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Blackberry Acquires California-based AI Firm for $1.4 billion

19Nov By Gauri SinghNo Comments

ACQUISITION

Blackberry Acquires California-based AI Firm for $1.4 billion

The phone maker BlackBerry has raised its bets on artificial intelligence and cyber-security. The company has acquired a California-based machine-learning specialist known as Cylance. The deal has been finalised for $1.4 billion (roughly Rs. 10,063 crores). Blackberry, the Canadian technology company which dominated the smartphone market a decade eaelier has shifted to selling software to manage mobile devices, as well as emerging sectors like autonomous cars. Cylance will continue to operate as a separate business unit after the deal closes and this deal is expected to close by Feb 2019. The acquired company Cylance uses machine learning to prevent security breaches before they occur. Its applications seek to block malware or infiltration attempts rather than react after a breach...

Optiemus launches BlackBerry KEY2, Know the Specifications

24Jul By Gauri SinghNo Comments

Tech

Optiemus launches BlackBerry KEY2, Know the Specifications

Optiemus Infracom, BlackBerry’s brand licensee in India which manufactures and distributes iconic BlackBerry devices has launched a new device called the BlackBerry KEY2, with an aim to capture 10% of the market share in segments it is currently present in. Hardip Singh, the executive director of the company stated that Optiemus Infracom is bolstering up to launch more smartphones in the country in this quarter to give a tough fight to the emerging Chinese players in the Indian Smartphone market. Nowadays, the Chinese players are capturing the majority of the smartphone market and thus, the company is making every possible effort to be known as a significant player in India. "Once we have our entire product range in place, we would want to capture 10% market share in the price segments...

Facebook Grants Deep Data Access to Device Makers

4Jun By Gauri SinghNo Comments

News

Facebook Grants Deep Data Access to Device Makers

The most popular social networking platform Facebook formed an association with a total of 60 gadget makers for the purpose of data-sharing. Out of the sixty companies, Apple, Amazon, BlackBerry, Microsoft and Samsung are some among others that partnered with the social media giant for the defined purpose. Facebook had reached the specified device makers over the last decade, initiating before Facebook apps were extensively available on smartphones. The deals as mentioned, enabled Facebook to grow and expand its extent and also to let the partner companies provide popular social networking features, for instance, messaging, the ability to post photos, directly from a device without using the Facebook app, ‘like’ button and address books. It was also being said that the device compani...

Your WhatsApp May Stop Working From 2018!

26Dec By RishabhNo Comments

Tech

Your WhatsApp May Stop Working From 2018!

Facebook-owned instant messaging app WhatsApp has recently announced that it will end support for certain handsets from December 31, 2017. Eventually, time for some smartphone owners to let go of it or purchase a new one! WhatsApp in a recent release stated that starting January 1, 2018 the messaging app will stop working on Blackberry OS, Blackberry 10 and Windows Phone 8.0 and older. “We will no longer actively develop for these platforms, some features may stop functioning at any time. These platforms don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future.,” the company said. WhatsApp had earlier announced it will stop support on many of these older devices. However, end of support may not strictly mean that the users will lose access to their W...

BlackBerry to Raise $605 Million From Shareholder Fairfax, Others

28Aug By reutersNo Comments

FUNDING

BlackBerry to Raise $605 Million From Shareholder Fairfax, Others

Troubled smartphone maker BlackBerry Ltd said it would raise about $605 million by selling convertible debentures to shareholder Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd and other investors. The Canadian company will also redeem on Sept. 2 roughly $1.25 billion worth of outstanding debentures carrying a coupon of 6 percent, it said on Friday. The new debt that BlackBerry plans to issue will have a coupon of 3.75 percent and will be due in November 2020. If all of the new debt is converted into stock, it will represent about 11.57 percent of BlackBerry's outstanding shares, the company said. FairFax, led by well-known contrarian investor Prem Watsa, is BlackBerry's second largest shareholder with a stake of about 8.9 percent, according to Reuters data. Once a dominant force in smartpho...

No WhatsApp on BlackBerry, Nokia by 2017

29Feb By AnkitaNo Comments

Tech

No WhatsApp on BlackBerry, Nokia by 2017

Facebook owned messaging service WhatsApp has announced that its services would be discontinued on BlackBerry and Nokia devices by 2017. WhatsApp's announcement also includes Nokia's low-end S40 and S60 Symbian platforms, as well as the older Android 2.2 and Windows Phone 7.1 operating systems, the Verge reported. Based in Mountain View, California, WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook Inc. on February 19, 2014, for approximately USD 19.3 billion. As of February 2016, WhatsApp had a user base of up to one billion making it the most globally popular messaging application. Whatsapp Blog - Earlier this week WhatsApp turned seven years old. It has been an amazing journey and in the coming months we're putting an even greater emphasis on security features and more ways to stay...