Even the highly anticipated upcoming launch of the BlackBerry 10 device will not be enough to keep shares of Research In Motion Ltd. from falling below the $10 mark as the latest data shows the company’s smartphone market share has been cut in half over the past year, new research from Kris Thompson with National Bank Financial said. At this point, investors are hanging onto RIM stock for the wrong reasons, Mr. Thompson said in a note to clients. “Many investors continue to hold RIM stock on the way down hoping the company will achieve some shareholder value through a restructuring plan that could include selling assets, seeking joint ventures, licensing patents or opening its proprietary network to other vendors,” he said. While some or ... Continue reading →

To clear its streets of cellphone towers, parking meters, Wi-Fi terminals, streetlights and even community message boards, the city of Vancouver is pushing forward with a scheme to compress all the technologies together into specialized “Vancouver poles” planted throughout the city. “Meet your inevitable future,” wrote novelist Douglas Coupland, the technology’s creator, in an introductory Tweet. Alongside Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, the author unveiled the “V-Pole” concept technology last week at the New Cities Summit in Paris, France. “You would never think of building a house or office tower without electricity — in the same way, you would never think of developing future cities without ‘V-Poles,’” said Mr. Coupland in a statement quickly reprinted by French, German and Italian media. The device, no larger than ... Continue reading →

Bank of Nova Scotia has struck a deal to sell its Toronto headquarters to Dundee REIT and H&R REIT for about $1.27-billion. As the only major bank that still owns its main offices, Scotia began to explore a potential sale back in January. Located at 40 King St. West in the centre of Toronto’s financial district, the property consists of three integrated buildings including the main 68-storey tower with a total of 2-million square feet of office space. Dundee Corp., which has a strong history with Scotiabank, emerged as the leading bidder early last month, sources told the Financial Post. Details of the purchase were not immediately disclosed, but last month sources said Dundee REIT was looking to take a substantial stake and become the ... Continue reading →