Nokia has officially confirmed that the 4000 jobs it planned to cut at the end of last year would affect its manufacturing facilities in Reynosa Mexico, Komarom Hungary and Salo Finland as part of its company wide restructuring initiative designed to save 1 billion Euro by 2015, with those plants moving to a supplemental role as end points for carrier customization of manufactured devices with the actual manufacturing of devices moving to plants in Malaysia, China and Brazil as Nokia outsources more manufacturing to Foxconn following the lead of its long-time component suppliers.

Nokia was at one point known for featuring the majority of its mid-range and high-end device manufacturing in Finland and was one of the last mobile phone manufacturers to begin outsourcing device manufacturing to third party companies. The high-end Symbian based N and E series were routinely lauded for their build quality as they were made outside of their corporate headquarters in Finland while their mid-range and low-end lineups were made within Europe, typically in Germany and Eastern Europe.

It should be noted that the plants affected by the latest job cuts were dedicated to the manufacturing and assembly of Symbian and MeeGo Harmattan devices before the cuts were made, with the Reynosa plant manufacturing the N9 directly for the Mexican market, while the Hungarian plant handled Pan-European production and the plant in Salo handled initial manufacturing before handing off large-scale production to Asian plants. The aforementioned plants will not be shuttered completely, but as previously mentioned, will now handle carrier customization and final packaging/shipment for smartphones.

With Nokia moving exclusively to Windows Phone, the cuts were seen as necessary as the 4,000 workers handled Symbian related device work and Nokia has been transitioning away from the platform by spinning it off to Accenture, while sustaining billion dollar losses due to the loss in smartphone marketshare in the fourth quarter down from a $980 million profit in the same quarter in 2010. With the latest round of cuts, Nokia is further demonstrating that it is pinning all of its hopes on the success of Windows Phone, even going as far as admitting that they do not have an alternative plan in place should Windows Phone continue its tepid adoption rate compared to Android and iOS.

It remains to be seen whether Nokia’s current strategy will pay off, as Microsoft is set to offer the unlocked version of the Lumia 800 beginning on Valentine’s Day in a $900 bundle including a custom Bluetooth speaker and custom accessories while Nokia hints at an unlocked international version of the currently AT&T exclusive Lumia 900, with no official confirmation on availability at this time, despite having plans for a special event during Mobile World Congress in Spain being held next week.

As we previously reported, HP was under fire by the open source community for refusing to release the source code for the Android kernel that they accidentally released for the HP TouchPad.

The Android kernel was based on Qualcomm’s reference Android source code, and was used by HP internally to accelerate the release of the TouchPad. It was never intended for public use, but rather, to ensure that the TouchPad’s hardware would be ready for release to consumers alongside webOS 3. As webOS 3 was lagging behind the hardware in development, Android was also used in the manufacturing lines to test TouchPads before ultimately being flashed with webOS.

This debacle for HP became a debacle when a handful of TouchPads were sold to consumers with the Android debug build installed. These units apparently did not get overwritten with webOS after the hardware was assembled and tested. Based on the “release” of Android by HP for the Touchpad, the open source community followed the terms of the GNU Public License (GPL) that drives the Linux kernel, and asked HP to release the source code.

HP eventually responded that they would not release the source code, under the basis that it was not an authorized action to release the Android build of Touchpad firmware. This opened a somewhat-new question for GPL, which is if a company is liable for source code mistakes that the company did not intend to release or publish.

While not at issue in this situation, the problem is more complex when involving the latest GPL license, GPLv3, which can demand the entire source code release for a published work, if any part of the code is licensed under GPLv3. Taken to an extreme, the accidental inclusion of GPLv3 could arguably force the release of entire source codes for products like Mac OS X and TiVo’s operating system, both of which employ only GPLv2 code as a result. HP’s argument would likely be conveyed by other companies in such a situation, but it underscores a lack of definition in GPL itself.

Today’s development of the release of the Android source code for the HP TouchPad comes as hackers have already created working Android builds for the TouchPad.

