BlackBerry CEO John Chen says company is 'very much alive'

BlackBerry CEO John Chen has been on the job for only a month, but his message is clear: BlackBerry isn't going anywhere. To bolster that sentiment further, Chen today issued a new open letter to his company's enterprise customers. "Our 'for sale' sign has been taken down and we are here to stay," Chen writes, using a recent investment deal with Fairfax Financial has evidence that the company has fresh wind behind its sails. After failing to make a sizable impact in the consumer smartphone market, Chen also reiterates that enterprise will be a leading focus for BlackBerry in the months and years to come.

"We're going back to our heritage and roots — delivering enterprise-grade, end-to-end mobile solutions." But the company isn't getting out of the hardware business; Chen confirms that handsets will be among BlackBerry's four target areas. (Aside from enterprise, cross-platform messaging will be another focus point.) "In short, reports of our death are greatly exaggerated," writes Chen. The CEO then addresses business users head on, seeking to ensure BlackBerry's once-reliable customer base that the company is "in the game for the long term." It's not the first time BlackBerry has used such public-facing tactics to avert panic; in October it took out full-page ads in several publications to paint a similarly rosy picture. "You can continue to count on us," the company said then.

• Via Business Insider
• Source BlackBerry