Research In Motion, the ailing manufacturer of the once popular Blackberry device is looking at new strategies to save its phone. The company is relying heavily on the upcoming Blackberry 10 generation of devices which are expected to turn the company around and the CEO of RIM, Thornsten Heins has just announced several possibilities that the company might be interested in. Among them is the possibility of licensing the Blackberry 10 OS to other smartphone manufacturers in an attempt to keep the company’s financial reserves healthy and it is even looking to the healthcare and smartgrid industries who are interested in using the secure network for their own use.
The company is looking to release devices running the platform by the end of the year but at the same time is considering its use in other devices because of the platform’s capabilities. Blackberry 10 is built on the QNX platform that is used in cars, nuclear plants and even military drones. In an interview, Heins said that the QNX platform is used across the automotive sector and that BB10 could be put to same use. He has already begun using a device running the platform and said that it is in the final stages of testing which is going well. Among the new features of the newly developed platform are a superior web browser, multi tasking capabilities, which appears to be essential for Blackberry if it has to grab the limelight from Apple. This news has helped the company’s stock improve by a significant margin, especially after speculation built up that Samsung was looking to licensing the BB10 OS.
Among the likely beneficiaries of the new OS are the health care and smart-grid industries. Heins appears confident that the automotive industry will want to move to BB10 from QNX and RIM is also considering leasing out the secure network to businesses that need the added security layers and authentication. The proprietary network is what sets Blackberry apart from other devices according to Heins and he seems intent on capitalizing on this. While the main focus of the company will be on the Blackberry 10 devices, it should also consider taking licensing ahead in an aggressive manner to regain its lost glory. The future of the company is built around this platform and the company seems very cautious in making decisions regarding it.
