BlackBerry: Even Robbers Reject RIM’s Smartphones
Just how bad are things for BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion? First, people start ditching the company’s handsets for Android devices and iPhones, then its stock loses almost 90 percent of its value. Now it seems that thieves don’t even want them.
A robber armed with a gun in New York City is actually giving people back their BlackBerrys when they hand them over. Police say students around the Columbia University campus have been robbery victims in recent weeks of a man who demands their smartphone. But the perp is picky, apparently. A pair of victims say the man gave them back their devices when he realized they were BlackBerrys, reportedly snarling, "I want iPhones," according to DNAinfo. If no iPhone, he takes off.
But never fear, RIM, a judge in Nigeria’s got your back. The BlackBerry is clearly a more cherished device in other parts of the world.
A young Nigerian businessman just got thrown in the clink for two months, convicted of selling his friend’s BlackBerry without his consent. And talk about swift justice: The crime was just reported on Dec. 4. Vanguard reports that the suspect "could not give a satisfactory account of the incident." Not only is the man going to the big house, he got a lousy deal on the phone. He reportedly sold it for $43 (U.S.), when it was valued at $340.
