The company formerly known as RIM continues to struggle against the likes of Apple and Samsung-- BlackBerry FY Q1 2014 losses total $84 million despite cost-cutting measures and BlackBerry 10 device launches. 

BlackBerry smartphone shipments for the period total 6.8 million units with 13% Q-o-Q growth. The company declines to mention the amount of BB10 devices shipped, while PlayBook tablet shipments reach "approximately" 100000 units. 

"Quite frankly, the fear is that with a full quarter of (the new) BlackBerry 10 sales-- we haven't received the BlackBerry 10 unit numbers yet-- but certainly it doesn't bode well for the initial BlackBerry 10 launch, particularly the Z10. But even the outlook for a Q2 loss doesn't bode well for the Q10 either," Morningstar analyst Brian Colello tells Reuters. 

Nokia is apparently hopping on and off the selling block, and at least two companies considered a sale-- the Wall Street Journal reports Microsoft "held advanced talks" on the matter, while the Financial Times says Huawei is "open" to a deal. 

According to the WSJ Microsoft wanted to buy the Nokia handset business, but discussions "faltered" due to matters of price and mobile market position (or lack thereof, rather). Apparently talks were taking place as recently as this month, but will probably not be revived. 

Meanwhile Huawei appears to "consider" acquiring Nokia in order to become the biggest smartphone maker around. At the London Ascend P6 launch event Huawei chairman Richard Yu tells the FT "We are considering these sorts of acquisitions; maybe the combination has some synergies but depends on the willingness of Nokia. We are open-minded." 

A pair of former HTC executives hope for mobile success with Kazam, a newly formed UK-based smartphone maker with a focus on the European market and ambitions of "disrupting the status quo."

Former HTC head of UK sales Michael Coombes and ex-UK marketing head James Atkins lead the company, with Coombes as CEO and Atkins as CMO. The two left HTC on March 2013 as the company was going through turnaround woes.

Speaking with CNET Coombes says "Kazam's dynamic structure and focus on local markets means we can react quickly to the ever-evolving and diverging needs of today's consumer," while Atkins claims "we are passionate about delivering a truly positive mobile experience that doesn't just stop once you've bought the phone."

Once upon a time, Foxconn made virtually all iPhones and iPads in the world. But not any more-- The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is dividing the supply chain with another Taiwanese company, Pegatron.

The Apple-Foxconn partnership came through "two leaders with a hero complex," the late Steve Jobs and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou. But current Apple CEO Tim Cook apparently finds the increasingly powerful Foxconn too difficult to control (due to incidents such as surprise component source changes), while Foxconn thinks devices such as the iPhone 5 too complex to make in the volumes Apple demands.

The WSJ also says Apple wants to diversify suppliers (or "shift risk diversification") after 2012 manufacturing glitches resulted in iPhones with scratched metal casings, as well as concerns over growing competition from the likes of Samsung.