Research In Motion Ltd

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For the moment, Apple Inc.'s iPhone has been unseated from its throne. Research in Motion's BlackBerry Curve replaced the iPhone as the best-selling smartphone among consumers in the first quarter, the NPD Group said Monday. The iPhone came in second, with two other BlackBerry models -- the Storm and the Pearl -- right behind.

* Research In Motion Ltd. reported a third consecutive quarterly profit as sales rose on strong demand for its BlackBerry wireless device. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company posted net income of $41.5 million, or 46 cents a share, for its fiscal fourth quarter ended Feb. 28.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. said its profit jumped in its fiscal fourth quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations. RIM said it earned $518.3 million, or 90 cents a share, up 26% from a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a profit of 84 cents a share. The Waterloo, Canada, company said its sales jumped 84% to $3.46 billion, slightly higher than the $3.42 billion that analysts expected. Shares jumped $11.49 to $60.58 in after-hours trading.

Research in Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry e-mail device, will open a U.S. headquarters in Irving, Texas, as it steps up efforts to attract American customers. The Waterloo, Canada-based company said it expected to employ more than 1,000 people in the Dallas suburb.

Research in Motion Ltd. has shipped the first of its BlackBerry smart phones to China and plans to start selling them this year, a major breakthrough for the Canadian company in penetrating the Asian market. The company said it struck a Chinese distribution deal with Alcatel-Lucent. The first handset to be sold under the partnership is the 8700 model, versions of which the firm has sold globally for several years.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said it would try to complete with "special dispatch" a review of patents that could result in the shutdown of Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry e-mail device in the U.S. The patents are owned by NTP Ltd., a licensing company from Arlington that won a 2001 patent-infringement lawsuit against Research In Motion.

Research in Motion Ltd. reported a stronger-than-expected 33% rise in fiscal third-quarter earnings as sales jumped on surging demand for its BlackBerry wireless e-mail device. The Waterloo, Canada-based company said net income rose to $120 million, or 61 cents a share, in the quarter ended Nov. 26, from $90.4 million, or 46 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 53% to $561 million. Research in Motion shares fell 32 cents to $61.76 in regular trading. Shares jumped after hours to $65.40.

The U.S. patent office issued its first of several anticipated final rejections of patents held by NTP Inc. related to Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry device, two days before a judge will hear arguments on an injunction on the wireless e-mail service. The Patent and Trademark Office is expected to finally reject four other patents at the heart of the court case, but it's unclear when those actions could come.

BlackBerry e-mail devices will soon support the Google Talk instant-messaging and Google Local mapping programs, the maker of the hand-helds said, extending the Internet titan's push to put its services on mobile devices. Financial details for the deal between BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. and search engine leader Google Inc. were not disclosed. Google Talk, due for launch before midyear, will not be the only instant messaging service available on a BlackBerry.

The BlackBerry, a phone and e-mail device that just a few years ago could be found mostly clipped to the belts of high-powered professionals, isn't just for workaholics anymore. Research in Motion Ltd. today is launching its first major counterattack at the iPhone: the BlackBerry Storm, a touch-screen device that enables users to take pictures, play movies and music, and visit their Facebook and MySpace pages with ease. It even tells them where to turn when they're lost in their cars.

Motorola Inc. has sued Research in Motion Ltd., claiming that the Canadian company's BlackBerry wireless e-mail device violates seven U.S. patents covering mobile-communications technology. Motorola, the biggest U.S. maker of mobile phones, said Research in Motion was using the inventions without permission and asked a federal judge in Marshall, Texas, to order a stop. Motorola also is seeking cash compensation for past infringement of the inventions, according to the complaint filed Saturday.

The company behind the BlackBerry smart phones said a three-hour e-mail outage Monday was caused by an upgrade designed to increase capacity. Research in Motion Ltd. said Tuesday that the upgrade was part of "routine and ongoing efforts," and that similar upgrades in the past had caused no problems. The outage, which started about 12:30 p.m. PST, annoyed subscribers who are used to checking and writing e-mail whenever they're in cellular coverage and able to make voice calls.

Research in Motion Ltd. reported a doubling of profit and issued a forecast that topped analysts' estimates on demand for its popular BlackBerry. Sales of the device with phone, e-mail, map and music player functions helped propel net income to $370.5 million, or 65 cents a share, in the company's fiscal third quarter, compared with $175.2 million, or 31 cents, a year earlier. Analysts in a Bloomberg survey had expected a profit of 62 cents.

Research in Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry e-mail device, will open a U.S. headquarters in Irving, Texas, as it steps up efforts to attract American customers. The Waterloo, Canada-based company said it expected to employ more than 1,000 people in the Dallas suburb.

Research in Motion Ltd. has shipped the first of its BlackBerry smart phones to China and plans to start selling them this year, a major breakthrough for the Canadian company in penetrating the Asian market. The company said it struck a Chinese distribution deal with Alcatel-Lucent. The first handset to be sold under the partnership is the 8700 model, versions of which the firm has sold globally for several years.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. said its profit jumped in its fiscal fourth quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations. RIM said it earned $518.3 million, or 90 cents a share, up 26% from a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a profit of 84 cents a share. The Waterloo, Canada, company said its sales jumped 84% to $3.46 billion, slightly higher than the $3.42 billion that analysts expected. Shares jumped $11.49 to $60.58 in after-hours trading.

A U.S. appeals court upheld most of a ruling that Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry e-mail pager infringed patents, delaying a judge's order to halt sales of the device in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington told U.S. District Judge James Spencer to rewrite his 2002 injunction to reflect decisions made on appeal. Research in Motion had agreed to pay $450 million to settle a dispute with NTP Inc., a closely held patent-licensing company.