Tech stocks: Research in Motion surges, Apple hovers

RIM surges. Research in Motion (RIMM^[1]) stock continues to gain positive momentum, up nearly 9% at $14.75 as investors ramp up excitement for the company’s upcoming line of BlackBerry 10 devices. All four major U.S. carriers — AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon — have confirmed they will carry BlackBerry 10 smartphones when they launch later this year.

The line of devices takes BlackBerry away from its traditional mobile phones with their signature keyboards to focus more heavily on touchscreens. As USA TODAY’s Jon Swartz points out^[2], intuitive auto-correct features for the touchscreen keyboard and tools for separating work and personal content highlight the set of BlackBerry 10 options.

The stock has more than doubled since Sept. 30, when it sunk to a six-month low of $6.31.

Apple (AAPL^[3]) creeps down toward $500. The tech giant’s shares are slowly inching back toward $500. They currently sit at $503, down just over 3%. The downturn follows reports that Apple has cut back orders on screens^[4] for its iPhone 5 because of weak demand.

The demand questions follow an impressive opening weekend for iPhone 5 back in September. At launch, the company sold 5 million iPhone 5 devices, 1 million more than its predecessor iPhone 4S pulled off in 2011. Apple will have more details on iPhone sales during its first-quarter earnings call on Jan. 23.

Groupon (GRPN) pushing upward. The online daily deals pioneer is boasting a 4% jump in its stock to $5.58 despite rumors its CEO might be headed out the door. On Friday, All Things D reported^[5] that Groupon has purchased the deals discovery app Glassmap. The report says the app offers a relevant feature for the company’s Groupon Now service: the ability for local businesses to target users based on their location or activities.