RIM loses another exec to Samsung as co struggles to regain its stride

Toronto:  BlackBerry maker Research In Motion lost another executive to Samsung Electronics  on Wednesday, a setback for the stumbling Canadian technology giant as it struggles to regain its stride. Ryan Bidan, senior product manager for RIM’s PlayBook tablet computer, is leaving the company for a job as director of product marketing for Samsung Mobile, according to his profile on professional networking site LinkedIn. RIM declined to comment on Bidan’s departure. Bidan is moving to Dallas to work for Samsung, one of the companies that has been eating away at RIM’s smartphone market share. Bidan’s move comes barely a month after Brian Wallace, who headed RIM’s digital marketing efforts, quit to take a job at Samsung. [caption id=“attachment_45105” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Ryan Bidan, senior product manager for RIM’s PlayBook tablet computer, is leaving the company for a job as director of product marketing for Samsung Mobile. Reuters”]  [/caption] More defections over the coming months are possible after RIM announced it would cut an unspecified number of jobs as it seeks to regain momentum in a smartphone race that it once dominated. RIM has faced a storm of criticism about its inability to develop and promote products competitive with Apple’s iPhone and iPad, as well as the slew of devices running Google’s Android software. RIM’s PlayBook launched in April to reviews complaining it was not ready. The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said it has shipped more than 500,000 units of the tablet, the first RIM device to run on a QNX-based operating system. RIM’s chief marketing officer, Keith Pardy, also left the company earlier this year and co-CEO Jim Balsillie has assumed responsibility for overall marketing. The company’s shares were down more than 3 percent in early trading on the Nasdaq and Toronto Stock Exchange, a day after rival Apple reported quarterly earnings and revenues that smashed Wall Street’s expectations. Reuters