It appears though that HP may have faced legal pressure, the developer that convinced HP appears to have enlisted IP attorneys in the plight to get HP to release the code:

HP supports the community and was kind enough to provide us with the Android kernel source and some other GPL components that they modified for the few Touchpads that were accidentally released running Android.

Many thanks go to attorney Benjamin E. Maskell from Roetzel & Andress for helping with this.

Also I’d like to thank phil86 for providing his Android-running touchpad to me and to Snow02 to help with covering some shipping costs.

Prior evidence from the leaked TouchPad units point to the Android debug firmware being based on Qualcomm internal builds of Android. It is possible, though we cannot confirm, that HP was prompted to work out a resolution with Qualcomm in order to release the source code.

One issue remains, and that is the Wi-Fi driver for the TouchPad. HP’s quiet release of the source code lacks the source code for the driver, which the developer, Green, insists is linked against the Linux kernel, subjecting it to GPL disclosure. HP has reportedly responded to the developer that they are evaluating its status for release.

If it is correct that HP had to work with Qualcomm to release the source code for the Android build, it is likely possible HP will have to work with the developer of the Android/Linux driver for the Wi-Fi chipset as well.

HP has stated they hope to launch Open webOS, a fully open-source version of webOS, late this year.

During the first day of its European DevCon event being held in Amsterdam, RIM has confirmed that alongside support for Android apps, the forthcoming PlayBook 2.0 update will also support the formerly Nokia-backed Ot application framework for application development on the PlayBook with future support being expanded to BlackBerry 10 devices slated for launch at the end of the year.

With the addition of Qt framework support, RIM is going after developers that formerly developed for Nokia devices and profiles, though Qt framework-based apps were few and far between on Symbian^3 and higher devices, while the MeeGo Harmattan-based N9 used Qt as the main application framework with mixed results as the phone was deliberately limited to select markets where Android and iOS did not have a major presence, such as Latin America and Eastern Europe.

RIM also reiterated that the long-awaited PlayBook update is still on track for release this month even with the newly announced framework support and the forthcoming relaunch of the device with 4G LTE support slated for later this year.

RIM has historically struggled with the PlayBook tablet since the launch of the device last April, with drastically lower than expected sales and less than stellar reviews leading to cancelled variants and most recently, a wave of firesales after RIM wrote down more than $400 million in unsold inventory during their last earnings call.

The unsold inventory became the catalyst for the shock resignation of former co-CEOs Lazaridis and Basillie late last month for new CEO Thorsten Heins, currently present at DevCon Europe and laying down the gauntlet against Android by claiming such figures  as 13% of developers making $100K+ in revenue via BlackBerry App World, as well as talking up substantial growth in Europe and Southeast Asia while lamenting the decreasing marketshare of the platform in its core US and Canadian markets.

The Qt framework and SDK for the BlackBerry PlayBook are available to developers now and RIM did confirm that its adoption of the framework would mean that it would contribute all of its changes back to the main branch, save for user interface additions which will remain proprietary, as they will form the basis for the new BlackBerry 10 user interface and is code named Cascades.

Since Qt support also underpins the native application development support present in PlayBook 2.0, former Qt developers will have little trouble porting existing applications to the PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 devices in the future owing to its basis in C/C++ in comparison to current SDKs which require knowledge of Adobe AIR/Flex and are considered less flexible and powerful.

Sprint has announced the forthcoming launch of the Kyocera DuraPlus DirectConnect phone.

The phone is the third in Kyocera’s line of rugged push to talk handsets with an M810G certified bodyshell  for resistance to dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, humidity, blowing rain and water immersion for up to 30 minutes in up to 1 meter of water.

Along with the bodyshell, the phone has an embedded LED Flashlight with a dedicated button and a remote speaker microphone jack allowing the use of heavy duty remote speaker microphones and it features an external charging port that enables the device to be used with a single or multi-bay charging station which will be sold as an additional accessory and is targeted to fleet purchases for commercial use.

