Blackberry 10 May be Licensed to Non RIM Devices

By Gilbert Falso :: 12:58 PM

Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM) is slated to launch devices running the BlackBerry 10 operating system at the end of January. One big change may be coming with this OS release, however, as RIM is looking into the possibility of licensing this new operating system to other handset makers.

In similar fashion as Microsoft did with the OS on Windows Phone, RIM’s CEO has told a German newspaper that such a move on the Blackberry maker’s part might be possible. “Before you licensed the software, you must show that the platform has a large potential. First we have to fulfill our promises. If such proof, a licensing is conceivable,” he told German daily Die Welt.

By licensing the new operating system, RIM would open up the ability for third-party hardware manufacturers to install Blackberry 10 as the operating system on non-RIM smartphones and tablets.

RIM is expected to debut its own handsets specially made for the new operating system across a number of cities in a coordinated launch at the end of the month. The OS launches after a considerable delay, due to Blackberry’s concerns that the final product be a platform robust enough to last a long time.

In addition to the new hardware and operating system launch, RIM is also said to be planning on opening its corporate BlackBerry email services to both iPhone and Android devices. This move would produce a new revenue stream for the struggling company, which has seen its a large part of its market share eroded in recent years by Apple and Android handsets.