• Board Acts on Recommendation of Co-CEOs to Implement Succession Plan 
• Mike Lazaridis Named Vice Chair of the Board
• Jim Balsillie Remains a Director
• Barbara Stymiest Named Independent Board Chair
• Prem Watsa Named Independent Director

Waterloo, ON – The Board of Directors of BlackBerry® maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that, acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer.  Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.

Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee. As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide. 

Mr. Heins said he looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Lazaridis, globally recognized as a technology pioneer. He said, “Mike created a whole new way of communicating and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration.”

On the transition to CEO by Mr. Heins, Mr. Lazaridis said, “There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now.  With BlackBerry 7 now out, PlayBook 2.0 shipping in February and BlackBerry 10 expected to ship later this year, the company is entering a new phase, and we felt it was time for a new leader to take it through that phase and beyond.  Jim, the Board and I all agreed that leader should be Thorsten Heins.”

Jim Balsillie remains a member of the Board. “I agree this is the right time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I have complete confidence in Thorsten, the management team and the company,” he said. “I remain a significant shareholder and a Director and, of course, they will have my full support.”

Mr. Lazaridis said that he decided to move from Co-Chair to Vice Chair of the Board in order to return the public’s focus to what is most important: “the great company we have built, its iconic products, global brand and its talented employees.”  

Mr. Lazaridis added, “Thorsten has demonstrated throughout his tenure at RIM that he has the right mix of leadership, relevant industry experience and skills to take the company forward.  We have been impressed with his operational skills at both RIM and Siemens.  I am so confident in RIM’s future that I intend to purchase an additional $50 million of the company’s shares, as permitted, in the open market.”

Mr. Heins said he believes that RIM has tremendous potential.  He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.

“Mike and Jim took a bold step 18 months ago when RIM purchased QNX to shepherd the transformation of the BlackBerry platform for the next decade,” Mr. Heins said.  “We are more confident than ever that was the right path. It is Mike and Jim’s continued unwillingness to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain which has made RIM the great company that it is today.  I share that philosophy and am very excited about the company’s future.”

Mr. Heins said that RIM has a strong foundation on which to build. “We have a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt.  We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.”

Mr. Heins said, “BlackBerry 7 has been well received.  We are very excited about PlayBook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10.  The reception of our products at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was encouraging.” 

He continued, “RIM earned its reputation by focusing relentlessly on the customer and delivering unique mobile communications solutions. We intend to build on this heritage to expand BlackBerry’s leadership position.” 

Mr. Heins said that RIM has grown quickly. “As with any company that has grown as fast as we have, there have been inevitable growing pains,” he said. “We have learned from those challenges and, I believe, we have and will become a stronger company as a result.

“Going forward, we will continue to focus both on short-term and long-term growth, strategic planning, a customer- and market-based product approach, and flawless execution. We are in the process of recruiting a new Chief Marketing Officer to work closely with our product and sales teams to deliver the most compelling products and services.”

Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair. John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board.  Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.

Speaking on behalf of the Board, Ms. Stymiest said:  “We believe that Thorsten is the right executive to succeed Mike and Jim.  He has 27 years of telecommunications experience, including four years at RIM in senior management positions.  As a Board, we have been impressed with his outstanding management skills, his leadership and his accomplishments within the company.”

Ms. Stymiest also expressed the Board’s respect and admiration for Messrs. Lazaridis and Balsillie, the company they built, and the steps they have taken to position RIM for the future.

“They created RIM, nurtured it, and in the process not only built an iconic brand, but literally pioneered the smartphone industry,” she said.  “It is Canada’s largest tech company and one of the largest in the world.”

Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, January 23, 2012, which can be accessed by dialing             1-800-814-4859       (North America),             (+1)416-644-3414      (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 10 am ET by dialing             (+1)416-640-1917       and entering passcode 4509630#. A replay of the webcast will be available on your personal computer or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until midnight ET, February 6, 2012.

About Thorsten Heins

Thorsten Heins, 54, is a respected business leader with 27 years of broad experience and expertise in wireless networks and consumer electronics devices. Mr. Heins has a global reputation for his organizational and leadership skills and his ability to build successful organizations that deliver on their commitments. Prior to today’s announcement, Mr. Heins was one of RIM’s two Chief Operating Officers and, before that, Senior Vice President for the Handheld Business Unit.  He played key roles in the creation of RIM’s product portfolio. Mr. Heins came to RIM in December 2007 from the industrial conglomerate Siemens AG.  He joined Siemens in 1984 after graduating from the University of Hannover in his native Germany.  At Siemens, Mr. Heins rose through the ranks of R&D customer service, sales and product management positions.  After serving as Chief Executive Officer of various business divisions in the communication business, Mr. Heins moved to Chief Technology Officer and member of the Group Board of the Siemens Communications Group. He came to RIM after being impressed by the level of innovation displayed by founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. Mr. Heins is married with a daughter and a son. Away from RIM, he is usually outdoors bicycling, motorcycling, skiing or hiking.

