BlackBerry name becoming relevant again in the U.S.

Research firm YouGov reports that BlackBerry is receiving the highest positive buzz in the U.S. since September 2011. BlackBerry, the Apple iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy were measured by YouGov BrandIndex’s Buzz score, which asks "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?" Those being surveyed must be 18 or older.

The score is based on the net number of positive or negative responses. As you might expect, it is a dogfight at the top between the Apple iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy. The iPhone has a net +17 score, down from a peak of +38 it scored on October 1st, just around the time that the Apple iPhone 5 launched. That beat out the +16 scored by the Korean handset manufacturer. BlackBerry has gone from zero around the beginning of the year, to a current +7.

Meanwhile, among consumers likely to buy a new handset in the next 6 months, 18% of BlackBerry owners said they would buy another 'Berry back in the second quarter of 2012. That figure is now 43% for Q1 of 2013. During that same time period, those Apple iPhone owners who said they would stick to iOS slipped from 92% to 85% while the numbers for the Samsung Galaxy line rose from 46% to 53%.

source: YouGov