The Playbook Experiment

So, anyone who has read anything I have written about RIM knows that I typically don't write anything good about them (mainly because of my perception of the company and its current troubles), but for the next few posts that is going to change, to some degree.

You might wonder why I a guy who seemingly can do nothing but bash RIM would want to say anything at all good about them, and my answer back to you would be $118 32GB Playbook. Clearly this is a case of not eating some of RIM's dog food, but now that I have I've got to say something about it.

This first post will be about the Playbook itself, things like the hardware specs, good vs. bad, and my setup and use of the device. The last part of the post will be the top 10 great things about the device and why I am using this everyday (at least for the time being) over my ASUS Transformer.

Hardware Specifications:

Here are the specs for the Playbook:

Size:.              7 inches
Weight:          425 grams
Screen Res:.    1024 x 600
CPU:              Dual core 1GHz Cortex A9
GPU:              PowerVR SGX540
RAM:.            1GB
Chipset:          TI OMAP 4430
Cameras:         2
Rear Res:.       5MP, video at 1080p, 30fps
Front Res:       3MP, video at 1080p, 30fps
Sensors:          Accerometer, Gyro
GPS:.             Yes
Battery:          5300 mAh Lithium Polymer

There is so much good hardware packed into this thing that even today it could be considered one of the best 7' tablets, and it was released in April 2011! I think that is pretty amazing even vs. some of the tablets out there today.


The Good:

• Speed: The tablet is super fast and responsive. Whenever you load something on the device there is no notable lag up until the point that you have exceeded the device memory.
• Multi-Tasking: Both Apple and Google could take a page out of RIM's book on how to do multi-tasking. It is literally the best multi-tasking that I have seen on a mobile device yet.
• Form Factor & Feel: The playbook is a solid device and a pleasure to hold. I now feel that my ASUS Transformer is huge and much prefer to hold a 7' device. I would actually buy a 7' device going forward (that is if I don't go to a 5' galaxy note) as it is much easier to deal with.
• Sound: Some of the best speakers and sound output that I have had with a device.
• Blackberry Bridge: This is an amazing feature for the Playbook if you have an blackberry phone.
• Android Player: Brilliant move putting this in RIM, has taken my Playbook from being a tablet devoid of decent software to a tablet with moderately good software that can be supplemented from the Google Play store.
• Intuitive use: They say that Apple has intuitive pegged, but the way you interact with the Playbook is super easy and I find myself trying to use it's gestures when I go back to using my ASUS Transformer.
• Thumb Typing: Because the tablet is smaller, you can use your thumbs to type when it is in Portrait mode.

 The Bad:

• Software: Though we do have the Android runtime and there are starting to be some other decent apps in Blackberry App world, there still is not enough software to keep a person interested if they didn't use this solely for an office tool alongside a blackberry phone.
• No External Storage:  Not an entirely bad thing, but you do not have the option to expand memory if you happen to burn through all your storage. I did briefly have a 16GB model and had run out of space rather quickly.
• No easy way to share information: Perhaps I have  been spoiled by the 'Share' menu on Android, but you pretty much need to copy and paste things between apps in order to share information with other people. Not really a downside, but something that I would really like to see.
• Requires Windows (if you don't use a wifi file manager):  You definitely need windows if you want to sideload any programs on to the device, but you will almost certainly need to use the Android app 'ES File Explorer' to move files between computers over wifi.

Overall I can't really say anything too negative about the device, it is really good.

My setup:

One of the biggest downsides to the device (as I eluded to above) is the fact that there is not a lot of software out there for it. Once you initially get the device you want to load it up with some software, maybe a few games, but once you jump into BlackBerry app world you run out of things to install really quick. In my case, these are literally the only apps from app world on my device:

Citrix
Facebook
Photo Studio
Wifi File Explorer
Starfront: Collision
Shadowgun
CreaVures

Absolutely everything else on my device is an Android app that I converted over from my ASUS Transformer.

This is pretty much the fundamental problem with the device. Everything else about the device is fantastic, but you are really limited to what you can do because of the software selection. I have no doubt that almost any device could be successful if they have the ecosystem, particularly BlackBerry, they just need the development support.

