Continuing on its peculiar path for BlackBerry 7 device announcements, RIM finally took the wraps off three new additions to its Curve smartphone line in the middle of the night. The BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones, like the Curve models that came before them, take the best of what RIM has to offer and stuff it into an affordable package that sheds the bells and whistles. Spec highlights include RIM’s slimmest Curve design ever, GPS and Wi-Fi support, 5-megapixel cameras and the BlackBerry 7 OS. ”These new models will build on the incredible success of the BlackBerry Curve line and further expand the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history,” said RIM Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis in a statement. “The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones are absolutely stunning and offer a significant performance upgrade with an unmatched mobile social experience for the millions of feature phone users in the market as well as our existing Curve customers.” RIM’s new Curve line will launch this month in Canada and beginning next month in additional markets. RIM’s full press release follows below.

RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Curve Smartphones

Sleek, fast and easy-to-use smartphones feature next-generation BlackBerry 7 OS and deliver smooth social experiences wherever you go

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced three new BlackBerry® smartphones featuring the BlackBerry® 7 Operating System (OS). The all-new BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350, BlackBerry® Curve™ 9360 and BlackBerry Curve™ 9370 smartphone are exciting additions to the popular BlackBerry Curve series.

These new models are designed to address a large and important segment of the global mobile phone market where customers are looking to upgrade their existing feature phone or existing BlackBerry Curve with an affordable, easy-to-use, full-featured and socially-connected smartphone.

“These new models will build on the incredible success of the BlackBerry Curve line and further expand the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones are absolutely stunning and offer a significant performance upgrade with an unmatched mobile social experience for the millions of feature phone users in the market as well as our existing Curve customers.”

Everything You Need
The new BlackBerry Curve smartphones are slim, stylish and simply beautiful. They are ergonomically designed with a comfortable and iconic keyboard for fast, accurate typing and an optical trackpad for easy, one-handed navigation. GPS and Wi-Fi® support are also included, as well as a 5MP camera with flash and video recording so that memories can be captured and instantly shared on social networks. The microSD/SDHC slot supports up to 32 GB memory cards for additional media storage.

In addition to supporting the new BlackBerry 7 OS, the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones feature a range of powerful hardware enhancements including upgraded processors, displays and memory, and built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that is enabling many exciting capabilities, including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

Next-Generation BlackBerry 7 OS
BlackBerry 7 introduces a next generation BlackBerry browser which combines the dramatically improved performance of the advanced WebKit browser engine with the hardware enhancements in the new BlackBerry Curve smartphones to deliver a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience. Additional enhancements to this next generation BlackBerry browser have also enabled smoother navigation and optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

BlackBerry 7 OS also includes a number of other pre-loaded applications and integrated functionality for increased productivity and collaboration right out of the box. The Premium version of Documents To Go is included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer. BlackBerry® Protect is also pre-loaded*, offering customers the peace of mind that personal data can be backed up and secured in the cloud. With BlackBerry Protect, users can locate their misplaced BlackBerry smartphone using GPS or remotely turn up the ringer for an audible notification if their handset is close-by. BlackBerry® Balance (announced May 2, 2011) is integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy the full BlackBerry smartphone experience for both work and personal purposes without compromising the IT department’s need for advanced security and IT controls. The popular universal search capability has also been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can now simply speak to begin searching their device and the web for information.

Best In Class Communications and Social Experiences
The next generation BlackBerry Curve smartphones deliver the world’s best mobile communications and social experiences with a highly refined and integrated suite of phone, email, messaging and social apps to keep users connected and productive throughout the day.

The latest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger) is pre-loaded and now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps, such as Foursquare, allowing users to easily interact with each other from within the ‘BBM connected’ app (see separate announcement on July 28, 2011).

The updated Social Feeds (2.0) app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favorites all in one consolidated view. The new Facebook® for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time utilizing push notifications. Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones also delivers a deeply integrated experience including use of real time push notifications and Social Feeds integration.

