RIM shares surged as much as 11 percent late yesterday as the company counts down to the January 30 launch of its long-awaited BlackBerry 10 platform.
RIM stock rose as high $C15.08 ($A14.51) in early Nasdaq trading yesterday. Some analysts said a dearth of any major smartphone news at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week boded well for RIM as it inches closer toward unveiling the make-or-break new line.
"The lack of new smartphone buzz could be seen as positive given it clears the road for the BlackBerry 10 device announcement January 30," TD Securities analyst Scott Penner said in a note to clients.
The lack of news was expected. Even so, Penner wrote, it reassured investors that the BlackBerry 10 would be competitive with the best that Apple, Samsung, Nokia and other rivals have on offer.
The stock also got a boost from media reports on Monday that Aircel and Vodafone are gearing up to market the new BlackBerry in India. RIM has long counted India for strong growth, especially as its current lineup has lost ground in North America and Europe.
The Indian news comes just days after three of the top U.S. mobile carriers - Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile- signaled that they would support RIM's BlackBerry 10 products.
-1.jpg&w=100&c=1&s=0)
.png&w=100&c=1&s=0)
