RIM pushes software services

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 18 Mar 2003 at 15:08

BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) has announced a licensing program for its corporate email server software.

The 'BlackBerry Connect' licensing program will allow mobile device makers to add to their products the ability to access corporate mail through RIM's Enterprise Server system.

This would benefit RIM by widening the number of devices its current customers can deploy throughout their company which hook up to the system, as well as making BlackBerry services more attractive and available to new customers.

'Most users probably haven't thought much about it, but their BlackBerry handheld is only one element of an extremely sophisticated system that connects them to their email account. We've invested tremendous technical integration effort to abstract the complexities of wireless data connectivity and make the BlackBerry experience seemingly effortless for the user. That's a big part of its appeal. We are now in a position to enable the same type of experience and the same level of security on other handsets,' said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion.

RIM is already working with Nokia to add the service to its 6800 handset, as well as with HTC, manufacturers of Microsoft's Pocket PC-based smart phone devices. Symbian also said it would offer the BlackBerry Connect program to its licensees (which include Nokia and Sony among others).

With less than half a million Blackberry subscribers, RIM needs to make this move to avoid being squeezed out.

Andy Buss, senior analyst at Canalys, told us: 'This is an important development for RIM in moving beyond its hardware base.' He told us that RIM faces numerous problems from the hardware point of view: the limited market for whom immediate access to email is necessary and the high cost of deploying hardware designed for this single purpose. But should RIM try and expand the capabilities of BlackBerry, then it will be selling into a market already dominated by Palm and Microsoft.

He said that 'RIM has already had numerous successes with its IP,' but that the company needed to make sure licensing was implemented in such a way that avoided the sour notes surrounding RIM's hard fought agreements with Handspring and Palm over its keyboard patents. 'Maybe they are trying to be a bit underhand about how they go about some of their licensing,' he said. 'RIM must try and ensure a win-win scenario.'

Palm's ongoing spat with Xerox over the UniStrokes patent has seen Palm licensing an alternative Jot handwriting recognition, while the costly case is ongoing. It is important for IP (intellectual property) holders to remember quite how tied potential licensees are to the technology being sold.