One of the most discussed items at the BlackBerry Developers Conference was the BlackBerry PlayBooks that were handed out pre-loaded with a developer release of OS 2.0.  My own personal version was so ridiculously buggy that I couldn't even use many apps that I had purchased already.  My current favorite game, Tofu would load and get into a level where it would promptly crash.  The buggy nature of 2.0 combined with RIM 's public statement that we can't expect a final release until February of next year convinced me to go ahead and downgrade back to the stable OS.  RIM must know that many people will have no use for the buggy beta release so they have posted the official instructions for downgrading your PlayBook.

Official Instructions from the BlackBerry Help Blog

One of the announcements made at BlackBerry® DevCon Americas this year was the availability of the Developer Beta for the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ OS v2.0 (Development Beta OS), which is or designed to allow developers to test and refine their Android™ apps to run on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.

The Developer Beta OS doesn’t contain any updates of end-user features or functionality, so unless you are developing for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, you should not be using the Developer Beta OS. Another important thing to keep in mind is that some apps and games that are designed for the current PlayBook OS – which as of today is v1.0.7 – may not function properly with the Developer Beta OS (don’t worry, this will be fixed by the time PlayBook OS 2.0 is out of beta and ready for general availability).

In the event you installed the Developer Beta OS and now want to return to the current PlayBook OS (v1.0.7), which is highly recommended if you are not a developer, here’s an overview of what to do:

The first thing you’ll need to know is that if you signed up for and installed the Developer Beta OS, you’ll need to wait approximately 24 hours before you can reinstall the current version (v1.0.7), otherwise your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will apply the Developer Beta OS again. (For those who received a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet at BlackBerry DevCon Americas with the Developer Beta OS pre-installed, you can install v1.0.7 at any time.)

Provided 24 hours have passed since signing up and installing the Developer Beta OS, complete the following steps using BlackBerry® Desktop Software to return to the current non-beta release (v1.0.7) of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS.

Tip: BlackBerry Desktop Software is available for PC and Mac users, and the latest version can be downloaded from the BlackBerry Desktop Software website.

Restoring the BlackBerry PlayBook OS to v1.0.7 will erase everything on the tablet, so make sure that you back up any important documents and files before proceeding. Important: If you backup your PlayBook while it is running the Developer Beta OS, you’ll be unable to restore this backup file to your PlayBook once you’ve loaded OS v1.0.7. This is in reference to running a general back up using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager. What you can back up safely are specific documents, photos, or other files – and then reload them once you’ve restored OS v1.0.7. There are several methods to accomplish this; consider using USB File Sharing, or Wi-Fi® File Sharing to backup important documents, photos, or other files before proceeding with the steps below.

Requirements:

• BlackBerry PlayBook tablet with at least 20% battery life
• BlackBerry Desktop Software and a USB cable
• Active Internet connection

Instructions:

• Turn off the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet
• Using a PC or Mac, open BlackBerry Desktop Software
• Using the USB cable, connect the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to your computer:
  • If prompted, enter your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet password
• A dialog will appear stating BlackBerry Desktop Software cannot connect to your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. When this appears, click “Update”.

• • Note, this dialog will disappear when the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet boots up completely. If this occurs, disconnect the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and repeat the previous steps to get the dialog to appear again.
• Enter your email address or uncheck “Yes, email me when updates are available”.
• Depending on which version of BlackBerry Desktop Software you are using select one of the following options:
  • BlackBerry Desktop Software for PC, click “Install”.
  • BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac, click “Repair”.

After clicking one of the above options, your BlackBerry PlayBook tablet should have the current non-beta release of the BlackBerry PlayBook OS installed (v1.0.7). After the OS is restored to v1.0.7, you’ll be presented with the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet Setup Wizard, which will allow you to setup the tablet again. While setting up your tablet again, you can check out the BlackBerry PlayBook category of the Inside BlackBerry Help Blog to learn more about your tablet.

It's no news that RIM has said they're giving up to $100 worth of free apps to BlackBerry user due to the outage, however the quality of some of those apps can be newsworthy.  I downloaded the most recent application added to the list Bubble Burst by Gameloft earlier this week while at DevCon and was literally blow away at how bad the lag was.  As you can see in the video, it's bad enough to stop my BBM Music from playing in the background.  It's applications like this that are to blame for BlackBerry's poor app reputation and quite possibly the reason that RIM declared the death of Java when BBX is released.

