Matching a recent move by Wal-Mart (WMT), Amazon.com (AMZN) has unveiled a new promotion on Research in Motion (RIMM) BlackBerry phones, giving buyers of certain models who sign up for new 2-year plans free $100 “e-gift cards.” The deal runs from November 14 through November 20. The gift cards will be mailed automatically 6 weeks after the phones are purchased.

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When last we left the Waterloo, Ontario-based maker of BlackBerries, Research in Motion’s (RIMM) shares were falling like a rock. Or, perhaps, like a kitchen knife. The stock is down $1.63 today, or 2.4 percent, at $67.28, after falling as low as $66.67, and down 19 percent since offering a lackluster outlook on Thursday night.

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Research in Motion (RIMM) shares are getting clobbered this morning after the company yesterday issued weaker-than-expected revenue guidance for the fiscal third quarter ending in November.

While Q2 results were mixed–revenue was a tad light, as net subscriber adds came in toward the low end of guidance, while EPS was a bit ahead of estimates–the Q3 outlook disappointed investors. The company said it sees revenue for Q3 of $3.6 billion to $3.85 billion, below the Street consensus forecast of $3.92 billion. RIMM also said it sees gross margin in the quarter of 43%, down about one point sequentially. And with average selling prices sinking, and many new handsets coming from other manufacturers, there are worries that gross margins will see more pressure in coming months.

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Ford Motor Co. (F) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) are teaming up to market the auto maker’s redesigned Taurus sedan.

Ford and Microsoft first teamed up a few years ago to launch the Sync telematics system, which enables drivers to hook Bluetooth entertainment and communications devices into the car. Now, Ford is using a technology from Microsoft–known as tags–in its print advertising materials in order to give potential car buyers a more interactive introduction to the car.

Looking very much like a bar code found on most consumer products, the black and white tags are integrated into the design of an ad and can be photographed by anyone carrying a camera-equipped smart phone, such as Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone, or Research In Motion Ltd.’s (RIMM) Blackberry. Once the image has been downloaded, it then links a consumer to a company-designed website.

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So here’s the thing about the smartphone market: there are way too many of them.

The year 2010, JMP Securities analyst Samuel Wilson asserted in a report this morning, “should be the year of the shakeout in smartphones.” He believes most of the market share and carrier focus will consolidate around three vendors. His view is that two of the winners “have effectively already been chosen.” In that group he includes Research In Motion (RIMM), “already a leader with its strong market presence” with a focus on the enterprise, and Apple (AAPL), driven by the App Store, iTunes and a strong Web browser.

So who will take the third slot?

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For two Canadian guys who’ve spent the past 17 years together building one of the world’s most important tech companies, Research in Motion (RIMM) co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have surprisingly little in common.

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Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Nokia Corp. (NOK), once bitter rivals in the mobile market, formed an alliance to strengthen their positions at a time when other competitors have become far more troublesome.

The deal between the two companies will bring Microsoft’s Office programs and other software to Nokia phones. It is aimed squarely at the professional market that Research In Motion Ltd. (RIMM) targets so successfully with its BlackBerry line of smart phones.

For Microsoft, the deal is an attempt to increase the appeal of Office–a lucrative franchise that includes Word, Excel and other productivity programs–to a business audience that is being courted by competing products from rivals that range from Google Inc. (GOOG) to Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO). Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

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Some positive views bubbling up today for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIMM), as Susquehanna Financial Group’s Jeffrey Fidarco initiates coverage of its stock with a “Positive” rating and a price target of $94, which would be about 18 percent upside from the current price. And an increase in estimates by Oppenheimer & Co.’s Ittai Kidron.

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The cell phone market right now is awash in buzz, with the debut of the Palm (PALM) Pre, updated Apple (AAPL) iPhones on the way and new models coming from Research In Motion (RIMM) and others.

But has the chatter obscured softening fundamentals?

Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek thinks so. Yesterday, he cut his ratings on 3 major players.

