Today’s mobile news roundup features RIM’s latest woes, Google Chrome topping Apple’s App Store, and the iPhone’s fifth birthday.

RIM suffers a few more setbacks

Research in Motion yesterday reported a loss of ¢37 per share as sales tumbled 43% percent to $2.8 billion, largely missing a prediction of $3.05 billion.  What’s worse, they’ve announced that 5,000 jobs will be cut.

The company has been banking on the release of the BlackBerry 10 this fall, as it will dictate whether RIM needs to sell the company, according to some sources.

Unfortunately, the release of BB10 has been pushed further back to the first quarter of 2013.  RIM continues to struggle as more consumers turn to iOS and Android devices.  But they can’t blame the consumers–no one likes to wait for something that’s been promised for months with little indication that it will be innovative enough to fend off competition.

“The delay increases the likelihood of a sale,” said Michael Walkley, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity Inc. in Minneapolis. “Even if BB10 launched in the fall against iPhone 5, it would be very, very tough to get consumers to try it out.”

Google Chrome is no the top free app for iOS

Apple’s Safari browser may be losing traction with its own iPhone and iPad users as Google’s Chrome, which was just released on iOS last Tuesday, is now the top free app in the App Store.

Google made dedicated versions for both the iPhone and iPad so iPad users can take advantage of the device’s large screen.  Mobile Chrome features the address/search box,  tabbed browsing, the ability to switch the position of tabs, plus the Incognito mode, which lets users browse securely without having their history tracked.

In other Google news, the search giant shed some light as to why they have chosen ASUS for the Nexus 7 instead of Motorola Mobility, which they own.  They’re answer was simple – they’re not playing favorites.

“It was important for us when we acquired Motorola to stress to our partners that we weren’t buying Motorola to get in the hardware business and compete directly with them” Android partner engineering Patrick Brady said.

Brady reiterated that Google bought Motorola for the patents and intellectual property, not create an unfair market.

“At first I think our partners weren’t sure whether we really meant what we said about not giving Motorola preferential treatment” Brady admitted. “But they’ve seen us do another Nexus smartphone with Samsung and the Nexus 7 tablet with Asus, so I think they see that Motorola is not getting preferential treatment. It’s all about the ecosystem.”

Happy Birthday, iPhone!

Today marks the fifth year of the iPhone.  Yes, five years ago, on June 29, 2007, people lined up in front of Apple Stores to get their hands on the first generation of Apple iPhones.

A lot has happened since it was released – the iPhone has evolved, not just physically, but in function as well.  Five years ago, not a lot of people knew about multi-touch capabilities.  Now it’s one of the things they consider when buying a smartphone.  Before, phones were just for calling and texting.  Now you can send files, play videos and music, browse the web, get directions and a wh0le lot more.  Though some may say that the technology isn’t new, we can’t deny that Apple revolutionized smartphones.

Check out the following piece, Five Years of iPhone Love – A Birthday Celebration for Apple, to learn more about the iPhone and the rumored features of the iPhone 5.