Hopefully they spruce this up for the BB10 release next year, I am already hearing good things about the upcoming OS. If they were smart, they would increase the compatibility with Android games by emulating a specific set of hardware that is compatible with Android. If they could make the process of installing Android applications easier, I think they would have a lot better luck marketing these devices to people, it would be the perfect fall back for the platform allowing them some time to get their own app store in order.

Blackberry Integration:

One thing that I have quite enjoyed is the integration with a blackberry device, it makes wireless tethering simple and seamless. What it also does, that you may not notice initially is that it gives you that 'smartphone' feeling, for those of us that only have a blackberry.

Anyone who carries a Blackberry for work has terrible smartphone envy, because we have all used an iPhone or Android device and know how much more functional they are. Whenever we have to go back to that Blackberry device after playing with an actual smartphone we are thoroughly disappointed because:

a) its OS is old and does not come close to any modern OS
b) the blackberry has restrictive corporate policies in place to the point where it is IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy using the device.

The Playbook fixes this problem and gives you that iPhone/Android feeling. Because it uses Blackberry Bridge to access the 'corporate' side of your Playbook, you can access your corporate mail and other locked down applications but can also install whatever you want and feel free to use that in conjunction with your corporate apps.

If you cannot justify having another cell phone because your place of employment provides you with a Blackberry, do not hesitate to pick up a Playbook and start to actually enjoy using your Blackberry.

My Future Playbook Use:

Now... I have to admit that I meant to have this post out months ago, when I initially purchased the device and was in love with it. Since I purchased the playbook I have also upgraded from a Samsung Galaxy GIO to a Samsung Galaxy 2X, which is really doing the job for me when I am on the go and I don't really feel like pulling out a 7' tablet.

But going forward, I will continue to use my Playbook as a gaming and media consumption device, just not as much as I would have before getting my S2X. What I am really looking forward to is January 30th when all the Blackberry announcements come out relating to BB10 and the future of RIM. I am setting myself up for disappointment with the expectation that they will improve the Android runtime, that they will include a DLNA client and also do some work to fix all the basic things you would need to use the Playbook as a media consumption device. Actually, now that I think of it, I would really look forward to having the social hub, I really enjoyed using that on my Blackberry before corporate policy ripped that pleasure away from me.

Here's hoping that January 30th comes with a lot of pleasant surprises for all the Blackberry faithful that are patiently awaiting a decent update to rekindle faith in the platform.

Feel free to ask me some questions on the Playbook. I still have a couple of posts ahead of me on the Playbook. I am looking to document (mostly for my own benefit) detailed instructions on how to convert Android applications to Playbook BAR files and some tricks and tips that I have learned over time.

Is RIM beyond hope?

It's been a while since I had written a post on RIM and thought that it is about time, given that I have some sort of fixation on them having to use them in my daily life. Anyone who has been watching the news recently knows that the company's stock has slid 5% down to $13.65 yesterday, now 75% lower than just 12 months ago, so things aren't going well and like me, everyone is sitting around waiting for RIM's last hurrah when the Blackberry OS10 devices come out.

RIM is in a terrible position right now and I don't at all envy Thorsten Hein's position having all the pressure to do something to try and salvage what is left of RIMs business. The only good news that we are seeing is that he and perhaps the board are starting to see the big picture and do something about it, only that it may be too late.

I think they have done good by:

• Removing Jim Ballsillie: This might be more symbolic than anything. But since he had been put into the role of CEO and both Mike Lazaridis and Jim Ballsillie landed softly into board rolls Thorsten has never been able to shake the stigma that he is just the puppet of the two former co-CEOs. Initially that's all that it looked like, he came in trumpetting their approach acting like there is nothing wrong, but by getting rid of Ballsillie (not sure about Mr. Lazaridis), they are giving us a sign that he can no longer contribute to the direction of the company and that he really does want things to change.
• Removing top exectutives: David Yach and chief operating officer Jim Rowan were let go as well as other high level staff. THE PROBLEM IS: While you are getting rid of the 'old' mentality you are going to have to replace them with new bodies. It may prove to be difficult to fill all these high level positions in a short time considering their big turnaround HAS to happen this year.
• Admitting the difficulties that RIM is facing: It is about time that someone flat out said what was going on with the company. Jim & Mike were always trying to put a spin on the reasons that RIM was faltering and trying to evangelize their plans for a turn around even though it would never materialize. This will give investors and your average person more confidence in a CEO that admits there is a problem rather than living in a time bubble back when everything was still good. 
• Developing mobile fusion: I was skeptical of this from the start because I thought this would almost definitely cannibalize the sale of their blackberry devices. But since most people are now opting for Android and iOS devices nowadays, I am fairly confident that at some point in the future there will be no blackberry hardware. Mobile Fusion is putting the focus on their back end infrastructure and what is rapidly becoming their most important asset. 
• Putting a sale of the company or its assets on the table: Old co-CEOs would have only mentioned that they were open to licensing the blackberry OS, as if anyone would want anything to do with what is behind the demise of the company. Putting all the options on the table is good news because it leaves the possibility of a sale out there that could help with investment and also confidence that no option is off the table. THE PROBLEM IS: RIM might be too far gone to be sold, given that it has lost nearly all of it's value. The only thing left that I believe could be purchased is their patents and their back end infrastructure.