This morning as I am watching back through the 2011 BlackBerry Developers Conference keynote speech back through to refresh it a bit in my mind.  In the very beginning of the presentation Mike Lazaridus announces BBX, the cross breed of BlackBerry and the QNX platform that will unify the now segmented OS experience between BlackBerry smartphones (Java Based) and the PlayBook Tablet (QNX).  What struck me right away was how quiet the whole thing was.  After having been at WES (Now BlackBerry World) when RIM announced BlackBerry 6, the contrast in the crowds reaction was a stark contrast in comparison.  It was as if the crowd was letting us know that they're no longer going to be wowed by faceless announcements.  Throughout the rest of the keynote there were more animated moments from the crowd and some positive forward moves from RIM, but the response most definitely left me wondering about the overall feeling that developers have towards RIM today.

• View the DevCon keynote here
  

Last night I stayed up past 1 am chatting with some conference folk. Some bloggers, a Research in Motion product manager, and a few others. At a certain point in a wild rant I suddenly realized that I'm a zealot, a user of such an extreme level that even people responsible for the development of the BlackBerry platform seem shocked. In a way I felt proud but I also felt like a purple polka dotted zebra being viewed on a platform in the middle of a polar ice cap. I realized that my extreme level of fanboy-ness made me somewhat alone and often misunderstood. People don't think like I think, people just don't use BlackBerry like I do (an obviously broad statement directed at the "general public"). I use autotext, customize my sound profiles, use hotkeys, and I know that shift plus a track pad click makes my BlackBerry perform the paste function. The mobile industry is not just my job, it's my hobby, and to some extent its my life.

For me it all started with themes, customization gets me excited. Hate if you want to, talk shit if you like, but the ability to customize my BlackBerry gets me out of bed in the morning. Its obvious to me that RIM does want to build a better more productive environment for developers on the BlackBerry platform. It's also painfully obvious to me that RIM doesn't consider me a developer. So where do I go from here? Do I take my dejected self to android where I can proceed along my path albeit less fulfilling? Do I try to fight off poverty by adapting my strategy and learning how to make some basic applications in order to learn how?

I do not know what tomorrow brings but I can't help but feel like my dreams of making a much larger business out of developing themes for BlackBerry may have died this week.

RIM let us know today that version 2.1 of their BlackBerry Twitter client is now available in BlackBerry Beta Zone.  The biggest feature update is the addition of multi-account support which I feel has been one of the biggest things missing from RIM's native Twitter application.

Twitter updates include:

• Additional Profile Functions - The ‘My Profile’ will have two new icons: Edit Profile and Switch Accounts. Now users can use the Edit Profile icon right from the Profile screen to change a picture or update personal information.
• Multi-Account Support - The new Multiple Account Support feature allows users to have up to five accounts on their Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones app. When logged into multiple accounts, the current user name will appear in the upper-left corner of the header bar and the user picture will appear in the My Profile icon. Users can switch between accounts by using the Switch Account function, accessible from My Profile or via the Menu. Users can also cross-post Tweets and Retweets from one account to another without switching the current account view.

Download the app from BlackBerry Beta Zone: www.blackberry.com/betazone

RIM let us know today that they have partnered with Verizon to release a new budget friendly BlackBerry plan.  I am trying to find out if the plan can be used without a voice plan for those that may want to maintain a data only line but have not received an answer yet.

Save More. Share More. 
With the BlackBerry Social Messaging Data Package for the BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 smartphone (in Black), customers get access to the most popular social networks including BBM™ – so they can keep up with friends and family – all for just $10 a month.

Offered exclusively online at www.verizonwireless.com/blackberrysocial, customers can purchase the BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 smartphone for only $49.99 on a 2-year activation plan and data package paired with the BlackBerry Social Messaging Data Package – it’s that simple.

Students and those looking to stay socially connected while keeping more money in their pocket should check out this amazing new plan only from Verizon Wireless.

With the BlackBerry Social Messaging Data Package Customers Get:

·         75 MB of data per month

·         Access to Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter

·         BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), AOL Instant Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live

·         My Verizon and Backup Assistant

·         Browse the Internet or download apps from BlackBerry App World™ when connected to Wi-Fi®

BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 Smartphone Features:

•        Trackpad and dedicated media keys

•        Full QWERTY keyboard

•        BlackBerry® 6 OS

•        Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi

•        3G Network Support

•        Bluetooth®

•        2MP Camera with video recording

•        512 MB flash memory, plus up to 32 GB memory storage (via microSD card slot)

Quick Links:

To learn more about the BlackBerry Social Messaging Data Package visit: www.verizonwireless.com/blackberrysocial

The pivotal feature for many application platforms, especially mobile platforms is the ability to be social.  Users want to be able to be competitive, see their global rank, talk trash to their friends, and more.  In the past there has been very little provided for developers to use to create these functions for BlackBerry applications.  As of today the Scoreloop beta SDK is available from BlackBerry Developer Zone, which looks to offer some pretty incredible tools for developers to create a social mobile gaming experience.

