CHICAGO, Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Research In Motion Ltd., (Nasdaq:RIMM), Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL), Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG), AT&T, Inc. (NYSE:T) and Juniper Inc. (NYSE:JNPR).

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Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

RIMM to Ship Cheaper Smartphone

Delay in the launch of BlackBerry 10-based handsets and a continuous loss of market share have forced BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion Ltd., (Nasdaq:RIMM) to sell new budget-friendly BlackBerry Curve 9315 smartphone on T-Mobile network across the country.

The new handset is expected to hit the T-Mobile stores on January 23. However, the smartphone will be available to the preferred clients from January 16 onwards before it is available for sale to the public.

The new BlackBerry Curve costing $49.99 (inclusive of a $50 mail-in rebate card) comes along with a two-year service contract from T-Mobile USA. It is also offering choice of payments to the budget-friendly customers where they can make a down payment of $49.99 and the balance is to be paid in the next 20 installments.

The new smartphone from Research In Motion is preloaded with all the popular social networking apps like Facebook, Twitter and BlackBerry Messenger. The handset is powered with Wi-Fi connectivity and a 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash and digital zoom and also supports 32GB of additional media storage.

Both Research In Motion and T-Mobile USA are aggressively realigning its business for future growth prospects as both the companies are continuously losing market traction from their respective rivals.

Research In Motion is facing stiff competition from Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq:AAPL) iPhones and Google Inc.'s (Nasdaq:GOOG) Android-based devices. Likewise, weaker product portfolio and lack of 4GLTE spectrum strength is forcing T-Mobile USA to lose market traction against top rivals like AT&T, Inc. (NYSE:T) and Verizon Wireless.

We maintain our long-term Neutral recommendation on Research In Motion Ltd. Currently, the company has a Zacks #3 Rank, implying a short-term (Hold) rating on the stock.

Juniper Raises Funds for Expansion

Networking company Juniper Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) is currently in expansion mode. The company has raised $101.7 million through an all-equity deal to fund the expansion.

Overall, 27 investors took part in the equity offering, although their names were not mentioned in the filing. The information has not yet been authenticated by any of the company spokespersons.

Juniper is coming up with breakthrough products and therefore is on the lookout for new funds to expand its operations. The company is introducing products that will enable service providers to rapidly deliver and expand new consumer and business services. Monetizing their networks and escalating the use of mobile and cloud applications along with investments in new infrastructure may help the company to grow faster. 

The company recently announced the signing of an agreement to acquire software-based networking startup Contrail Systems for $176 million in cash. The acquisition is expected to help Juniper deal with competition from rivals

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