BlackBerry squeezed, RIM searches for options

Analysts were tripping over each other Friday to lower their price targets for Research In Motion (RIM) after the BlackBerry manufacturer's? fourth-quarter loss didn't even reach Wall Street's lowered expectations.

"Results are going to deteriorate much further over the next couple of quarters,"?Will Power, senior analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. told CNBC on Friday.?

With long-promised touchscreen handsets still months away from availability, executives at the former smartphone leader must decide if entering into a licensing deal will make up the shortfall.

New CEO Thorsten Heins said the company is considering any and all options on the table, including partnerships,?an outright sale or?a licensing pact, which analysts think?is the most likely prospect.

"We see a licensing deal announced within the next 3 months," Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said in a recent research note, predicting a 90 percent probability that such a deal would take place. Samsung and HTC, both of which now rely heavily on Android devices, might welcome a competing platform, he suggested.

Licensing, though, would "devastate the hardware business" for RIM, Misek noted, which is the last thing the Waterloo, Ontario-based company?needs. RIM is pinning its hopes on the release of BlackBerry 10, but Power said a dearth of third-party apps will make competing with Apple, Google and even Microsoft challenging.?

Without?a cool touchscreen device to keep customers from defecting, the company has been slashing prices on its existing handsets.?It still hasn't been able to?boost sales.

On Thursday, RIM reported a net loss of $125 million, or 24 cents a share, in the fourth quarter after booking writedowns on its legacy BlackBerry 7 phones and goodwill.

RIM last recorded a loss under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005, when it booked tax expenses and paid to resolve a patent infringement case that had threatened to shut down its U.S. operations.

On an adjusted basis excluding the writedowns, profit in the latest quarter more than halved to $418 million, or 80 cents a share, from $934 million, or $1.78, a year earlier. Revenue slumped to $4.19 billion from $5.56 billion.

Analysts, on average, had expected RIM to earn 81 cents a share on revenue of $4.54 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Excluding several major writedowns, RIM had adjusted earnings of $4.20 per share in the full fiscal year, after forecasting a year ago it would earn more than $7.50 a share.?

"Of even more concern, RIM took a $267 million inventory charge on its BlackBerry 7 sales only six months after that product family?s introduction, reflecting very poor demand," Simona Jankowski, Goldman Sachs analyst, wrote in a recent note.?

RIM's solution appears to be a re-emphasis on the corporate market and reducing its focus on consumers.

Although Apple has trounced RIM in the consumer market,?analysts aren't sure that backing away from consumers is a good strategy;?Apple has begun making inroads in the business market, too. Barclays Capital's Jeff Kvaal expressed reservations in a research note, pointing out that more companies today let employees use their own smartphones rather than issuing BlackBerries for corporate use. "We would have preferred RIM emphasize consumer," he wrote.

"The history of wireless is littered with OEMs that had significant product cycle/share gains, but then missed structural market shifts," Jim Suva, a Citigroup analyst, wrote.

With this many challenges facing RIM, Misek said licensing looks like an increasingly appealing choice. Its executives will have a hard time getting favorable terms, though, given the magnitude of its struggles and open expressions of doubt about the company's future from the investment community. "We see this as a good option for RIM but think the changing tactics and RIM's continued poor performance will weaken its negotiating position," he wrote.?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://marketday.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/30/10941667-blackberry-squeezed-rim-searches-for-options

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Sunni rulers largely shun Iraq at Arab summit

BAGHDAD (AP) ? Sunni Muslim rulers largely shunned an Arab League summit hosted by Shiite-led Iraq on Thursday, illustrating how powerfully the sectarian split and the rivalry with Iran define Middle Eastern politics in the era of the Arab Spring.

The crisis in Syria is the epicenter of those divisions. The one-day summit closed with a joint call on Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop his bloody crackdown on an uprising seeking his ouster. But the final statement barely papered over the differences among the Arab nations over how to deal with the longest-running regional revolt.

"What disturbs the breeze of our Arab Spring and fills our hearts with sadness is the scenes of slaughter and torture committed by the Syrian regime against our brothers and sisters in Syria," said Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, leader of Libya's National Transitional Council.

In a snub to Iraq, only 10 heads of state from the Arab League's 22 members attended, with the rest sending lower-level officials. Especially notable were the absences of the rulers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and most other Gulf countries, as well Morocco and Jordan ? all of them headed by Sunni monarchs who deeply distrust the close ties between Baghdad's Shiite-dominated government and their top regional rival, Iran.