Availability
The BlackBerry Curve 9350, 9360 and 9370 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers in Canada this month and from other carriers around the world beginning in September. Availability dates and pricing for specific devices from specific carriers will be announced in conjunction with RIM’s partners.

Research In Motion on Thursday reported earnings for the first quarter of fiscal 2012. After cutting its first-quarter outlook at the end of April, RIM’s May quarter came in below analyst estimates. First quarter revenue came in at $4.9 billion versus the Street’s estimate of $5.5 billion, and device shipments totalled 13.2 million versus expectations of 13.5 million. Net income for the quarter was $695 million, down from $769 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Earnings per share in the first quarter beat estimates by a penny at $1.33. RIM’s revenue for the quarter breaks down as 78% hardware, 20% service, and 2% software and other revenue. In the second quarter, RIM trimmed its outlook to $4.2-$4.5 billion in revenue, significantly under the Street’s consensus of $5.46 billion. RIM’s second-quarter EPS forecast is just $0.75-$1.05 versus $1.40 consensus. For the full year, RIM cut its EPS outlook from $7.50 to between $5.25 and $6 per share. “Fiscal 2012 has gotten off to a challenging start,” RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said in a statement. “The slowdown we saw in the first quarter is continuing into Q2, and delays in new product introductions into the very late part of August is leading to a lower than expected outlook in the second quarter.” RIM also said it would soon begin a “program to streamline operations” that will involve job cuts. Shares of RIM stock opened down 15% in after-hours trading. RIM’s full press release follows below.

RESEARCH IN MOTION REPORTS FIRST QUARTER FISCAL 2012 RESULTS AND REVISES FULL YEAR GUIDANCE

ANNOUNCES PLANS TO STREAMLINE OPERATIONS AND ACCELERATE NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX: RIM), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported first quarter results for the three months ended May 28, 2011 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP).

Highlights: • Revenue in the first quarter of fiscal 2012 grew 16% over the same quarter last year • International revenue1 in Q1 grew 67% year over year • Gross margin in the quarter was approximately 44%, slightly higher than expected due to product mix • RIM launched the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in North America and shipped approximately 500,000 units in the first quarter

Q1 Fiscal 2012 Results:

Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 was $4.9 billion, down 12% from $5.6 billion in the previous quarter and up 16% from $4.2 billion in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 78% for hardware revenue, 20% for service and 2% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 13.2 million BlackBerry handheld devices and approximately 500,000 BlackBerry Playbook tablets.

“Fiscal 2012 has gotten off to a challenging start. The slowdown we saw in the first quarter is continuing into Q2, and delays in new product introductions into the very late part of August is leading to a lower than expected outlook in the second quarter.” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “RIM’s business is profitable and remains solid overall with growing market share in numerous markets around the world and a strong balance sheet with almost $3 billion in cash. We believe that with the new products scheduled for launch in the next few months and realigning our cost structure, RIM will see strong profit growth in the latter part of fiscal 2012.”

Net income for the quarter was $695 million, or $1.33 per share diluted, compared with net income of $934 million, or $1.78 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and net income of $769 million, or $1.38 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $2.9 billion as of May 28, 2011, compared to $2.7 billion at the end of the previous quarter, an increase of approximately $170 million from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations in Q1 was approximately $1 billion. Uses of

1 Includes revenue outside of the U.S. and Canada

June 16, 2011cash included intangible asset additions of approximately $560 million, capital expenditures of approximately $220 million and business acquisitions of approximately $30 million.

Cost Optimization Program:

The company also announced that it will begin a program to streamline operations across the organization, which will include a headcount reduction. This realignment will be focused on taking out redundancies and a reallocation of resources to allow us to focus on the areas that offer the highest growth opportunities and align with RIM strategic objectives, such as accelerating new product introductions. We expect to implement this program beginning in the second quarter with the benefits impacting results primarily in Q3 and beyond. Any one-time charges associated with this initiative are not included in our Q2 and full year outlook but will be identified and disclosed when we report our second quarter results.