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Research In Motion (RIMM) didn’t provide a lot of concrete news at its analyst day yesterday; there were no new models unveiled, and no updated financial guidance. But the analysts nonetheless came away from the event feeling generally more upbeat on the company than when they arrived. And that has given RIMM shares a modest boost in today’s trading.

I’d note that the most notable comments and price target changes came from the more bearish analysts on the stock; maybe they fed the gurus comfort food at lunch and gave them blankies to hold. (Hmmm…the BlackBerry Blankie…it has possibilities, no?) Here’s a rundown on some of the post-meeting analysis:

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Dell (DELL) CEO Michael Dell has done little to dispel rumors that his company is working on a mobile computing device. In fact, he all but confirmed them while traveling in Japan on March 24 when he said: “It is true that we are exploring smaller-screen devices.” What form those devices will take remains a matter of heated debate. Talk is that Dell plans a smartphone that would compete with Research In Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry, Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone, and the various devices running software from Microsoft (MSFT), Nokia (NOK), or the Google-backed (GOOG) Open Handset Alliance. Prototypes of a Dell-made smartphone are being circulated in the wild and, according to Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu, got a cool reception from mobile-phone carriers including AT&T (T) and Sprint Nextel (S).

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Who knew Dick Cheney was an e-book reader?

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the former vice president said that he owns an Amazon (AMZN) Kindle and used it to read James McPherson’s “Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief.” He said he also uses a BlackBerry, made by Research In Motion (RIMM), to keep up with the news now that he’s no longer in office.

Mr. Cheney follows in the footsteps of an increasingly wired crew of politicians. President Barack Obama fought to hang on to his BlackBerry before his inauguration, stoking speculation that he might have received a National Security Agency-approved device. Congressmen might as well declare themselves dinosaurs if they don’t create their own YouTube channels and Twitter constantly.

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Research in Motion (RIMM) shares are taking a hit this morning after Broadpoint.Amtech analyst Rob Sanderson trimmed his earnings estimates on the company for both the February 2009 fiscal year and for FY 2010. While Sanderson keeps his Buy rating, he notes that the company appears to have reduced its build plans and reduced component orders in the past few weeks.

Sanderson cut his FY ’09 EPS estimate to $3.43 from $3.54; for FY 2010, he goes to $3.75, from $4.25. His sales estimates fall to $11 billion from $11.2 billion for ’09, and to $14.7 billion from $15.4 billion for 2010.

“Component orders have come down over the past several weeks,” he writes in a research note. “RIMM was building for a best case scenario which has been removed.”

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A question inspired by this week’s news that Research in Motion (RIMM), the company that makes the BlackBerry, has become the chief sponsor for U2’s next bombastic world tour: Who exactly is profiting from this deal? U2, like most big rock acts, has never been shy about taking corporate lucre, but it usually allies with companies that it claims share its change-the-world vision–the prime example being RIM’s rival Apple (AAPL). In 2004, Steve Jobs dedicated the first special-edition iPod in U2’s honor; the 20 GB black-and-red model sold for $349, and U2 agreed to make some of its music available exclusively on iTunes. In 2005, Bono defended the deal with Apple by saying that the company shared the band’s creative spirit. “Selling out is doing something you don’t really want to do for money. That’s what selling out is. We asked to be in the ad,” he told the Chicago Tribune. He added that Apple is “more creative than a lot of people in rock bands. These men have helped design the most beautiful object art in music culture since the electric guitar. That’s the iPod. The job of art is to chase ugliness away.”

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Bold call this morning–no pun intended–from ThinkEquity analyst Mike Burton, who launched coverage of Research In Motion (RIMM) with a Sell rating and a $30 price target.

Burton writes in a research note that he thinks RIMM is a great company, but that its margins are going to get squeezed by increasing competition, and that it needs to invest more to expand. “Some of this has been recognized by the deterioration of the stock,” he writes, “but we believe there is still significant downside to current earnings estimates.”

Burton says the handset sector “has always been brutal where distribution is sometimes as important as the quality of ones product portfolio, but it is also facing a new wave of competition in its core market in QWERTY smartphones.”

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