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Research In Motion is currently weighing every single option it can think of in an effort to reverse a negative trend that is approaching a boiling point for investors. Reports that RIM is currently in talks to license its software to other vendors are accurate according to our trusted sources, though we have been told that RIM is most likely leaning toward an outright sale of one or more divisions, or even the whole company. The front runner, we have been told by a trusted source with knowledge of the situation, is Samsung, which might be interested in RIM for a number of reasons.

One of the biggest assets RIM has is BlackBerry Messenger, and it would be a smart way for Samsung to differentiate itself inside the Android ecosystem. HTC has its Sense suite and it recently bought into Beats by Dr. Dre. Samsung could buy RIM, or a part of the company, and integrate not only BBM but also several other enterprise features into Android to make its devices an even bigger threat to competitors. This could also help Samsung better differentiate itself on the software and OS level, pulling more control into its hands and away from Google.

We have heard that Jim Balsillie is actively meeting with almost every company that might be interested in either a part or all of RIM, in addition to having talks about licensing. “Jim is going hard after Samsung,” said a source with knowledge of the negotiations. One of the reasons no deal has been struck, however, is that RIM’s co-CEOs are asking for way too much.

We have heard the company is looking for more than $10 billion for a full sale, likely somewhere in the $12 billion to $15 billion range, or between approximately $22.90 and $28.60 per share. RIM’s market capitalization currently sits at about $8.5 billion, though several analysts think that even $8.5 billion is more than an interested party would consider bidding at the moment.

Samsung declined to comment and a spokesperson for RIM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s certainly an interesting time at Research In Motion, and we’ll have much more on RIM in the coming days.

UPDATE: In a statement provided to Reuters Wednesday evening, a Samsung spokesman said the company is not interested in an outright purchase of Research In Motion. The spokesman did not address reports that Samsung is considering licensing RIM’s software, however, or purchasing a portion of RIM’s assets.

Source

Research In Motion is working on a music service that will tie in with BlackBerry Messenger. CNET reports that RIM will deploy a test version of its subscription-based streaming music service in the coming weeks, and that a final product will come later. BlackBerry owners will be able to share their songs with other subscribers using RIM’s BBM service, the report suggests.

It’s unclear how much the BlackBerry maker plans to charge, but The Wall Street Journal said it will cost “significantly less” than similar services such as Rhapsody and Spotify, which both charge about $10 per month for premium access. RIM has already inked deals with Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, EMI and Universal Music to provide the content, according to reports.

While at BlackBerry World we saw plenty of good stuff that is in the RIM pipeline. One of which is the BBM Social Platform and how it can be used in apps on BlackBerry. The new features will change the way we interact with apps and allow users to easily share info, play games and much more. One of the apps that will integrate BBM is ScoreMobile. This is already one of the top sports apps for BlackBerry, and with the new BBM goodies is sure to stay that way. Check out this video for a quick preview of what is to come in the upcoming release. Keep reading for a look at how foursquare will be implementing the features as well. Pretty cool stuff all around!

New mobile gifting platform will integrate with BlackBerry App World and carrier billing systems to allow BlackBerry subscribers to instantly gift airtime, apps and other carrier services from one subscriber to another using BBM

Mobile World Congress, Barcelona, Spain – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced plans for an innovative mobile gifting platform for carriers that will allow one authorized BlackBerry® subscriber to use their post-paid or pre-paid account to conveniently, securely and instantly approve and pay for airtime, apps or other carrier services requested by another BlackBerry subscriber.

The innovative BBM mobile gifting platform will integrate with BlackBerry App World™ and carrier billing systems and allow the gifting requests and approvals to be handled directly between the BlackBerry subscribers using BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) with transactions that are secure, authenticated and non-repudiable. The platform will also allow carriers to more easily sell airtime to BlackBerry prepaid subscribers (for the subscriber’s own use).

“RIM is committed to aligning with carrier business models to deliver innovative and relevant mobile commerce solutions,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at RIM. “There will be many usage scenarios and circumstances that can be accommodated through the BBM mobile gifting platform around the world, but the easiest for many people to readily envision and appreciate is the simplified act of a parent approving their child’s request for additional airtime minutes or an app purchase with a single click using BBM.”

