Research In Motion is reportedly working toward a major transition that will see the company begin licensing its BlackBerry software to third-party vendors including Samsung and HTC.

In a recent research note, Jefferies & Company analyst Peter Misek wrote that his checks confirmed earlier reports that Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie will soon be removed from their roles as co-chairmen. The analyst says current board member Barbara Stymiest is indeed the front-runner to replace the pair, and he calls her one of the top executives in Canada. ”We believe she will initiate a formal strategic review, possibly trim costs in the hardware business, and possibly announce additional partnerships,” Misek wrote.

The analyst sees Stymiest’s appointment as having little near-term impact on the state of RIM’s business, but he believes the firm is already working on a major transition that could be a huge boon for the company, Barron’sreports. Misek thinks RIM has already set in motion a plan that will see its software licensed to other top vendors including Samsung and HTC.

“We think some of this has already been started with RIM likely agreeing to license Blackberry 10 to Samsung, HTC, and possibly others,” the analyst wrote. “This would help create a critical mass for the ecosystem and maintain RIM’s monthly service revenue.” It is unclear exactly how companies like Samsung and HTC would use the software, or what components of RIM’s BlackBerry platform would be licensed.

See more tech stories on the FOX Business Technology homepage.

Misek went on to note that like the transition from Balsillie and Lazaridis to Stymiest as chairperson of the board, the move to license BlackBerry software will have more of an impact in the long term rather than the short term. “It puts more pressure on the hardware business in the short term,” he said in his note. “Longer term, it possibly gets people hooked on the RIM ecosystem and may in fact allow them to sell more BB 10 handsets

Source:http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/01/03/rim-to-license-blackberry-software-to-samsung-htc-others-report/

RIM just announced a security platform that covers BlackBerry devices — but also devices running Android and iOS. On one hand, it’s a sign that IT managers seek BlackBerry’s renowned security. On the other hand, it’s a sign that RIM is giving up on competing with its functionally superior rivals.

“If you can’t beat them, join them,” wrote telecom analyst Jeff Kagan, in a note. “This looks like RIM’s attempt to remain relevant in a changing marketplace.”

What’s the change? That people aren’t buying BlackBerry handsets anymore, choosing instead phones that run an operating system powered by Google or Apple. RIM’s global sales have plummeted 58 percent in the past year, according to a recent report by Canalys, which said RIM is doing even worse than that in the United States. RIM’s U.S. market share fell from 24 percent this time last year, to just 9 percent now. Meanwhile, the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet has been a total flop.

The new software, called BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, sounds great: IT managers can juggle apps, settings, passwords and other software on phones running all three major operating systems. They can wipe the memory of lost or stolen phones. And the system can handle multiple devices per user. This last bit is a key benefit since a lot of people who were issued a BlackBerry by their company have gone out and bought a cooler phone — to the chagrin of the IT folks.

If RIM’s intent is to shift from hardware to software and services, like IBM did so successfully, then this may make sense. But it’s hard to ignore BlackBerry Mobile Fusion’s acknowledgment of the ascendancy of Android and iPhone, at the cost of RIM’s core business. RIM will also add other platforms such as Windows Phone if there’s a demand, though at the moment, the company is “not hearing” that demand.

BlackBerry Mobile Fusion “will help stem the tide of those companies that may have considered eliminating their BlackBerry Enterprise Servers but it won’t help sell more phones,” Gartner analyst Phillip Redman told Reuters. “That’s what they really need to do.”

RIM discussed the software in a press conference, but Alan Panezic, RIM’s VP of enterprise product management and marketing, did not answer any questions (including our own) about how this changes BlackBerry’s competitive stance against Android and iOS.

Source:http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/29/9091786-new-rim-security-software-a-sign-blackberry-is-over

Research In Motion Ltd. said a software upgrade for the BlackBerry PlayBook that’s expected to include dedicated e-mail won’t come until February, missing holiday sales as RIM tries to revive demand for the tablet.

The PlayBook OS 2.0 upgrade won’t have BlackBerry Messenger, the free instant-messaging service that has fueled sales outside North America, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said late yesterday in a blog. Messenger will be in a later upgrade, RIM said.

