BlackBerry: Now's the right time to explore alternatives

From CNET News.com: BlackBerry is paving the way for a major change -- perhaps even routing itself toward a sale of the company.

The beleaguered smartphone maker said Monday that it has formed a special committee to explore "strategic alternatives" for its itself. The company specifically said that it's trying to "enhance value and increase scale in order to accelerate BlackBerry 10 deployment." However, BlackBerry noted in the next breath alternatives could range from joint ventures to partnerships to a sale of its operation to another firm.

"During the past year, management and the Board have been focused on launching the BlackBerry 10 platform and BES 10, establishing a strong financial position, and evaluating the best approach to delivering long-term value for customers and shareholders," said Timothy Dattels, chairman of the special committee, in a statement. "Given the importance and strength of our technology, and the evolving industry and competitive landscape, we believe that now is the right time to explore strategic alternatives."

That BlackBerry has formed the committee isn't necessarily surprising. The company had attempted to improve its chances of success in the mobile market earlier this year with the launch of BlackBerry 10, but that platform has failed to take off. And despite a somewhat strong fiscal quarter e

Meanwhile, investors have bolted. Since the beginning of this year, BlackBerry shares are down 18 percent and at a current price of $9.76, are way off from their 52-week high of $18.32.

View: Article @ Source Site