rimm. Rimm can make a comeback and be the best in the world again.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Danny McGuire | October 17, 2011, 11:50 pm
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  29. RIM’s tablet is way better than iPad. It’s a great device and QNX is a great blend of webos and iOS feel. Sure apps are lacking but what you need to work are there.

    Hoping that RIM finally gets it together and stays strong.

    (I own a iPhone 4, Samsung focus windows phone, palm Pre phone, RIM Playbook, iPad 2, windows 8 tablet, and a Thinkpad android tablet…. So this is my experienced opinion.)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 4

    Posted by Harry | October 18, 2011, 12:00 am
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  30. Maybe if QNX had bought RIM I would believe they’re about to leap frog the competition.

    But when you mentioned QNX is used by nuclear power plants I just imagined the next restitution package would be “$100 worth of (shitty) apps to everyone affected – even if they don’t glow in the dark.”

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2

    Posted by schultzter | October 18, 2011, 12:05 am
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  31. You’re either born with it or you’re not. They fluked success 15 years ago but holy crap, how can you throw it away the way they have. More examples of how education is one thing and inteligence is another. For example, Steve Jobs (the facsist that the was) was educated and VERY inteligent. That’s how you get a company like Apple. Simple education gets you companies like RIM who keep screwing up and lack any imagination.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 3

    Posted by Domingo | October 18, 2011, 6:04 am
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    • “they fluked success 15 years ago” ? They didn’t fluke with the introduction of text email pagers, that’s basically what started the SMS innovation and it was the thing for the deaf to communicate with, at least the group of deaf people I used to work and hang out with back in the 90′s.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

      Posted by TeknoBug | October 18, 2011, 9:42 am

  32. On CBC news they just said RIM is trying to win back app developers, and then this pops up? hahah

    I like QNX, it’s been around for decades and is common in industrial equipment and I used to boot QNX on a 1.44″ floppy disk. But this won’t save RIM unless they do it right (*cough* like Apple) and then of course there’s the media that’ll make things look ugly.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by TeknoBug | October 18, 2011, 9:38 am
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  33. well thats some big talk for a company thats not doing so well, i do hope it does live up to what they announced it to be or at least at par with ice cream sandwich just in the qnx or bbx way got the playbook and to me it out preforms the htc flyer, asus trans., samsung 10.1 i tried and owed them playbook lived up to multi tasking and smooth running owell for native apps just us the internet or pair with the bold, they converted me in the end to their phone lol, anyways best to you rim, hope its not another smoke and mirrors trick

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by brando | October 18, 2011, 10:58 am
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  34. I hope they do well with this announcement. I have not used a BB in years. I have been with Android and love it. However this is a Canadian company and I want to see them do well :)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    Posted by the_spaniard | October 18, 2011, 11:15 am
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  35. It’s about the apps stupid!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0

    Posted by Jason | October 18, 2011, 11:27 am
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