The phone features the following specifications:

SPRINT DIRECT CONNECT FEATURES

• Sprint Direct Connect – Instant, one-to-one push-to-talk calling nationwide on the Sprint network, with any other Direct Connect subscriber. Direct Connect is the core push-to-talk feature and is designed for interoperability across Sprint and Nextel network platforms.
• Guaranteed Talk Permit – The assurance that when you hear the push-to-talk “chirp” that your call was successfully transmitted.
• Call Alert with Text – Send an audio alert with an optional text message to let another Direct Connect subscriber know you are trying to reach them and why.
• Group Connect® – Communicate with up to 20 other Sprint Direct Connect subscribers all at once – nationwide, at the push of one button.
• TeamDCSM – Communicate with up to 200 other Sprint Direct Connect subscribers at the same time nationwide2.
• NextMail® – Send a recorded message to any email worldwide or mobile handset via text message by using the Direct Connect button.
• Availability Notification – Request the availability status of another push-to-talk member and, if they are busy, request a notification when they are free.

KEY FEATURES

• Military Standard 810G Spec compliance for dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, humidity, blowing rain and water immersion (up to 30 minutes in up to one meter/3.28 ft. of water).
• Encased in rubber, non-slip Dura-Grip® material for sure hold and extra durability.
• Additional connectors for a remote speaker microphone and charging bay (optional accessories not included).
• Robust, front-ported speakerphone for excellent sound quality in noisy environments.
• Embedded LED Flashlight with dedicated button.
• Non-camera phone for jobs where cameras are prohibited.
• Ultra-efficient display produces superior brightness and contrast using less power, making it ideal in outdoor settings.
• Flat, stable bottom for freestanding operation.
• Limit Use – a great tool for business managers that restricts users from utilizing certain functions on the phone
• Sprint Mobile Sync – add and edit all your contacts and groups, including TeamDC groups, online. Also allows you to transfer contacts to a new phone and erase contact information from a lost phone.
• Bluetooth® connectivity 2.0 + EDR (includes support for Bluetooth capable PTT headsets and barcode scanners).
• SMS and MMS messaging.
• Browser-based email for access to POP3 and IMAP accounts.
• 2.5 mm headphone jack (supports PTT headsets).
• Multiple language support – English, Spanish.
• Hearing aid compatibility (HAC): Rating M4/T4 TTY capable.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 5.3 x 2.2 x .93 inches, weight: 6.67 oz
• Display: 2.0-inch QVGA TFT (240 x 320 pixels)
• Removable 1650 mAh battery for up to xx hours continuous talk-time

The phone will be released during the first half of the year.

The last vestiges of Palm have left HP, as All Things D and multiple other sources have confirmed in the last hour that the former Palm CEO and technical mastermind behind webOS has officially left HP after serving his initial commitment of 12-24 months following the acquisition by HP in 2010 after struggles in the marketplace forced Palm to seek a buyer.

Jon Rubenstein became head of Palm in 2008 following years of losses and false starts for the hardware manufacturer as it struggled to maintain marketshare in a marketplace dominated by the iPhone and facing the threat of Android. Under Rubenstein, Palm set out to compete head on against the iPhone by completely killing any association with GarnetOS and starting from scratch with the Linux-based webOS operating system. At the time of the operating system’s debut during CES 2009, it was hailed as a remarkable alternative to both Android and iOS.

Released in June of that year, the Palm Pre was backed by an exclusivity agreement with Sprint along with an equally massive marketing campaign which ultimately stumbled in terms of showcasing both the Pre and operating system, as most of the coverage was focused on the commercials themselves, which featured a rendered model of a woman that confused and frightened more people than sold the phone.

While the Pre did well initially, sales quickly dwindled to the point that Sprint was forced to endure months of slow sales before Palm was forced to seek other carrier partners in order to shore up hardware sales. Following launches on AT&T and Verizon with Wi-Fi enabled Pre variants in 2010, Palm were still struggling to make webOS successful in an increasingly crowded marketplace despite the critical acclaim of the operating system, to the point that the company was increasingly seeking to sell itself.

After months of rumors and speculation, Palm was purchased by HP in the summer of 2010 for 1.2 billion with the goals of having the resources necessary to further refine and develop the operating system, with an eye to expanding its presence beyond mobile devices, such as HP computers and printers. By 2011, the operating system and hardware was near moribund, with the only new product being the stillborn Pre 2 on Verizon Wireless since the acquisition.

