“Research In Motion may still see software licensing as an important part of its turnaround plan, even though Samsung has denied that it might pay to use the BlackBerry maker’s technology or even buy the company,” Alastair Sharp reports Reuters.
“RIM has likely held talks with several handset makers about using its new QNX platform, said a prominent RIM shareholder, who said he was briefed by the company,” Sharp reports. “The operating system, already used in the PlayBook tablet, will power RIM’s next-generation smartphones due out later this year.”
“The shareholder, who declined to be identified because he was unauthorized to speak on the record, said he also believes Samsung is interested in a licensing deal despite its statements to the contrary,” Sharp reports. “‘I’m secure they’re talking about licensing stuff,’ the shareholder said, referring to the South Korean smartphone maker. ‘I don’t know if they’re looking to buy the company and I don’t care.'”
Sharp reports, “RIM’s existing product lineup has struggled to compete with Apple’s iPhone and iPad and the slew of large-screen and powerful devices from Samsung and other manufacturers using Google’s Android operating system… If tech precedent plays out, time may be in short supply for any seismic shift at RIM. ‘As you’ve seen with the likes of Nokia and Palm, when things go wrong they can unwind very quickly,’ Atlantic Equities analyst James Cordwell said in an interview.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: No entity wants beleaguered RIM’s BlackBerry more than the ash heap of history.
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