Lenovo mulls BlackBerry maker RIM partnership – report

PanARMENIAN.Net - Lenovo is reportedly considering the possibility of entering a partnership with BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM), Digital Spy said.

Chief financial officer Wong Wai Ming said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that the Canadian firm is one of several potential companies they could form ties with to boost their mobile division.

"We are looking at all opportunities - RIM and many others," Bloomberg quotes the executive as saying. "We'll have no hesitation if the right opportunity comes along that could benefit us and shareholders,"

RIM CEO Thorsten Heins recently sparked speculation that the company is considering moving away from hardware development when he admitted the sale of this division is one of several options currently under consideration.

However, he insisted that the launch of the BlackBerry 10 operating system on January 30 is the immediate priority.

BB10 is viewed by some as RIM's last chance to remain competitive in the marketplace following a dismal year marred by below-par sales and reputation-damaging service outages.

RIM is also said to be mulling over the possibility of licensing out BB10 to third-party manufacturers, but a move in this direction is dependent on the success of the platform.