The Gulf countries also see Iraq as too soft on Syria. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have talked of arming Syria's opposition, apparently eager to bring the fall of Assad and break the Sunni-majority country out of its alliance with Iran.

Speaking to the gathering, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged restraint, saying Baghdad opposes any military intervention and citing his country's years of turmoil as an example of what happens when outside forces get involved in national struggles. U.S. forces left Iraq just over 100 days ago after nearly nine years of war and occupation.

"Iraq is afraid of the attempts to militarize the Arab uprisings, because this will deviate them from the right course and push toward the wrong position," al-Maliki said. "Dialogue between the government and the opposition is the right option to solve the crisis."

Iraq's hosting of the annual summit for the first time since 1990 was touted by Baghdad officials as a victory in their efforts to show the country is moving toward stability after years of sectarian fighting that almost tipped the nation into civil war. Thousands of security forces cleared the streets and locked down the capital in one of the quietest weeks in years, although officials said two Katyusha rockets hit near the fortified Green Zone where the summit was held just as diplomats convened. No casualties were reported.

The summit was the first since the wave of Arab Spring uprisings began sweeping the region more than a year ago, targeting its long-ruling strongmen. The 2011 summit was canceled because of the turmoil. There were two new faces at Thursday's collection of heads of state: Libya's Abdul-Jalil, who holds nominal power after the ouster and killing of Moammar Gadhafi, and Tunisia President Moncef Marzouki, a former human rights activist who was elevated after the fall of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

The new leaders of Egypt and Yemen ? the other two countries whose rulers fell last year ? did not attend, a reflection of their continuing domestic troubles.

The session was dominated by the uprising in Syria, where the U.N. says more than 9,000 people have been killed in the regime's yearlong crackdown on its political opponents. The regime has sent tanks and troops into Syrian cities and towns, saying the country was under attack from the armed groups.

The conflict has a dangerous sectarian angle ? most in the opposition come from the Sunni majority, while Assad's regime relies on the minority Alawites, an offshoot from Shiism.

Assad has accepted a peace plan put forward by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, which calls for a cease-fire. But the Syrian opposition and many Arab governments are skeptical Assad will implement it, believing he is just playing for time. Assad said Thursday that armed rebels must also commit to a cease-fire.

The summit's final resolution called on Assad's regime to "immediately implement" Annan's proposals. It also said Arab leaders fully support the "legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people to democracy and freedom and their right to determine their future."

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner congratulated Iraq on the summit.

"From what we've seen, (it was) a success. They did talk about Syria and voiced their very strong support for Kofi Annan's efforts," he said. "All indications are that it ... has gone well and that Iraq should be proud of what it's been able to accomplish in recent years. And we believe the hosting of this summit is indicative of its positive role in the region and among the community of nations."

Gulf nations, which have made clear they have little faith in the diplomatic efforts, are already looking at the possibility of moving ahead on their own over Syria. They meet this weekend in Saudi Arabia, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is planning to attend those talks in Riyadh, which may yield stronger calls for action than those made by the Arab League.

"The Syrian government is required today to listen to the voice of reason and wisdom and stop all kinds of violence," said the emir of Kuwait, Sheik Sabah, the only ruler from the Gulf to attend. He signaled support for an earlier League plan that called on Assad to cede power to his vice president until elections are held. The League had to back down from that after an attempt to win U.N. backing for it was vetoed by Russia and China.

That plan, he said, is the best way "to get out of this crisis and to stop the bloodshed of our brothers and to keep the Syrian country from slipping into a civil war."

The cold shoulder from other Sunni-led monarchies, however, underlined their suspicion about Iraq's Shiite leadership and their conviction that it is too close to the camp of their rival, Iran.

"To be obvious here, these countries have a problem with Iran," said Kuwait delegation member Khalid Al Anteri.

In unusually direct remarks, Qatar's prime minister said a midlevel official was sent to the summit instead of the emir as a "message" protesting what he called Baghdad's sidelining of Iraq's Sunni minority.

"We do not agree with all what goes on in terms of the political process inside Iraq; we believe a particular sect is targeted," Sheik Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani told Al-Jazeera on Wednesday.

The Kuwaiti emir's presence reflected the progress in Baghdad's efforts to rebuild long tense ties with its neighbor since Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion and seven-month occupation of Kuwait. But despite Baghdad's recent charm offensive to settle legal claims across the region and its dazzling display at the summit where delegates were fed gold-covered dates, Gulf states have little to gain from fully welcoming Iraq into their ranks.

Its lucrative oil supply makes it a strong competitor in the Gulf, and its ongoing insurgency and political instability makes Iraq a risky teammate.

