Tag Archives: Jim Balsillie
BlackBerry App World Launches To The Public
Research In Motion Ltd., the manufacturing company behind the BlackBerry handheld devices is preparing to launch their application store today: BlackBerry App World.
BlackBerry App World can be downloaded from RIM’s website. The BlackBerry App World will be starting with a launch of about 1,000 applications. To purchase applications, you will need to set up a PayPal account if you do not already have one.
Jim Balsillie, Co-Chief Executive of RIM stated that he plans to work with wireless carrier companies to see if the company can have application purchases tied to their phone bills instead. Currently Apple charges the credit cards that users have linked to iTunes for application downloads.
Some of the free applications listed on BlackBerry App World include Viigo, Yahoo! Messenger, Facebook, Bloomberg, MySpace, AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, ELLE, ELLEgirl, Woman’s Day, Text2C, GPS Tracker, Timble Outdoors Free Trial, Pandora, Slacker Radio, Newsweek, CBS News, TheStreet, and Shazam. MobileCrunch has a solid list of applications listed on BlackBerry App World.
To download BlackBerry App World, visit www.blackberry.com/appworld. If the download link is not available there right now, it should be there shortly.
Categories BlackBerry, BlackBerry App World, Jim Balsillie, Research In Motion, RIM
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SEC Charges Research In Motion Execs $2.27 Million For Stock-Option Backdating
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that they have reached a settlement with Research In Motion Limited (USA) (NASDAQ:RIMM). Four of RIM’s top executives have agreed to pay $2.27 million in penalties, disgorgement, and interest. This settlement is taking place less than 2 weeks after the RIMM executives settled charges similarly with the Canadian government. The fines in Canada amounted to about $30 million. This is the largest penalty levied on individuals by the Ontario Securities Commission.
The four executives illegally gave undisclosed in-the-money stock options to RIM employees backdating millions between 1998 and 2006. The four executives include RIM co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazardis, VP of Finance Angelo Loberto, and CFO Dennis Kavelman.
“As alleged in our complaint, RIM and its highest-level executives engaged in widespread backdating of options, which provided them and other employees with millions of dollars in undisclosed compensation,” stated SEC enforcement director Linda Chatman Thomsen.
The executives essentially made false claims about how the company prices and accounts for options.
[via Bloomberg]