The company seemed to be on an upswing in March with the announcements of the Pre 3, Veer 4G and TouchPad, which were meant to anchor the operating system with new hardware, but the announcements did little more than excite dedicated enthusiasts while leaving others indifferent.

Jon did not specify what his future plans were at the time of departure.

Kajeet might be an unfamiliar name to most, but the company has been around for the past five years, providing wireless service as a virtual operator in its own niche as a child-friendly alternative to  other, more expensive services.

The provider has recently rearranged its lineup to include smartphones, but with the new additions comes added features to protect kids and teenagers from unsavory and potentially unsafe content as well as new features for child tracking and safety. Read more for the complete review.

I was sent a standard LG Optimus S as an example of the smartphones Kajeet is now carrying earlier this month, which include the HTC Shift, Samsung Conquer and Replenish. The smartphones themselves are typical of Sprint’s current lineup and are identical in terms of hardware. Where the phones differ is in the services supported, as Kajeet has taken extra steps to make the phones safe for children and teenagers.

Starting with its most recent feature addition, the provider offers a free content filtering service included in the monthly rate which lets parents control what children can browse and do on the phones and gradually decrease filtering until deemed unnecessary. Not only does Kajeet allow content filtering, but it also allows near complete usage control for voice and messaging by scheduling appropriate time blocks to deter phone use at inappropriate times, such as at night and during school hours.

Another feature which Kajeet is heavily promoting for all of its lineup is its GPS Phone Locator service which can be used on a pay per use basis at 0.99/per use or as part of a monthly add-on for $7.99 that includes access to a web portal that tracks a child’s phone in real-time as well as allowing the addition of landmarks, a monthly overview of a child’s activity and automatic triggering of emails to track a phone if its either lost or if the child is lost.

Having used the LG Optimus for two weeks, the hardware itself is solid and testing the content filter worked as advertised along with the usage control features. Battery life was surprisingly solid despite the phone only running Froyo and not having an update to Gingerbread available.

As far as monthly plans are concerned, all Kajeet plans are monthly plans with no agreement and start at $4.99 a month going all the way up to $50 a month for unlimited voice/text/GPS Locator access, though smartphones are excluded from unlimited picture multimedia messages and rely on an additional monthly data plan for use, while featurephones are allowed to send unlimited picture messages. Data plans start at $4.99 for 50MB of access and go all the way up to $24.99 for 1GB of access which can be combined with the feature manager to block or enable select sites and services.

Using the phone for two weeks and testing out all of the features, I was pleasantly surprised to see that none of the features got in the way of normal phone usage. I did like being able to track the phone and looking back at the history of where the phone went while I did my usual errands as the location service was accurate to within ~20 feet. The content filter did its job, blocking out access to sites depending on filtering level and worked well enough for the purposes of this review.

After all is said and done, Kajeet is a viable alternative for parents looking to get their kids a smartphone without having to worry about what they can do with them that could potentially lead to inappropriate activity or content, with the bonus of being cost-effective and a good way to keep watch over them with the inclusion of pay-per-use GPS location service. Even though I personally don’t have kids, I would highly recommend Kajeet over taking out another line on a postpaid plan or another prepaid service for any parent that does.

Kajeet – Official Site

HP today issued two updates on their new mobile open source initiatives.

The company made good on its commitment to open-source Enyo, its JavaScript framework that was announced alongside webOS 3.0 last year. In an effort to make Enyo more palatable for widespread use, Enyo 2.0 was released today, along with the source code for the previous Enyo 1.0.

Enyo, in addition to being updated to version 2.0, also got its own web site, enyojs.com. In addition, Enyo finally received a logo, pictured right.

What differentiates Enyo 2.0 from Enyo 1.0, is that it is now completely independent from webOS. It now embraces all modern HTML5 browsers, across mobile and desktop. This does come at a price, Enyo 2.0 has abandoned the webOS user interface elements that made Enyo attractive to developers who were looking for a robust user interface for their apps.