What I don't think they have done well:

• Communicate their direction & message well: Thorsten doesn't seem to be able to communicate direction or if they really pulling out of the consumer market. I have always thought that if they were having issues that they should focus on their core business and try and fix that the consumer part of their business seems to have made them scatterbrained so that they lose focus and what they should prioritize (Playbook, Storm, Torch). THE PROBLEM IS: The consumerization of IT is already in full swing, no one wants to carry 2 devices anymore and want their 1 perfectly capable phone to do everything. They do sort of have their bases covered with Mobile Fusion, but their hardware business is pretty much finished in my opinion.
• What about the blackberry ecosystem? We don't know what is going happen to BBM or the integration they were speaking of when making deals with the recording industry for Blackberry music. What will happen to all the money invested in music deals for the blackberry music?  
• Bad publicity: On top of the drunken executives that forced an emergency landing, there was a stabbing at a promotional concert for BBM which seems to have overshadowed the event itself, just like the drunken executives did.
• Provide message of hope to developers: I am not sure that I have seen any indication in news or otherwise that developing for Blackberry is going to be worth your while. I am seeing that developers will get a free BB10 device, but I don't see them providing any guarantees that they will be handsomely rewarded for developing on a platform that has every indication of failing at some point in time. They should be offering nearly 100% profit for the apps and other incentives to catch developer interest, everyone knows that if you want to make money you develop for iOS and Android, but they need a really good reason to develop for blackberry now.
• Trying to market an old OS: When they knew they would not be able to ship the BB10 devices on time they decided to drop some money on advertising BB7.  Anyone who has seen any of the ads can only see improvements in providing: Mobile Hotspot (which will be promptly shutoff by most IT policies in addition to WiFi), NFC (no one uses this for payment yet, for now is just a buzz word), WiFi Calling (this is just software, most likely it is provided by carriers, but other apps like Nimbuzz had it since at least 2009), FM Radio (nice to have, but virtually no one uses it), AutoSuggest (Not that I have seen it, but it is most likely tied into google somehow). There really is nothing compelling me to buy a BB7 device, especially since there is no guarantee that my BB7 device can run BB10 when it eventually comes out. You do have to sell the devices, that is a given, but I don't think anyone is naive enough to think that BB7 is a major revolution in the OS... since in my opinion we haven't seen that yet at all (BB2 - BB7, the only things I have seen as improvements are music, camera, expandable memory and some apps. The OS is fundamentally the same... the only real big change I remember is going from a C based OS to a Java based OS). 

I honestly think that for the most part, RIM is beyond salvaging in it's current form as it is too late to catch up with other hardware makers. No one will honestly want to purchase a BB10 version 1.0 phone with no applications when you can get a fully featured Android or iOS device, you would deliberately be committing  yourself to issues similar to those that occurred with the Playbook and OS updates/fixes. So that being said, this is how I see the future of RIM:

•  RIM gets purchased outright: I can see either Amazon (because Jeff Bezos seems to love RIM) or Microsoft purchasing RIM. Amazon has the kindle, kindle fire to tie into their ecosystem, but they do not have a phone. They could use RIM to break into the enterprise and also to manufacture Android phones to fit the hardware that they are missing when compared to Apple/Google. Microsoft could purchase them just to deepen their foothold in the enterprise and lock down Windows Phone 7 as the only enterprise capable phone (probably getting rid of Mobile Fusion save for Windows Phones). Windows Phone 7 definitely needs some sort of edge in hopes of catching up to Android and iOS, so anything could help.
• RIM leaves the hardward business and focuses entirely on enterprise software: They are already well positioned to do this with Blackberry Mobile Fusion, so they could pool there resources around owning Enterprise Device Management and E-Mail. To this day there is still no device that does e-mail better, so if they can enable this on Android & iOS phones (like they did with the PalmTreo650) then they would own that space. Good technologies is attempting to take ownership of this space, so they would be their biggest competitor. RIM could then live off the licensing fees of Mobile Fusion and look for other areas where they could add value.
• RIM switches to Android: I am not entirely sure on this, but it is possible that if BB10 is a complete flop, that it would be far less expensive for them to become an Android handset maker in addition to being an enterprise device management leader. So if you can't get the developers to come to you, you can go to Android where the developers are and continue to make money on handsets as well as licensing. Mobile fusion would then theoretically allow them to do this almost seamlessly as they are trying to address the BYOD movement with the software already. 

I don't really see too many options beyond these, and time is of the essence for the sale of the company as it has lost so much of it's value it may not be worth selling. I do think they can succeed as an enterprise software provider and I fully expect them to do something like this if BB10 turns out to be a complete flop.

I wish them the best, I really do. I don't hate them, I just hate the OS and it's lack of functionality. I will be watching their developer conference with interest (to get an idea of what BB10 is like and its functionality). Come November, if we are not blown away by the new devices and software I can see one of the above scenarios playing itself out.

Abandoning the HSS-RIM

I was recently reading an article from the financial post that stated 12,635 US government employees next phone will be an iPhone rather than a Blackberry thanks to the General Services Administration which procures devices for the government. This comes right after Halliburton announced that 4,500 of its employees would be switching as well.

This is not entirely unexpected after the years of missteps by RIM, it is becoming a lot harder to have faith that they are ever going to do anything about it. Couple this with the 'consumerization of IT', where most people and some companies are willing to forgo a stable and secure e-mail system for one that has new slick hardware and a big repository of apps to select from. I actually think that this is just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to people moving off of RIM to other devices, and here why:


People will bypass enterprise security for features:

Most enterprises around the world have the blackberry for 2 reasons, security and reliability. This more or less means that if you are an enterprise employee in 2012 or before, you are for the most part going to have a blackberry to receive your corporate mail and calendar. That blackberry is most likely not going  to have access to anything useful and will drive those who want access to social networks or apps circumvent corporate security to get the features and applications they want on a phone. Corporate executives are typically the worst offenders for this by either being 'exempt from policy' or using another device that they like rather than the Blackberry.

People want to be social:

Everyone wants to be social, it's almost like now a days there is no choice... you simply have to be on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social networks to find interesting information and connect with friends and family. Especially in the age of Twitter when you can post about everything that happens on your way through life, you want to be able to keep up with people and say what you want. Of course this could be a liability to the corporation especially if someone thinks you are saying something on their behalf, so you will find most devices have Facebook & Twitter locked down and or blocked on the network. This is changing slowly, but for the time being it is restricted for most and makes people do other things again... to get around the problem.

People want to use apps that will enhance their ability to work:

In the beginning there were really no applications that were compelling enough to actually want to put them on your iPhone. But nowadays, the 'app' is not only another way of interacting with customers, but can also be something that is used to enhance the employee experience. Even if there isn't a 'work centric' application for the iPhone, there are plenty of other applications on the phone that can enhance personal productivity. This is one of RIM's biggest weaknesses, as they are in mid-transition to a newer operating system, so their platform is technically in limbo. Would developers know what to develop for? OS7? OS10? HTML5? Are the tools even sufficient? Even if they are or eventually will be, are there enough Blackberry users left for them to make money? Bottom line, there is no comparison for application diversity.

People DO NOT want to carry 2 phones: 

This is an age old problem that started with pagers before the blackberry phased them out. But now that we have iPhones and all our media purchases locked into the Apple ecosystem and most of us don't really feel like using our Blackberries for music or anything else besides mail. So most of us carry the iPhone or Android phone to work for apps and music and the Blackberry only for enterprise email. No one wants to do this anymore, we all want the simplicity of having everything all in one device with some sort of magic protected area for sensitive corporate data.

Summary:

So even though the US government and Halliburton are switching from Blackberry to iOS is a drop in RIMs enterprise bucket, I believe that it is the beginning of a trend. With tablets becoming more commonplace, new apps coming out all the time and the amazing new phone hardware coming out constantly, whatever RIM is doing now is most likely too little too late.