Share Repurchase Program:

RIM’s Board of Directors today also approved a share repurchase program to purchase for cancellation through the facilities of the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ) or by way of private agreement up to 5% of RIM’s outstanding common shares. The share repurchase program may commence after July 10, 2011 and will remain in place for up to 12 months or until the purchases are completed or the program is terminated by RIM.

The price that RIM will pay for any shares purchased over NASDAQ will be the prevailing market price at the time of purchase. The share repurchase program will be effected in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which contains restrictions on the number of shares that may be purchased on a single day, subject to certain exceptions for block purchases, based on the average daily trading volumes of RIM’s shares on NASDAQ. Any purchases made by way of private agreement may be at a discount to the prevailing market price at the time of purchase, and would be subject to regulatory approval.

RIM’s Board of Directors believes that a share repurchase program at this time is in the best interests of RIM and its shareholders, and will not impact RIM’s ability to execute its growth plans. Any shares purchased under the program will increase the proportionate interest of, and may be advantageous to, all remaining shareholders of RIM.

The actual number of shares purchased, the timing of purchases, and the price at which the shares would be bought under the share repurchase program will depend on future market conditions and upon potential alternative uses for cash resources. There is no assurance that any shares will be purchased under the share repurchase program and RIM may elect to suspend or discontinue the program at any time.

Q2 and Full Year 2012 Outlook:

Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 ending August 27, 2011 is expected to be in the range of $4.2-$4.8 billion. Gross margin percentage for the second quarter is expected to be approximately 39%. Earnings per share for the second quarter are expected to be $0.75-$1.05 diluted, excluding any one-time charges. Earnings per share for the full year fiscal 2012 are now expected to be between $5.25-$6.00 diluted, excluding any one-time charges or share repurchases.

Ah, we see you again, BlackBerry Curve (Apollo). We’ve just scored some more hands-on time with RIM’s upcoming next-generation Curve, now named the BlackBerry Curve 9360. That’s what we’re being told is the final model number for this handset, though knowing RIM, there are sure to be some variations on that. This unit feels like a production unit to us, and with a final model number, it can’t be too long before they start infiltrating your local carrier’s store shelves. In the mean time, check out our hands-on gallery below!

P.S. We’ve heard that RIM won’t be using NFC for mobile payments for a “little while.” Instead, RIM will focus its initial NFC efforts on things like contact sharing and adding users to your BlackBerry Messenger list, etc.

We broke the news on practically all of RIM’s 2011 BlackBerry smartphones, and even scored some hands-on time with more than a couple of them. We wanted to take a minute to highlight the new products coming out of Waterloo now that all of the phones have leaked in some form. Remember, a lot of these are codenames that obviously won’t make it to retail — this is how the company keeps track of the devices internally and sometimes a single product can have multiple codenames.

BlackBerry Bold Touch (codename: Dakota)

This is the big boy from RIM this year — it’s the BlackBerry that BlackBerry users have always said they wanted, a BlackBerry Bold with a touchscreen and very solid specs. The BlackBerry Bold Touch (it’s possible the name will differ at launch) combines RIM’s latest industrial design with a viciously modern twist, and bakes it all together with a screaming 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU, a 2.8-inch 640 x 480-pixel touchscreen display, 8GB of internal storage, 768MB of RAM, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video capture, and even NFC support. Any serious BlackBerry user will be picking this up when it launches, and we’ve heard it’s currently tracking for a global release in June or July.

BlackBerry Touch (codename: Monaco / Monza)

The BlackBerry Touch (the name may differ at launch) is the company’s flagship full touchscreen product and from what we’ve heard, it’s shaking off the BlackBerry Storm moniker that people associate with one of the worst ideas to come out of RIM — a half-baked product that featured a SurePress keyboard, which really only meant that you surely pressed the wrong damn letter. In any case, the BlackBerry Touch ditches any sort of complicated screen mechanism for something a little bit more straightforward — a big, beautiful 3.7-inch 800 x 480-pixel capacitive display. It’s also powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor, has integrated NFC, and with RIM’s latest OS upgrade, BlackBerry OS 6.1, the device is incredibly speedy. OS 6.1 also provides enhanced graphics and gaming capabilities, so watch for this phone to be the most game-friendly BlackBerry of all time. The BlackBerry Touch is currently looking like it will be released in the second quarter globally. Verizon Wireless will also be getting a CDMA variant of the handset.

