Sit tight and enjoy this week’s edition of the Logic blog! Catch up on the biggest stories in technology of the week. Enjoy!

Blackberry Selling Unlocked Phones Direct to Buyers – Sept. 29

Attempting to regain its footing in the mobile phone market, Blackberry is now selling unlocked phones directly to U.S. buyers on its website. The unlocked Q10 and Z10 smartphones are priced at $549 and $449, respectively. Recently, T-Mobile announced it would no longer carry Blackberry devices and Blackberry announced a $1 billion write down of inventory. The decision to sell unlocked phones should give the brand a needed boost. Source: 

Apple Most Valuable Brand in the World – Sept. 30

The week kicked off with good news for Apple and its fan base. The company unseated Coke as the most valuable brand in the world, according to an annual ranking by Interbrand. Apple was number 36 on the list in 2000 with a brand value of $6.6 billion. Now at the top, Apple’s brand value is $98.3 billion. Coke had been number one on the list for the previous 13 years. Source: 

Investors Push Bill Gates to Step Down as Microsoft Chairman – Oct. 1

Reuters reports that three of the top Microsoft investors are asking the board to push Bill Gates to remove himself as the chairman of the company he founded. Combined, the three investors own 5 percent of the company while Gates owns 4.5 percent. The board has shown no indication of caving to the pressure and Microsoft declined to comment on the rumors. Source: 

HTC Stumbles, Samsung Surges in Q3 – Oct. 4

Mobile phone competitors HTC and Samsung head in different directions after the third quarter. HTC started out strong with its HTC One smart phone but couldn’t keep pace with Samsung. When the dust cleared, HTC reported a loss of $101.3 million while Samsung claims in will have a record high profit for Q3. Samsung didn’t disclose specifics on net income or financial performance, but will release full results later this month. Samsung, of course, makes many other products other than smart phones. However, USA Today reports that smart phones account for roughly two-thirds of Samsung’s profit. Source:  and