HP touted at the release that this is a known issue, but to offer Enyo quickly the company decided to release Enyo 2.0 without a UI library. A new UI library will be available for Enyo in the future from HP, which will likely facilitate development of apps across webOS and other platforms.

Future development for Enyo will also include drop-in plug-in support for Flash and Silverlight, allowing for quick embedding of YouTube, Hulu Plus, and other multimedia services.

For current webOS developers, HP pointed developers to continue using Enyo 1.0 in the mean time to embrace its UI library.

As to the roadmap for webOS, HP commented a bit more on its release schedule, providing more details, albeit less clarity. Read more for the details.

In a separate posting on the HP webOS Developer Blog, Sam Greenblatt provided some additional details on the webOS release schedule. Greenblatt serves as both CTO and head of technical strategy for the webOS project.

No discreet timeframes were given for the release of webOS source code, but Greenblatt did provide some notes of renovations to webOS that are ongoing. The company is switching to a Linux kernel that is “based on the Linux Foundation’s standard kernel”. Additionally, the company is replacing its Mojo database systems (mostly SQL and SQLite), to LevelDB, a database technology built and open-sourced by Google.

The company has provided a roadmap with the full timetable for webOS. “Open webOS 1.0″ will be released in phases, with a full release by September of this year:

January:
Enyo 2.0 and Enyo source code
Apache License, Version 2.0

February:
Intended project governance model
QT WebKit extensions
JavaScript core
UI Enyo widgets

March:
Linux standard kernel
Graphics extensions EGL
LevelDB
USB extensions

April:
Ares 2.0
Enyo 2.1
Node services

July:
System manager (“Luna”)
System manager bus
Core applications
Enyo 2.2

August:
Build release model
Open webOS Beta

September:
Open webOS 1.0

Article was revised with timeframe provided by HP in a subsequent press release.

Despite HP not delivering on a promised webOS 2.0 upgrade for all first-generation webOS devices, the webOS community is still at it.

While unofficially upgrading the Pre and Pre Plus to webOS 2.0 (via the webOS Internals’ meta-doctor project) is nothing new, progress stalled out at webOS version 2.1. Since then, webOS 2.2 has provided significant security and stability patches, which the Pre and Pre Plus have not matched.

Within the past few weeks, the webOS Internals community has taken apart the latest webOS 2.2.4 releases for newer devices, and backported it to the Palm Pre Plus and original Palm Pre.

webOS 2.2.4 was recently released for the HP Pre 3 and GSM unlocked versions of the Palm Pre 2. It has not been officially released for the AT&T Veer 4G or Verizon Wireless version of the Palm Pre 2. Many believe it may never be; both would require testing and approval from AT&T and Verizon, respectively. Both carriers appear to have abandoned webOS, in terms of software support. AT&T actually went as far as to force thousands of finish (and AT&T branded) Pre 3 units onto the grey market, rather than allow them to be sold as part of HP’s webOS device fire sale. Pre 3 units in Europe were sold by HP at $75 each, sans contract.

The notes for this unsupported upgrade clearly caution (and we can’t emphasize enough) that this is not only unsupported firmware, but unfinished unsupported firmware. You should not update your phone to this unless you are okay with frequent device issues, including a bricked phone, that may not be able to place or receive calls.

The good news is that testing does show significant stability, and continues the notion that HP had zero legitimate basis for not offering webOS 2 for, at the very least, all Pre Plus devices. Patches to the 2.2.4 build already have taken into account bugs with preloaded apps, even the Amazon MP3 Store now works properly on a Pre Plus running 2.2.4.

Upgrading to webOS 2 is almost essential for continued use of the Palm Pre or Pre Plus, at this point. webOS 1.4.5.1, the last official build for all first-generation webOS devices in the United States (including Pre and Pre Plus), has several known security issues. HP has only supported it by offering up an updated Maps application, which the company may have been contractually obligated to offer, as part of its migration from Google Maps to Bing Maps.