BlackBerry Torch 2 (codename: Jennings)

RIM’s BlackBerry Torch product line is interesting. On one hand, it combines the best of both worlds — a touch display and the tried and true BlackBerry keyboard. Unfortunately, the first BlackBerry Torch seemed like a product that was around three years too late. It was underpowered, featured a display with a terrible resolution, and its software was buggy, slow, and clunky. Good news, however — the BlackBerry Torch 2 morphs the Torch into a competitive product that should prove to be a worthy upgrade to the original Torch. We’re talking about a 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor (noticing a trend, here?), a 3.2-inch 640 x 480-pixel capacitive display, 8GB of built-in storage, 512MB of RAM, NFC, and more. The BlackBerry Torch 2 should be available globally late this summer.

BlackBerry Curve (codename: Apollo)

The BlackBerry Curve, since it was introduced, has been RIM’s most popular lineup of BlackBerry smartphones. Gone are the days of having to choose between a Curve that only had GPS and didn’t have Wi-Fi, or vice versa, and the latest BlackBerry Curves have provided decent specs at relatively low prices. The new BlackBerry Curve refresh, however, brings the entire Curve lineup up to date, and in a sexy way. The device doesn’t shake the 480 x 360-pixel display, but it adds a 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, 512MB of storage and 512MB of RAM, NFC, and more. This also looks like it will be a summer release.

BlackBerry Curve (codename: Orlando)

This is a little bit of a curveball, but there is a BlackBerry Curve with a touchscreen in addition to a QWERTY keyboard, more like a baby brother to the BlackBerry Bold Touch. We’re told this device will feature practically the same specifications as the BlackBerry Curve (Apollo), and will look almost, if not, identical. We’ll have to see how this shakes out and how the company plans to differentiate between the two — touch, and non-touch — Curve devices.

BlackBerry Curve Touch

You know what? This is the real curveball. Not content with stopping at a flagship full touchscreen handset, RIM is gearing up to release a phone known as the BlackBerry Curve Touch, and it’s a full touchscreen device with the proportions of the latest generation (unreleased) BlackBerry Curve. As far as specifications, we’re anticipating the BlackBerry Curve Touch will utilize the same internals as the other devices in the BlackBerry Curve lineup — 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel camera, NFC, and more. The BlackBerry Curve Touch should look like the image above with the addition of a trackpad for navigation, and the standard four BlackBerry keys beneath the display.

RIM certainly seems to have some big devices planned for 2011. With specifications that finally match up with the year of release and a reasonably decent OS upgrade before the company switches over to its new QNX-based OS, there’s plenty for BlackBerry lovers to be exciting about in 2011.

Here’s some interesting information for you BlackBerry lovers out there. We finally have some firm details surrounding the GSM counterpart to the Malibu, which will be a CDMA Curve Touch launching late fall. The GSM BlackBerry Curve Touch, which will feature nearly identical specs, of course, has been seen recently by a trusted source who noted that the device featured T-Mobile branding and would be unveiled at BlackBerry World next month. Compared to the rest of the 2011 Curve lineup, the device is actually a much smaller full touchscreen Curve. It’s similar to the BlackBerry Touch, with the same proportions as the BlackBerry Orlando (Curve with a touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard) and the BlackBerry Apollo that we leaked back in January. The GSM BlackBerry Curve Touch will launch around June or July, we’ve been told.

