RIM loses subscribers

Loss of 1 million in latest quarter is firm’s first drop

TORONTO — BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion, which is already struggling with plunging sales, said Thursday it lost subscribers for the first time in the latest quarter, as the global number of BlackBerry users dipped to 79 million.

But the Canadian company added to its cash position as it prepares to launch new smartphones Jan. 30 that are deemed critical to the company’s limping sales over the last few weeks, holiday sales are expected to be up over last year.

Super Saturday may bring the traffic retailers have been waiting for. Some experts are projecting sales could match or exceed Black Friday, when retailers raked in $11.2 billion.

“It’s just a big, big day,” said Daniel Butler, vice president of merchandising and retail operations for the National Retail Federation. “It’s as important a day as Black Friday.”

Sales? You got ‘em

East Bay resident Miriam Ezzura said she will be out shopping this weekend to pick up gifts for four people on her list. Ezzura made a stop after work Thursday at Macy’s in Walnut Creek to pick up a gift for her niece, but she said she still had a lot of shopping to do. She works at a center for disabled adults in Lafayette and won’t have a day off until Saturday.

“I hope they have some good sales this weekend,” she said. survival.

RIM’s stock initially jumped more than 8 percent in after-hours trading, but then fell $1.27, or 9 percent, after the company held a conference call with analysts. The stock had been on a three-month rally that has seen the stock more than double from its lowest level since 2003.

Three months ago, RIM had 80 million subscribers.

Analysts said the loss of 1 million subscribers was expected. Once coveted symbols of an always-connected lifestyle, BlackBerry phones have lost their luster to Apple’s iPhone and phones that run on Google’s Android

Ezzura isn’t likely to be disappointed. Retailers are preparing for the busy day with attractive sales. Popular clothing stores like Banana Republic and Ann Taylor Loft are offering 40 percent discounts that are likely to extend until Christmas Eve. Gap stores are slashing prices by up to 50 percent and Children’s Place, a children’s clothing chain, has an online sale that offers 75 percent discounts.

“All of them are attempting to try to get their share of the customers,” Martin said.

In this hypercompetitive environment, retailers are working hard for every customer and every sale. Look no further than Macy’s and Toys R Us, two of the major retailers that will remain open for more than 80 hours starting Saturday morning to offer round-theclock shopping.

But retailers also need to clean house and make room for spring inventory, and the quickest way to do that is by slashing prices.

“The name of the game tomerexperience cloud offeringwhich helps organizations transform the way they market, sell, support and serve their customers,” Joe Payne, Eloqua’s CEO and chairman, wrote in a blog post on the company’s site, adding that Oracle planned to make the company’s employees and management team the core of its new cloud marketing division.

“Although Oracle already had strong marketing functionality, this gives it a cloud offering to deliver and an additional base of midmarket customers providing a recurring license maintenance stream,” Nucleus Research analyst Rebecca Wettemann told Reuters.

Oracle may not be finished dealing, either: Nomura analysts said in a research report that they expect the software com- software.

RIM is banking its future on its much-delayed BlackBerry 10 platform, which is meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now demand.

“We believe the company has stabilized and will turn the corner in the next year,” CEO Thorsten Heins said on a conference call with analysts. “We are realistic about our competitors, but we know that customers in this industry demand and respond to innovation and we believe BlackBerry 10’s truly delivers on this request.” is to be clean on fall goods by January,” Butler said. Stores need to clear racks for shorts and bathing suits.

But some customers said they preferred to forgo the Super Saturday sales to avoid the crowds. In downtown Walnut Creek on Thursday afternoon, parking garages were full and stores humming with shoppers who, done with school and work for the holidays, were wrapping up their shopping before the weekend rush. Melissa Barker, a graduate student at St. Mary’s College, paused for lunch with her daughter, 9-year-old Michaela after shopping for three hours straight.

She planned to finish her list that day and not battle the mobs over the weekend but said she had a few items being held at Macy’s, so if she decides to buy them, she “can come back at crazy hours” to finish shopping. pany “to continue to make acquisitions in this space, to bolster its Fusion Applications suite and respond to competitive pressure in the applications market from SAP and Salesforce.com.”

The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2013, Oracle said, and Eloqua shareholders must first approve the deal, which the company’s board already has.

Oracle shares dropped 0.4 percent to $33.94 Thursday, after hitting their highest price in 19 months on Wednesday. Eloqua — which trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol ELOQ — soared 32 percent Thursday to $23.66, reflecting the premium Oracle has agreed to pay.