Download the Scoreloop Beta SDK for BlackBerry

Why Use Scoreloop?

Efficiency: Why spend the time and money running and integrating your own game servers, data centres, billing partners and securing launch partners when we can do it all for you? We take care of the complexity so you can focus on creating brilliant games.

One Stop Shop: There may be other ways to add billing and social features to mobile games, but how many of them combine all of these features and more into a single package? Scoreloop’s SDK merges social stickiness with an impressive number of billing and monetization features as well as unrivalled launch power for your title.

Cross Platform: Don’t be limited by other mobile social gaming solutions: Scoreloop is the most comprehensive cross-platform solution there is. From Apple Game Center integration to Android ,WP7, Bada and other emerging platforms, Scoreloop’s SDK gives developers a simple way to build a cross-platform strategy

Flexibility and Strategy: Scoreloop is all about choice. You can add as little or as many features as you want, seamlessly integrating into the look and feel of your game, or if you’d rather, using Scoreloop’s ready-made UI for the quickest and simplest social gaming solution. It’s up to you!

Unbeatable Insight: Scoreloop Analytics gives you clear and detailed metrics at the click of a button. Each and every customer interaction is included, giving you the insight to build effective marketing programs with ease.

Experience: We use feedback from thousands of developers and millions of real gamers every day, turning that knowledge into updates and new features to ensure that Scoreloop delivers the best possible social experience for gamers, and the most tried and tested ways to drive downloads and revenues for developers.

Find more information from the Scoreloop Website

RIM Unveils BlackBerry BBX-Combines the Best of BlackBerry and QNX to Provide a Next Generation Platform for BlackBerry Smartphones and Tablets

Additional announcements and highlights from BlackBerry DevCon Americas 2011 include:

- BlackBerry WebWorks and HTML5 apps compatible with current BlackBerry smartphones and tablets will run on future BBX-based devices

- Native SDK for BlackBerry PlayBook goes gold; released for general availability

- SDK for Adobe AIR Now Supports Adobe AIR 3.0

- BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 Developer Beta now available, includes BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps

"Last week, many customers experienced service interruptions and delays over a period of approximately 3 days in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, 1.5 days in Latin America and Canada, and 1 day in the United States. Global teams worked around the clock to contain the issue and minimize the impact to customers as much as possible. As of Thursday, October 13, service levels returned to normal."

The recent BlackBerry service outage could not have come at a more inopportune time for Research In Motion, considering it was the week before the BlackBerry manufacturers' annual Developers Conference.  This could possibly be one of the most crucial conferences for RIM, a last chance to show that they will be able to catch up in the smartphone race, a category that most enthusiasts would say that was created by the invention of the BlackBerry.  This move almost seems a little bit desperate to me but hopefully it will have it's desired effect on BlackBerry users.

Research In Motion Offers Free Premium Apps to Customers Following Service Interruptions

Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) announced today that a selection of premium apps worth a total value of more than US $100 will be offered free of charge to subscribers as an expression of appreciation for their patience during the recent service disruptions. The apps will be made available to customers over the coming weeks on BlackBerry® App World™ and will continue to be available until December 31, 2011.*

“Our global network supports the communications needs of more than 70 million customers,” said RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis. “We truly appreciate and value our relationship with our customers.  We’ve worked hard to earn their trust over the past 12 years, and we’re committed to providing the high standard of reliability they expect, today and in the future.”

The complete selection of premium apps will become available to download at BlackBerry App World over a period of four weeks beginning Wednesday, October 19th.  The selections over this period will include the following (with more to come):

·        SIMS 3 – Electronic Arts

·        Bejeweled – Electronic Arts

·        N.O.V.A. – Gameloft

·        Texas Hold’em Poker 2 – Gameloft

·        Bubble Bash 2 – Gameloft

·        Photo Editor Ultimate – Ice Cold Apps

·        DriveSafe.ly Pro – iSpeech.org

·        iSpeech Translator Pro – iSpeech.org

·        Drive Safe.ly Enterprise – iSpeech.org

·        Nobex Radio™ Premium – Nobex

·        Shazam Encore – Shazam

·        Vlingo Plus: Virtual Assistant – Vlingo

RIM’s enterprise customers will also be offered one month of free Technical Support.  Current customers will be offered a complimentary one month extension of their existing Technical Support contract, and customers who do not currently have a Technical Support contract will be offered a one month trial of RIM’s BlackBerry Technical Support Services - Enhanced Support, free of charge.  Additional details about the program and information about how to register will be available at www.blackberry.com/enterpriseoffer.

“We are grateful to our loyal BlackBerry customers for their patience,” added Lazaridis. “We have apologized to our customers and we will work tirelessly to restore their confidence.  We are taking immediate and aggressive steps to help prevent something like this from happening again.”