RIM is counting on the new QNX software that’s used for PlayBook and will power future BlackBerry phones to encourage programmers to build more applications for its devices. The company’s phones have lost market share to Apple Inc.’s iPhone and handsets based on Google Inc.’s Android software, which offer a wider range of apps. That drop led to investor demands for RIM to shake up its strategy and management.

“This represents another execution stumble given the company set expectations for an earlier delivery,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky wrote in a note today. The Toronto-based analyst rates RIM shares “sector perform.”

Shortly after RIM put the PlayBook on sale in April, it promised dedicated e-mail would come in an update this summer. Co-Chief Executive Officer Mike Lazaridis said in September that the upgrade would be demonstrated at last week’s BlackBerry developer conference and released “thereafter,” causing speculation that it would arrive in time for the holiday shopping season to spur PlayBook sales.

Shipments Decline

The tablet’s shipments dropped by more than half last quarter following criticisms of its e-mail shortcomings and lack of apps. Deliveries to retailers such as Best Buy Co. fell to 200,000 from 500,000 in the previous quarter as Apple shipped 9.25 million of its market-leading iPad.

RIM fell 7 percent to $20.72 at 4 p.m. in New York. The shares have declined 64 percent this year.

Today’s announcement “sustains low investor sentiment regarding the company’s ability to deliver competitive software.

Source:http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-26/rim-delays-blackberry-playbook-software-upgrade-to-february.html

QNX Software, the system Research In Motion will use to power its PlayBook tablet and future BlackBerry smartphones, may outshine its parent this week as it touts vehicles with the productivity of an office.

QNX is pursuing a long-standing passion for cars even as it draws attention over whether its presence under the PlayBook’s hood improves RIM’s chances versus Apple’s iPad and a slew of contenders vying for attention at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

It is making a play for the connected car — and a particularly high-end car at that — offering email direct to the in-dash display of the 2011 Z4 Roadster from BMW.

For safety, you cannot cleanse your inbox by yourself as you drive; instead the system reads them to you. When stationary, more functions are allowed.

“The content of the electronics in vehicles are growing at such an exponential rate,” said Andrew Poliak, head of business development for automotive applications at QNX, which RIM bought from Harman International. “The quantity of software we are putting in the car is increasing dramatically.”

QNX, whose software underpins systems in more than 200 vehicle models from the likes of Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai, is eager to push up the food chain from a pure operating system provider.

“We are providing more of those upper layers of the front-end, using Flash or HTML5,” and offering a media player, Poliak said, stressing that carmakers still had plenty of room to set themselves apart.

BMW, which has a long history of working with QNX, will be demonstrating the upgrade to its in-car system at the desert gizmo show. In the more affordable price range, Toyota unveiled its QNX-powered Entune system, which links a car-owner’s mobile phone to their dashboard display.

Automakers, recovering from a slump, are eager to cram the latest consumer gadgetry into their vehicles to lure drivers addicted to Twitter feeds, Facebook status updates or in need of a map or a review and directions to nearby restaurants.

WELCOME TO ANOTHER WORLD

RIM bought QNX from Harman for C$200 million in a deal completed in April. Almost a year later it is about to step into a raging battle for smartphone and tablet operating system supremacy.

To one side sits Apple’s iOS on the iPhone and iPad, a sleek interface aided by the iTunes platform for buying, renting and organizing media files.

On the other sits Google’s Android system, offered free to device makers, many of whom jumped eagerly into its arms.

QNX’s lineage, which RIM’s boasts is a strength, causes some concern for analyst Shaw Wu at Kaufman Bros, who has engaged in a dual with RIM in the last week over his charge the PlayBook battery is sub-par.

“From my understanding they are furiously working on fixing these problems,” Wu said. “It’s not going to be easy because they are using an OS that wasn’t designed for mobile.”

While loathe to comment directly on the concerns on the PlayBook’s battery life, Poliak said QNX’s strength was an ability to scale up or down depending on need.

“We have systems running full infotainment systems on very low-end ARM 9 processors,” he said, noting that QNX took steps to ensure its systems running in electric cars such as GM’s Chevrolet Volt did not drain precious resources that would limit the driving range of the vehicle.

“When you go to an electric vehicle, the dynamics change dramatically because every ounce of current drain is effectively range,” he said.

Poliak said QNX expects to announce its presence in two more electric vehicle platforms from major suppliers in 2011.

Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7044WT20110105