Research In Motion (RIMM) recently announced the fiscal year Q4 2011 earnings, in which it gave a disappointing revenue outlook for FY Q1 2012 quarter. Its shares tumbled by 10% in the after-market hours after the announcement and opened around these levels Friday morning. RIM, which competes with Apple (AAPL), Nokia (NOK) and Motorola Mobility (MMI) in the smartphone market, stands to lose further ground in the near-term as suggested by the weak outlook. However, we still believe there is value for long term holders of the stock despite the disappointing guidance.

We have updated our price estimate for RIM stock to $69.59, which is about 25% higher than market price.

The fast moving world of investing can turn on a dime, especially if you own technology stocks. Research In Motion (RIMM) was a smartphone darling. But then came the iPhone and now the iPad. Then we have Google's (GOOG) Android following on Apple's (AAPL) heels.

RIM suddenly woke up a found that it had fallen off its perch. Now the company is scrambling to do catch up. BlackBerry is losing North American market share and the company expects to ship only 13.5 to 14.5 million Blackberry's this quarter, down from 14.9 million last quarter, according to Reuters.

The shares of Research In Motion (RIMM), which I first wrote about on May 5, 2009, at a price of $77.07, remain a stock that's decidedly not for the squeamish.
RIM's roller-coaster rebound continued during the winter, with the stock rising from $61 to test $70 resistance, before retreating back to $62.

RIM's 2011 revenue will likely jump 35% to 40% on strong sales of BlackBerry wireless email devices -- a device that has become the standard in large corporations and public institutions, and that is gaining traction in the consumer segment. Unit sales and subscriber growth remain adequate, but average selling prices are likely to continue trend lower amid increased competition. Revenue from tablets also should begin to make their presence felt in 2011. In 2010, Research's revenue surged 35%.

Microsoft (MSFT) and Nokia (NOK) recently announced a strategic partnership in which Nokia will adopt Windows Phone 7 as the main operating system for its smart phones. Microsoft competes with other tech bellwethers like Google (GOOG), Research In Motion (RIMM) and Apple (AAPL) that make smart phones and tablets, as well as the corresponding operating systems for mobile phones and tablet devices.

We believe the Nokia deal presents upside for Microsoft, as it provides an opportunity to gain share in both the smart phone operating system market and the search advertising market by leveraging Nokia's large global presence.

It's not enough to be on every metropolitan street corner; now Starbucks (SBUX) is trying to be even bigger (in one sense of the word) -- and faster, too. Thirsty folks longing for a Big Gulp­-style coffee beverage are in luck as the Seattle-based coffee chain is set to roll out its new "Trenta" size for iced drinks.

The new size, seven ounces bigger than the Venti, will be 31 ounces. Trenta, by the way, means "thirty" in Italian. It's also a valley in Slovenia and a small town in the Italian province of Cosenza. This new size trumps Dunkin Donuts, which offers its iced beverages in 24-ounce serving sizes.

Thursday, Research In Motion Limited (RIMM) announced that its quarterly earnings came in at $1.46 per share, compared to 83 cents per share a year ago. Not only did the results top those from a year ago, but the results topped analysts' expectations for $1.36 per share.

Turning to revenue, RIM raked in $4.62 billion, 31% better than a year ago as well as better than estimates for $4.49 billion.

During the quarter, the company shipped 12.1 million smartphone units and added 4.5 million new subscribers. While the new subscribers came in short of the expected 5 million, the 12.1 million shipped units was better than the forecast 11.8 million.

PCWorld reported that Research In Motion Limited (RIMM) is cutting the price for its new BlackBerry Torch, lowering the new handset's price to $99 from $199.

This is not a good sign for the telecommunications company, as it indicates that the latest iteration of its CrackBerry device is already lagging behind its competitors mere weeks into its existence. Complaints abound about the Torch, which some say was basically just like older versions and will not be enough to pull other smartphone users from their devices.

First things first, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are not banning the BlackBerry device produced by Research in Motion Limited (RIMM). What is being suspended is BlackBerry mobile services like e-mail and text messaging. The supposed ban will start in October.

This ban stems from a dispute between the UAE and RIM concerning RIM's encrypted data system. The system makes government monitoring of data more difficult. The problem for RIM is that such a move could be followed by other countries in the region, as Kuwait and Bahrain have also raised concerns over the data encryption.