The introduction of such convenient and tightly integrated services based on the BBM mobile gifting platform will enhance mobile commerce and enable carriers to provide unique value to their customers. BlackBerry subscribers will be able to buy or gift airtime, apps and other carrier services and charge the purchases to their existing postpaid or prepaid account, or alternatively pay for the purchases through various other payment methods.

About Research In Motion
Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry® solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.
Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws.  When used herein, words such as “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”,  “may”,  “will”, “should”, “intend,” “believe”, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances.  Many factors could cause RIM’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of RIM’s Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov).  These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM’s forward-looking statements.  RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.  RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

Source: http://n4bb.com

Things just got a little more heated in the RIM / Kik dispute: RIM’s now filed a Canadian patent infringement case against the company, just days after it pulled Kik Messenger from BlackBerry App World due to “breached contractual obligations.” We don’t have the complaint yet, so we’re not sure exactly what RIM’s patent covers, but it’s a fair bet to say it’s likely messaging-related — and it’s probably a safer bet to say that RIM doesn’t screw around when it comes to dealing with potential threats to BBM. You mess with the bull, you get the horns.

Update: The complaint is out now, and it’s a doozy — RIM says Kik founder Ted Livingston was a former RIM employee who worked on BBM. When he left RIM claims he joined the BlackBerry Alliance developer program to ostensibly develop a music sharing app, but wrote Kik Messenger instead, using what RIM claims is confidential information from the Alliance program. RIM’s also saying that Kik’s marketing steps on the BBM trademark. That’s a lot more than a simple patent issue, and it certainly explains why RIM reacted so violently to the app — we’ll see how Kik responds.

Looks as though the latest BlackBerry Messenger has just gone live. Through BlackBerry Beta Zone, RIM had released v5.0.1.32 but, the live links to the update are showing v5.0.1.38. You can hit the BlackBerry Messenger link  to download the latest version. BlackBerry App World however, is still not fully live as of yet although, it is showing so it’ll only be a short while. Let us know if ya find anything new.

For those of you participating in the BlackBerry Beta Zone, you’ll be pleased to know that version 5.0.1.32 has now been posted for download. If you are a Beta Zone user, just login to your account and grab it (If you’re signed up for the BBM program). Given the issues some users have been seeing with BlackBerry Messenger over the past week, this comes at a good time and hopefully for some users it may actually make things work a little better. No promises from me though. Hopefully, since Research In Motion has a big media push for BlackBerry Messenger they’ll soon roll this release out to everyone through BlackBerry App World. Let us know if ya see any changes or how it’s working for ya in the comments.

With Research In Motions semi new marketing push for BlackBerry Messenger, they have opened the doors a little to give us all a sneak peek at some statistics regarding how some folks have been using BlackBerry Messenger. The case scenario, World Cup 2010 this time around. Looking at the stats, a lot of people were making use of BlackBerry Messenger throughout the World Cup 2010 for sure.

Over the past month, RIM saw a clear correlation between BBM traffic and significant events during the World Cup as fans shared their delights and despairs in real time with friends and family during live match action.

For example, during a thrilling World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain on Sunday at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, Spanish International and FC Barcelona Midfielder Andrés Iniesta scored the winning goal only three minutes before the end of extra-time, which as the lone goal of the match crowned Spain Champions of the tournament.  At the time of this exciting goal, that was viewed around the world, BlackBerry Messenger traffic increased immediately by 280% as virtual communities of fans shared their reactions through BBM.

Throughout the World Cup, there were several other notable moments that correlated with BBM traffic. Some of the most significant included:

* USA v England, June 12th (Match Day 2):  traffic spiked 35% globally at the time of the first goal, scored by England.
* Netherlands v Brazil, July 2nd (Match Day 20):  traffic jumped by 122% globally at the time of the second goal, scored by the Netherlands.
* Argentina v Germany, July 3rd (Match Day 21): traffic rose by 178% globally at the time of the 3rd German goal.

These numbers give us all a great look into how BBM was used. Certainly, Research In Motion has an awesome thing with BlackBerry Messenger. Now, I don’t want to take anything away from this but quite honestly, my BlackBerry Messenger hasn’t worked right in the past three days. Messages are not being delivered and if they are, they have been delayed. Some by mins, most by hours and according to my Twitter followers I’m not the only one with this issue. Yet, no information has been posted about that. Interesting this issue arises after the World Cup. Are you having issues with your BlackBerry Messenger currently? Let us know in the comments if you are folks.