"It's no surprise that the Gulf states did not want to give Iraq the prestige that they would by sending heads of state to the summit," said Crispin B. Hawes, Middle East director of the Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk consultant agency.

"They want Iraq to continue to be a second-rate citizen in the region; they want to keep Iraq inside the box," he said. "They don't want it to be another major regional player."

___

Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Sameer N. Yacoub and Mazin Yahya in Baghdad and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sunni-rulers-largely-shun-iraq-arab-summit-195128891.html

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Business Pipeline ? Accepting ?NO? As Being A Negotiating Position

Negotiation determines both the type of business relationship you will have with a customer and the level of satisfaction with that arrangement.?Each of us negotiate on a regular basis, whether we realize it or not. You negotiate with your employees regarding when and how they will complete a task. You negotiate with suppliers over payment and delivery terms. You negotiate with family members about their activities and behavior. How effectively you negotiate with your customers, however, is one area that can make a huge difference in your business growth. It pays to do it well.

Instead of viewing the word ?no? as the end of negotiations, see it as an opportunity to outline alternatives. You know that your potential customer does not want a particular set of services or packages, but that does not mean that he or she will not consider an alternative. If you know that there is a genuine interest in working with you, stand firm in suggesting other ways that you and your prospective client may partner. Offer choices, packages, incentives. For those potential customers who have difficulty thinking beyond the options presented to them, develop new ways of selling your products or services.

People think differently and communicate differently. Depending on how they listen, you will get a yes or no out of them. As a good negotiator you must be able to evaluate each individual?s level of understanding and where they feel most comfortable in the communication process.

The next step is being able to meet them where they are. Determine your bottom line up front. Your bottom line are those critical points of interest you have for your business, like why you started your business in the first place. It is important to always remember you, too, are shopping for the right client, one that is able to allow you to meet your bottom line. Your bottom line includes being well-paid for your work and not having to worry about money. Is this relationship profitable to your current business or future growth and expansion?

With those issues outlined, negotiate with clients on the services you will perform, let them see that your product or service is critical to their business. This helps to prevent price from being the focal point of the negotiation. Once they understand the benefits, show them how they can afford doing business with you by presenting different payment structures that do not put you at a loss.

The value your potential customer places on the dollar will determine what payment structure they select. Therefore, you must understand that evaluation and delivery is everything, because it takes the same amount of effort to sell a $30 item as it does a $100 item. For example, if you are a consultant who bills on an hourly basis, evaluate whether a flat-fee arrangement would work for certain projects. Provide a discount for clients who commit to a guaranteed number of hours over a six-month or 12-month period. Some clients prefer flexibility in their billing arrangements and others like knowing exactly what a particular service will cost them. Being flexible enough to work with both will open new business opportunities.

Make written agreements. Once you think you have clearly spelled out what you will be providing for an agreed-upon fee, write everything down for both parties to sign. Written agreements help to clarify issues and to ensure that you don?t become responsible for activities you never agreed to do. In effect, you are creating a reference document that will help prevent misunderstanding down the road. Your professionalism and thoroughness will impress clients and set the tone for the relationship you will have. Negotiating these guidelines will help to create a win-win relationship that will be valuable for both you and your customers.

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Source: http://www.businesspipeline.com/accepting-no-as-being-a-negotiating-position.htm

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Will i Need Technological Experience that will Copy Nintendo wii ...

If you could be paranoid that will something might how to copy a wii game your treasured Wii adventure and that you not have the capacity to play that anymore, you won?t need to fret, for there is also a solution for the paranoia. This was the outcome for a little bit, since you felt the need to look into yourself in finding software via the web that would permit you to do this specific. You have got to remember how you can copy Nintendo wii console games as a way to create a back off for that.

First you need to download this computer software program from the web. Once you could have downloaded as well as installed that, you will need to insert very first Wii adventure disc while in the disc drive of the computer. Fundamentally, a mod chip can be described as special form of computer chip you will have to place with your Wii gaming console.

Faithful scholar Sam Nunez added, ?Electrical power sites offering game copying packages to backup and back-up your Nintendo wii console games.? We wish to be sure that you?re making use of this technique to create backup copies of your games you could have actually procured. There are plenty of software products online that inform you that they?ll easily back off, copy as well as burn games in your case. So it is better to implement the nintendo wii games of video game titles process which includes a specific adventure copying software and uncover a reliable replica of the favorite adventure. Now, you might surely appreciate all video game titles in low priced and straightforward ways.