If they are just releasing an update to the Playbook that 'should' have been Playbook 1.0 with no features other than what it should have shipped with initially, it doesn't spark too much confidence in what they will release as Phone OS v1.0. And even though the 'next gen' devices do look amazing from a hardware perspective, my guess is that is all it will be, hardware. RIM is great at hardware but it is the software that is going to make or break the phone and if the software ends up being remotely close to OS7, or its release is much like the original Playbook release, then I am afraid that their boat will be sunk.

I really hope they knock our socks off with that first new device, but we can't get our hopes up given their past promises. But you will definitely see what will become of RIM only a few short weeks after the initial release of the new phone. If it doesn't live up to the hype, they will be severely punished by the markets and will have lost the tiny bit of faith we are all holding onto for them.

RIM needs a miracle

So

o... I seem to be writing an aweful lot about RIM, which is not what I had intended to do on this blog... but I can't help it, there is just so much news about it and I am sad to see them in their current state. I have worked with RIM so long and can hardly remember when I didn't have a Blackberry in my hand, I really do wish I could be writing with excitement rather than frustratio.
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So not too long after I had made my declaration of the RIM deathwatch, we get an earnings report from the company. Which includes:

• nkA significant decline in revenue
• Official delay on the first Blackberry 10 phones until the latter half of 2012
• co-CEOs now working on a $1 a year salary
• Assurances that they will beN turning RIM around once the new smartphones are released.ke 

Essentially things we already knew or expected regarding the decline in revenue and everything else we expected to hear with missed targets and more assurrances.

I am not even sure where to start with this because there really is no hope. Sooner or later all the RIM investors are going to be clamoring for Mike & Jim's heads on a pike and someone to get in there and give them value for their investments. Given that the QNX OS is  not even close to being mature that would lead me to believe we will inevitably see either a split in the company or the sale of it or it's patents.

I am flabbergasted... How can a company with the mountain of mistakes that have been made retain the same structure? Does anyone at all give 2 cents about the fact that the co-CEOs are going to be making $1 a year? The savings are peanuts in comparisons to the money that RIM will be bleeding in the next year or two. Also... does a $1 per year salary make the CEO's any less dilusional (since they will probably make it up in stock)? 

Speaking of delusional, why would anyone think that ramping up spending on marketing the Blackberry 7 platform is a good idea or would even change perception? Does anyone have faith that this will change anything at all? People need an ecosystem and a decent phone experience, I hardly believe that there is a phone store in the world that would be pushing Blackberry phones these days, particularily because of the requirement to lock people into 3 year data contracts. They don't have a plan, that much is obvious from the delays that they keep announcing, particularly the delay to the native e-mail for the Playbook... how hard is that? Everyone has lost faith in you RIM, you need to admit that there is something wrong and do something about it.

I don't think anyone can believe anymore that you can turn it around. You had a good opportunity to build the official iPad competitor, you were in at the right time with the right hardware but with no software or integrated experience. You could have stood a chance and shown the world how good QNX can be, but you rushed it to market as an incomplete product and blew it. Now there is far too much pressure on you to bring your saviour phone to market and when it does come to market, it will be too late. You haven't fixed Playbook, so what should make us think that you are going to have a capable phone with the same OS? The OS is immature and there is not enough time to catch up to the likes of iOS and Android. This next phone will be your make it or break it phone... if you want to stand a chance make sure it is 'actually' ready, just as good as the old ones, but on even footing with all the new smartphones. Anything less will be the last nail in your coffin, as sorry as I am to say that.

RIM Deathwatch

I didn't really want to make a complete post out of this, but reading through an article that Paul Thurrott had created got me thinking again how horribly doomed RIM is, especially now that they have reaffirmed their committment to the Blackberry Playbook. It's not that I don't like the Playbook, I think it is a fine tablet, I would actually buy it if it:

1. Weren't still $499 for a 16GB model up here in Canada
2. Was not 7", that's too small for me.
3. Wasn't made by a company that seemingly has no direction.

But considering how they are fairing currently, I can't help but think of the parallels between RIM and HP because it is almost as if they were both faced with the same choices and HP is the only one that made the right decision.

