Monday December 24 2007 - In the News

The Financial Post reports in its Saturday edition that after a wildly successful year, Research in Motion has investors wondering what the BlackBerry maker has up its sleeve in 2008. The Post's David George-Cosh writes that with RIM reporting profits more than doubled in its most recent quarter, the company's shares jumped again Friday to close the week at $117.57, just short of its all-time high. Analysts say RIM will continue to focus on the consumer market. It will also develop stronger relations in untapped international markets. RBC Capital Market analyst Mike Abramsky is even going so far as to call RIM the next "Microsoft of Canada." "RIM has among the broadest distribution of almost all of the smartphone players out there," said Mr. Abramsky, who has an "outperform" rating and a $140 price target on the company's stock. Although there have been scant details as to what new BlackBerry models will look like, analysts expect to see more emphasis on providing a better multimedia infrastructure and GPS support. It will also unveil a touchscreen model with tactile feedback. Analysts also see the company will support 3G phone networks that will be able to transfer wireless data at superhigh speeds.