When interviewed for this story, Fregin was hesitant to answer some questions, saying, “You're getting into the fringe areas of the stuff I normally reveal.” Even analysts who cover RIM don't know much about him. In 1984, two Canadian engineering students, Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin, formed Research in Motion.

BlackBerry Ltd co-founders, Cerberus, chipmaker Qualcomm reportedly discussing joint bid. As part of a broad downsizing, BlackBerry said on Thursday that it would close
Fairfax Financial Holdings  of Toronto has made a conditional, nonbinding offer to buy the 90 percent of BlackBerry shares it does not own for $9 each. Douglas Fregin, left, and Mike Lazaridis, with his wife, Ophelia. He also shares a Technical Emmy Award (1994) for Development of a Keycode Reader with Kodak and the National Film Board of Canada. In the late 90s and early 2000s, the gadget that said more than any other that you had arrived was the Blackberry, a little device from Research in Motion that let you read your e-mail and respond to it from anywhere. Having e-mail all the time was a burden. It survived in a niche, partly due to security, but it was no longer the must-have status symbol. BlackBerry Ltd. co-founders Mike Lazaridis Douglas Fregin may soon have a partner in their bid to take the struggling Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone maker private, as rumours swirled that Cerberus Capital Management LP may be interested in teaming up on …
What happened to Blackberry? If you wanted a Blackberry, you had to be on Exchange, and you had to be on Windows.

It could also talk to a Microsoft Exchange server. Apple happened. Doug Fregin. The two met in grade school and stayed friends right through high-school graduation. In 2008, Apple released its first iPhone, a smartphone with a capacitive touch screen. It was different from other pagers in that it didn’t just talk to phone networks. Fregin was instrumental in designing the first circuit boards that were used in early versions of the company's wireless technology. What to do when your Excel worksheet won't scroll. By that I mean making phone calls, Internet access, and everything. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website.

where he was studying, to start Research in Motion in 1984. Fregin studied electrical engineering at the University of Windsor.

revive BlackBerry’s prominence. If the Palm Pilot and Outlook wasn’t enough to get you to migrate to Exchange from a minicomputer or Lotus Domino and Lotus Notes, Blackberry probably was. © Copyright 2020 St. Joseph Communications. You might be surprised to hear the company is still around and that you can still buy Blackberry phones. It includes the possibility that he would take over the company’s handset business, which many analysts I see it as transformational, like when Atari bought hard drive maker JTS and adopted its name. What happened to Blackberry? Cerberus Capital Management, Mr. Fregin and Mr. Lazaridis have been friends since attending elementary school in Windsor, Ontario. Fregin acted as vice-president of operations until his retirement in 2007. The pair have brought wireless Internet technology, in the form of the BlackBerry device, to four million subscribers around the world. Fregin acted as vice-president of operations until his retirement in 2007. OTTAWA — The two men who founded the company that became BlackBerry may now try to save it. Here's a fix. Mr. Fregin worked quietly as the company’s vice president for operations until 2007. By continuing to use this site, you indicate you accept these terms. and Mr. Fregin, who are not working with Fairfax at the moment, according to a person briefed on the matter. Executives liked having access to e-mail all the time. In 2013, the company quietly shifted from mobile to software under CEO John Chen. This meant the screen could cover almost the entirety of the device. Fregin acted as vice-president of operations until his retirement in 2007. Douglas Fregin is a Canadian businessman who co-founded BlackBerry Limited in 1984.

In recent days, BlackBerry has been acting like a company preparing itself for sale, including settling some outstanding patent litigation. “He stays in the background,” says Deepak Chopra, an analyst at National Bank Financial. They're both billionaires and have been on the Canadian Business Rich 100 list four out of the past seven years. What happened to Blackberry? The company would be required to repay about $2 million in government job grants. BlackBerry Ltd. co-founders Mike Lazaridis Douglas Fregin may soon have a partner in their bid to take the struggling Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone maker private, as rumours swirled that Cerberus Capital Management LP may be interested in teaming up on a potential deal