Ironically, AT&T still sells the Palm Pixi Plus, a device HP acknowledges has serious and critical security issues that it has no intention of fixing. The Pixi and Pixi Plus cannot be updated to webOS 2 at this time, due to HP not providing/leaking necessary enabler files. HP claims the Pixi and Pixi Plus are not powerful enough to run webOS 2, a statement many in the hacking community dispute. HP made the same statement about Pre and Pre Plus, only to have to later admit it was false. HP ultimately blamed carriers in the United States for not “requesting” the webOS 2 firmware update on Pre and Pre Plus.

AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint have all declined previous opportunities to comment from PhoneNews.com on the webOS 2 upgrade situation regarding their devices. HP did recently affirm that Verizon Wireless Palm Pre 2 units would continue to receive webOS updates, a topic Verizon did not return an answer on when we asked them directly.

It is widely believed that HP kickstarted the webOS 2 unofficial upgrade effort internally. Recent reports have shown constant feuding and disarray within the webOS Global Business Unit at HP, which ultimately led to the initial downfall of the platform. webOS 2 was leaked for the Pre Plus via an update to the European GSM version of the Pre Plus, providing the enabler files necessary to compile a version of webOS 2 for the Pre and Pre Plus in the United States. The webOS Internals group was able to combine the CDMA files from webOS 1.4.5, and transpose them onto the European GSM’s firmware. Additional evidence for this stems from HP pulling back on offering the update shortly after release, and even going as far as to confirm that they would not even issue bug fix releases for the upgrade.

Since then webOS Internals has turned much of its attention to the HP Touchpad, creating firmware builds that even support unreleased devices, such as the seven-inch TouchPad Go. Firmware have also been released for the never-launched TouchPad 4G, a version of the 10.1-inch TouchPad that featured an AT&T HSPA+ radio.

The development of webOS 2.2.4 for the Pre and Pre Plus does show one thing quite clearly; there remains an active and vibrant webOS community that is anxiously awaiting the release of the webOS source code from HP… as well as a strategic development path from HP going forward, for the platform. We’ve chimed in on that recently with our two cents.

Newly installed RIM CEO Thorsten Heins took to the press this morning to assure both investors and customers that RIM will continue to pursue its strategy of launching new devices with BlackBerry 10 and the forthcoming launch of BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 next month, while revealing surprising details, such as the possibility to license BlackBerry 10 to third parties and the reiteration of the commitment to its current strategy.

The news of the resignation of the co-CEOs last night during an NFL game and the introductory statements from Heins  this morning were enough to force a selloff in RIM stock today, ending with an eight percent drop. Ultimately, he is being seen as more of the same in terms of leadership style at RIM, instead of the stark, almost shocking change in leader many analysts and investors were hoping for.

It doesn’t help that Heins is continuing the same strategy that has led RIM to its current declining position in the consumer market in the US and Europe. While it’s enjoying growth in Southeast Asia, overall growth is shrinking every quarter, with more and more business customers moving away from the BlackBerry to Android and iOS now that both platforms have made great strides in corporate security and IT support compared to when both platforms launched in 2008 and 2007 respectively, showing just how much RIM has to do in terms of development with both PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 in order to remain competitive.

Below, comments from Heins taken from the introductory video filmed this morning that demonstrate the continuation of the same leadership style embodied by Balsillie and Lazaridis instead of substantial structural changes needed to turn the company’s fortunes around from its slump.

• “We have taken this to totally new heights and that journey isn’t over yet.”
• “If we continue doing well what we’re doing, I see no problems with us being in the top three players worldwide in the next years in wireless.”
• “At the very core of RIM is the innovation. We always think ahead. We always think forward. We sometimes think the unthinkable. And that is fantastic.”
• “Internally, from a process perspective, I think we need to get a bit more disciplined in our own processes.”
• “We are a great innovative company, but sometimes we innovate too much while we’re building a product.”
• “What we need to get a bit better at here is to have a little bit more of an ear toward the consumer. I want the strengthen this by bringing really good marketing expertise in.”
• “…With the ‘Be Bold’ campaigns, starting right now, I find this really exciting. I’m getting good feedback and we want to continue driving this.”
• “Don’t lose focus on what the present is. Congratulations to the team; we’ve seen great success with PlayBook 2.0 at CES. We are heading absolutely in the right direction.”
• “BB 10, needless to say, we have to ship on time. I can’t wait to see it.”
• “I’m also very performance driven. When we decide on getting something done, I want it to be done on time at good quality and at good cost. That defines our customer satisfaction.”

