BLACKBERRY

Stocks ended flat on Friday but capped the best week for Wall Street bulls in almost three years after data showed the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to a 2-1/2 year low.

Toronto's main stock index was higher on Friday morning, on track to post its biggest weekly gain in more than two years, pushed up by strong bank earnings, encouraging U.S. jobs data and talk of more action to ease Europe's debt.

Cisco Systems Inc is stepping up its push to sell its Cius tablet computers to corporate customers, defying skeptics who say the product is short of the sex appeal and brand recognition it would need to win over the workforce.

Research in Motion capped an already dismal year with a steep profit warning on Friday, taking a huge charge to write down inventories on its languishing PlayBook tablet and sending its shares tumbling more than 8 percent.

Two RIM employees were so drunk on a plane that the airline had to turn around and boot them off. The RIM employees were arrested and each pled guilty.

Tablets are now becoming an integral part of our lives and as well as a portable alternative to PCs and laptops.

Since discovering that Carrier IQ could potentially track keystrokes on smart phones in the U.S, consumers are asking one question: Is my phone being hacked? The answer, most probably, is yes. Manufacturing companies have denied pre-installing the carrier onto devices, but it turns out network carriers can choose to customize their phones with it and use it as an analytical tool that they claim does not breech user privacy. Do we believe them?

Research in Motion warned on Friday it would fall short of its financial targets after taking a huge charge to write down the value of its PlayBook tablet, and the BlackBerry maker's shares tumbled.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Clearwire, Logitech International, Sina, Marvell Technology Group, and Lululemon Athletica. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Exelixis, Seagate Technology, Research In Motion, Shire, and Qiagen.

Carrier IQ is under fire for logging and transmitting extremely sensitive data from user's phones without their knowledge. Sen. Al Franken stepped in and wrote a public letter to Carrier IQ's chief.

The lesson here is that anything that holds any data of any value must be protected, said Alan Woodward, computer expert.

Three hackers say they have exploited a vulnerability in Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet to gain root access to the device, a claim that could damage the BlackBerry maker's hard-won reputation for security.

Tablets are the new smartphones this year, and everybody wants the Kindle Fire or iPad. But two of the best available now are the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and BlackBerry PlayBook. While they both have seven inch screens, the really only other thing they have in common is their excellent build qualities.

Google Maps has been helping people find the nearest train station or Starbucks for several years. Now, it can help you find the nearest restroom at an airport or the men's department at Macy's.

Online retail sales on Cyber Monday 2011 hit record highs and jumped 33 percent compared to the same day last year, according to a report from IBM Coremetrics.

Research in Motion Limited (RIMM) surged upwards more than six percent on Tuesday trading after announcing its new BlackBerry Mobile Fusion service.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Magal Security Systems, Seagate Technology, Central European Distribution, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Randgold Resources, and Research In Motion. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Tellabs, ASML Holding, Netflix, and Microsoft.

Microsoft Corp and U.S. mobile engineering firm AgreeYa Mobility on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow corporations and other users to connect to Microsoft services from a variety of computing platforms, including phones and tablets running Apple Inc's iOS and Google Inc's Android.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is seeking to cash in as companies switch to rival smartphones with a new tool that offers some of its important security features for sexier devices like the iPhone.

Sony's $500 Android tablet may need to take a cue from the HP TouchPad and the BlackBerry PlayBook and drop the price by a couple hundred dollars. Then it would be in a better position to duke it out with the Kindle Fire. Amazon does offer it for about $100 less, but even at that price, the 9.4-inch Tablet S is not as good of a buy as the Kindle Fire.

Best Buy posts big Black Friday weekend numbers, including selling out of Playbook tablets.