So you have HP who under Leo Apotheker who was committed to their mobile platform (WebOS) and spending quite a bit of money trying to build and market the HP Touchpad. It appears that he really did believe in the product, it's just to bad that the board didn't and felt that HP had veered off into many different directions and was not delivering on it's core products/services. This of course resulted in a new CEO and a company direction that essentially dismisses the HP Touchpad as a distraction with a fire sale on HP Touchpad inventory ($99 per device) which no doubt incurred a huge loss on each device. The decision was a surprise to everyone (especially considering they had spent so much money on ads with Russell Brand), but it is a decision that in the end that made sense. They have stopped bleeding cash an refocused the company on things that it actually should have been looking at.

Then you have RIM, the co-CEOs and the Playbook. They are guilty of the the same thing that Leo Apotheker was, which was basically to drop everything else and focus most R&D efforts into a tablet in order to compete with the iPad. This is very clear with their feeble attempt to try and market their new Blackberry OS, OS7 which is essentially a service pack for OS6 and their release of 'slightly' updated Bold and Torch devices running this OS. The big difference between HP and RIM is that there is no one on the board that can do anything to change the RIM as Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are not only co-CEOs, they are also co-chairs of the board. So change in the company is very unlikely or you would have seen a new CEO by now or the abandonment of the Blackberry Playbook. RIM should have followed HP's lead and ditched the Playbook so it could take all of the money spent on R&D and use it to bring their first superphone to market.

It is really hard to be optimistic for RIM in light of these mis-steps:

• Announced Playbook 2.0 Delay: Which will most likely consist of some minor tweaks to the OS and a native e-mail, calendar and contact applications and NO Blackberry Messenger.  But to continue to have a devices with no native applications and depend totally on Android, Blackberry and Web applications does not look good. Who would pay $499 or should I say $199 for a device that does not have native e-mail, calendar, contact and other apps? And that is leaving selection of other applications completely out of the equation.
• Announced Blackberry Mobile Fusion: Which makes no sense to anyone. The stronghold has been traditionally the enterprise and the securability of Blackberry devices. The trend right now is to BYOD (Bring your own device) and if you could not secure them in anyway, the Blackberry would be the device of choice, at least for a little while longer. Mobile Fusion now allows enterprise IT the ability to secure competing devices alongside Blackberries and while it may not be 'as good' as a Blackberry I am sure that most enterprises will find it to be 'good enough'. If this software is ever released, the market share that Blackberry devices hold currently will plummit. But hey, they will be a leader in securing devices in the enterprise... there's always that.
• Announced a profit warning: They announced the profit warning on Dec 6th, which has everything to do with the recent price cuts to the Blackberry Playbook to reduce stock has some financial analysts slashing their price targets to as low as $10/share. The targets in general for the stock are trending downward and it seems that all the financial analysts agree with my opinion of the company currently.
• Drunken RIM Executives causing trouble on Beijing bound flight: This has nothing to do with their business problems, but certainly does not help promote it's image. The stunt resulted in a delayed flight for all passengers on board and a $71,000 fine for the executives.
• The 'Dingleberry' jail break for the Playbook: Not that jailbreaking is bad, but this certainly takes away from their reputation for having a 'secure' device. Developers have found what they deemed to be a 'Mack Truck sized' hole in the security of the devices that allowed them to 'root' the Playbook to obtain additional functionality. RIM just patched the flaw on Dec 6th, and the developers had a remedy to the patch available within hours of the release. 
• Announced the next version of Blackberry OS to be BBX without checking for trademark infringement: Not that this is a terrible thing, because it isn't. But you would think that a company that is trying to revitalize the OS and that is spending money on advertising the next version of their mobile OS would check to be sure that they could actually use the name. Now they jump from Blackberry OS7 to Blackberry OS10... what happened to the other 2 versions (OS8/9)? You know people are going to ask. This is more of an embarassment than anything, but it is just another piece of bad news to throw on the pile.

What I think we need here is a 'Steve Jobs' for RIM. Someone with vision to walk into the doors of RIM and make the right decisions to revive this dying brand. Unfortunately as previously mentioned, this would be virtually impossible to achieve the way the company and it's board are structured.

Here is an interesting Forbes.com article that asks all the questions that I would ask to Jim Balsillie and then some. It also showcases what appears to be either their 'default' corporate speak they use constantly to reassure or their actual delusional beliefs.