Shares of Research in Motion stock declined over 12% after hours on Thursday as the company reported its fourth-quarter earnings for its 2011 fiscal year. RIM reported revenue that missed Wall Street’s consensus on device shipments that exceeded expectations by 200,000 units. Fourth-quarter revenue came in at $5.6 billion, just below the $5.64 billion analysts expected. Device shipments for the quarter totalled 14.9 million units, beating estimates of 14.7 million units, and full-year shipments were a record 52.3 million units — a 43% improvement over the year prior. Full-year revenue of $19.9 billion grew 33% over the 2010 fiscal year and net income was up 47% year-over-year to $3.4 billion. “We are pleased to report record shipments and financial performance in fiscal 2011,” said RIM’s Co-CEO Jim Balsillie in a statement. “As we enter fiscal 2012, RIM is in an excellent position to benefit from the continuing convergence of the mobile communications and mobile computing markets. We are laying a strong foundation for RIM’s expanding market opportunity through focused investments and we are extremely excited about our smartphone, tablet and platform roadmaps.” Hit the break for the full press release.

Research In Motion Reports Year-End and Fourth Quarter Results for Fiscal 2011

WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – 03/24/11) – Research In Motion Limited (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM - News)(TSX:RIM - News), a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported fourth quarter results for the three months and fiscal year ended February 26, 2011 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP).

Highlights:

--  Record BlackBerry® smartphone shipments of 52.3 million grew 43% over
    fiscal 2010
--  Fiscal 2011 revenue grew 33% over fiscal 2010 to $19.9 billion and
    earnings per share grew 47% over the prior fiscal year to $6.34 per
    share diluted
--  Ongoing investment in PlayBook and QNX-based platform development in Q1
    with PlayBook launch date of April 19th
--  BlackBerry was the number one selling smartphone brand in the United
    States(1), Canada(1), Latin America(1) and the UK(2) for calendar 2010

Q4 and Fiscal 2011 Results:

Revenue for the fiscal year ended February 26, 2011 was $19.9 billion, up 33% from $15 billion last year. Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 was $5.6 billion, up 1% from $5.5 billion in the previous quarter and up 36% from $4.1 billion in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 81% for devices, 16% for service, and 3% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 14.9 million BlackBerry smartphones for a total of 52.3 million smartphones in fiscal 2011.

“We are pleased to report record shipments and financial performance in fiscal 2011,” said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “As we enter fiscal 2012, RIM is in an excellent position to benefit from the continuing convergence of the mobile communications and mobile computing markets. We are laying a strong foundation for RIM’s expanding market opportunity through focused investments and we are extremely excited about our smartphone, tablet and platform roadmaps.”

Net income for fiscal 2011 was $3.4 billion, or $6.34 per share diluted, up 47% over fiscal 2010. The Company’s net income for the quarter was $934 million, or $1.78 per share diluted, compared with net income of $911 million, or $1.74 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and net income of $710 million, or $1.27 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $2.7 billion as of February 26, 2011, compared to $2.5 billion at the end of the previous quarter, an increase of $227 million from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations in Q4 was approximately $1.0 billion. Uses of cash included intangible asset additions of approximately $365 million, capital expenditures of approximately $304 million and business acquisitions of approximately $161 million.

FY2012 and Q1 Outlook:

For the full year fiscal 2012, RIM expects earnings per share to be in excess of $7.50 fully diluted. Revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 ending May 28, 2011 is expected to be in the range of $5.2-$5.6 billion. Gross margin percentage for the first quarter is expected to be approximately 41.5%. Earnings per share for the first quarter are expected to be in the range of $1.47 -$1.55 per share diluted. This guidance range reflects a mix shift in handset towards lower ASP products in the first quarter and an increased level of investment in Research and Development and Sales and Marketing related to our tablet and platform initiatives. The guidance range is slightly wider than normal to reflect the risk of potential disruption in RIM’s supply chain as a result of the recent earthquake in Japan.

Just when you thought you couldn’t wait any longer, we go and snag an internal PowerPoint shot of some super-duper BlackBerry document. OS 4.5 is currently targeted for a mid-September launch on AT&T for the BlackBerry 8120, BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry 8310, and BlackBerry 8300. We’ve covered the updates in the new OS, but for a quick recap, you’ve got HTML email and formatting, remote server search, free/busy calendar lookup, video recording, improved media player, and Office document editing on the devices. Mid-September it is, with those devices shipping pre-loaded in mid-October with OS 4.5. Click through for the larger shot.