The above are the words of a leader groomed to continue the same pattern hoping for a different result rather than actively making the drastic changes needed for future success.

In addition he also confirmed an internal investigation into possible licensing of BlackBerry 10 to interested third-parties, though the likelihood of this coming to fruition is very low, as ODMs prefer Android for quick development and deployment and many other alternatives are in various stages of readiness, with webOS being the latest operating system relegated to the open source experiments file after HP abandoned webOS hardware last year.

Since the company’s hopes are now resting on QNX via the PlayBook and BlackBerry 10, it remains to be seen whether the new devices and the relaunch of the PlayBook next month will be enough to jumpstart RIM’s lagging fortunes in the US and Canada, much in the same way that Symbian and Windows Mobile were simply beaten into irrelevance due to shifts in the tastes of consumers for more multimedia oriented devices.

Unfortunately, Heins may come to realize that no amount of hardware or software can change consumer tastes overnight unless it represents the radical shift that helped propel both the iPhone and Android to their current place in the minds of consumers. Now more than ever, RIM would be better served to do away with its current plans and figure out a way to deliver a consumer friendly BlackBerry device that is not only the equal of iOS and Android but surpasses them in ease of use and performance.

We are long past the days where having a solid hardware keyboard and reliable email server were enough to drive the marketplace. RIM needs to learn how to jump ahead of the market or risk becoming another Symbian, webOS, even MeeGo. If they don’t, they only have themselves to blame for their eventual downfall when they had the opportunity to make a substantial change to their business for the better.

Reuters has confirmed  that RIM co-founders Jim Basillie and Mike Lazaridis have confirmed in a hastily conducted series of phone interviews held on Saturday that they have stepped down from their shared CEO and Chairmanship roles from the company they founded with immediate effect.

Their immediate replacements are former Siemens executive Thorsten Heins and former TSX head Barbara Stymiest, who previously held a position on the Board of Directors for the embattled company before moving to the chairmanship position yesterday.

The company has seen its once dominant position in the wireless industry nearly fade in the face of its competition, with the iPhone and Android proving to be increasingly popular for both consumers and business users. While RIM has attempted multiple times to reinvent its BlackBerry line to attract consumers with the latest attempt in devices based on BlackBerry 7, the company has met little more than disinterest in the general market while Android and iOS continue to erode its competitive advantage with business customers.

RIM has also attempted to enter the equally competitive tablet market with its BlackBerry PlayBook, but not without making major mistakes along the way, such as requiring the use of a BlackBerry device for full functionality and not having a native email client available for standalone use, while developers have cited a completely developer hostile environment to develop applications for the tablet, notably the lack of native development tools and the reliance on third-party frameworks for development that lack the power necessary to develop complete applications.

For its part, RIM has continually promised that the above issues would be addressed next month with the long-awaited release of the PlayBook 2.0 update, but the company is currently selling the tablets at firesale prices and even took a $485 million loss on unsold inventory last year, adding to the problems that the company is currently dealing with.

With the stepping down of Lazaridis and Basillie, this also represents the end of an era at RIM as both men oversaw the growth of the company from a small company developing paging systems for commercial and freight customers, into an enterprise darling and pop culture icon once consumers adopted the BlackBerry  en masse in the mid-2000s, before the launch of the iPhone.

Currently, the company is said to be working on its latest update to the BlackBerry operating system in BlackBerry 10, which is said to be based on QNX like the currently available PlayBook, but has suffered a major setback in terms of availability due to the lack of the necessary chipsets needed to produce commercial designs that won’t be available until mid-year for sampling, delaying the retail launch until the end of the year. As RIM is relying on BlackBerry 10 to save its current business model and compete against the iPhone and the whole of Android, having the co-CEOs step down in the middle of the transition marks a response to mounting internal and external pressure, rather than any long-planned transition.