Nintendo Wii most successful the game console to reach the cabinets. It could be the first personal choice of every serious Wii game player to engage in the Wii games. Even so, the dear Wii adventure discs need disappointed this gamers, for watertight and weatherproof pay over the nose.

To begin with, you could be apprised that the it?s unrealistic to simply just backup any Wii cd disc through software any particular one would use for all those burning Movies or Video games. Once you?ve found one among this one of a kind software, you possibly can both look at and identical the original?s material.

The intended make use of the software program is solely for driving in reverse the Nintendo wii console discs you will currently own that is definitely perfectly legalised; if you ought to copy Nintendo wii console games to get distribution, undestand that it?s not necessarily legal to complete the task and that you are strongly disappointed from these practices. The initial thing you?re have to to earn backup copies of the collection could be the game nintendo wii games software, the deal can see the game?s records and effectively transfer that to clear writable Movies via any computer?s BLU-RAY burner.

Following the organising of this method, just on the subject of all you need to do is start out it as well as click a couple of keys. The trick should be to strip the knowledge and and then to backup it back which means your Wii gaming console will see the disk for an ?original?.

Source: http://www.23psd.com/will-i-need-technological-experience-that-will-copy-nintendo-wii-game-console-games/

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Obama: Oprah Helps Me 'Focus on the Big Picture'

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-oprah-helps-focus-big-picture-053500387--abc-news.html

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Best Online Casinos ? To Turn Your Fate | Online Casino Business

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On the internet casino is same as that of a real casino because the identical rules are applicable but they have some distinction in appearance like it provides 3D and 2D effects .All of these on-line casinos involve the very same rules as the real casino as the player has to be twenty 1 years and over and this really should be verified by the presentation of valid identification upon the player?s registration with the on the web casino web site of their option.The player can choose from a vast number of no cost on the internet casinos or actual online casinos that use real funds, it is recommended that the player commence by playing on a free on the web web site just before attempting to use their money on a real betting site, it is at this moment that the player need to discover to practice setting a spending budget and sticking to it.

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Just before playing casino the player need to know thoroughly about on the web casino.

Possibly the most essential attribute of the greatest online casino websites is the security that the website gives to the player, these on the internet casinos have security providers who have developed their software over a phase of years to bring as significantly protection to the online casinos and players as probable.While concentrating on software supplier you have to verify regardless of whether the casino is licensed and officially available in your country. shielding your system from virus is one essential thing although your playing online casino simply because these games contain a lot of virus due to which your computer will be at risk and at the exact same time you ought to be alert from on the internet scams.

Source: http://www.my-elf.org/best-online-casinos-to-turn-your-fate.htm

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Around the Web?

Your Thursday won’t be complete without a read of our afternoon links: Motherhood manuals are setting the bar too high for new moms ? University of Warwick Are women spending too much time with their kids? ? Real Simple Doctors revamp guidelines for Pap smears ? NPR What’s the weirdest thing your child has licked? [...]

Source: http://feeds.celebritybabies.com/~r/celebrity-babies/~3/xCyHzhoaeUM/

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Video: Can Apple Stock Reach $1000?

Forget Apple at $550, Steve Wozniak sees $1000.

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Business & financial news headlines from msnbc.com

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/46591971/

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Songline in the key of E flat minor: Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and ...

Today, I'm going to do something a little different.? I will be traveling all over the place this March: San Francisco, Baltimore, DC and Houston.? (Those are the one I know about, too.) That means that I won't have a lot of time to cook and I won't be home long enough to eat many new slow cooker recipes.

In the meantime, I thought that I would highlight some recipes that I'd like to try and share them with you.?

From Food Network, I found Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup recipe that sounds delicious and inspired by Indian fusion.

I'm assuming that it will taste amazing; the Food Network rarely dishes a flop.? I'm aware that the Food Network takes very pretty pictures of their food. Yet, the warm orange and yellow hues in this bowl look so inviting and I can feel the beta-Carotene doing good already. Plus, I ran this recipe through about.com's recipe analyzer to discover that this is nutritionally amazing: low in cholesterol and sodium; high in manganese, thiamin, vitamin B6 & vitamin C; and very high in dietary fiber and vitamin A. I can't wait to have some time to make this!

The current recipe is already vegetarian, but I might make this vegan for Lent and use some olive oil in lieu of the butter.? Also, I don't have curry powder on hand but I have some garam masala that I used in my rajmah recipe to bring out the curried flavors. I'll let you know how it turns out when I'm finally home to enjoy it.

Source: http://dreamtiming.blogspot.com/2012/02/slow-cooker-sweet-potato-and-lentil.html

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