BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.
(
RIM) this week released a software suite that allows mobile
devices running Windows Mobile 6 to become virtual BlackBerrys and
use applications that made BlackBerry a mobility gold standard.
The virtual
BlackBerry solution lets devices from third-party manufacturers
use widely popular BlackBerry software applications and services.
The suite, which will be available later this year, has been slated
to run on select
Windows Mobile 6-based devices.
Once the suite is installed on the device, users will be able to
access BlackBerry applications that include email, phone, calendar,
address book, tasks, memos, browser, instant messaging and other
applications once exclusive to the BlackBerry platform. Devices
running the software will also be able to connect to BlackBerry
services via BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and BlackBerry
Internet Service.
RIM president and co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said the software brings
BlackBerry functionality to the masses and plays into RIM's idea of
shaking the stigma of being a mostly proprietary platform.
"Extending BlackBerry applications to a broader range of devices
is an important element of RIM's strategy to provide an open
platform that supports industry standards and addresses the various
needs of our customers and partners," Lazaridis said in a
statement.
While in use, the BlackBerry software will appear as an icon on
the screen of the Windows device. Clicking the icon opens and loads
the suite of BlackBerry applications, and it will feature a user
interface strikingly similar to a BlackBerry smartphone. The
existing Windows Mobile applications running on the device are
preserved, allowing the user to switch between Windows and
BlackBerry applications.
As well as allowing the use of BlackBerry applications, the
software suite enables BlackBerry push technology, meaning that
messages and information updates can be delivered to the Windows
device running the software. Also, the software supports BlackBerry
Mobile Data System (MDS), which lets organizations develop their
own BlackBerry applications or deploy third-party BlackBerry
applications that can run on both Windows Mobile and BlackBerry
smartphones.
The software also features support on BES, which integrates with
Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino or Novell GroupWise for
push-based wireless access to email and other corporate data and
over-the-air IT policy enforcement.
"It's about time," said Daniel Taylor, managing director of the
Mobile Enterprise Alliance. "Because most of RIM's profit is tied
up in BlackBerry devices, I can't say what this announcement will
mean for RIM's gross margins, but I'm sure that there's a recurring
revenue piece in the support for Windows Mobile devise. Unlike
RIM's BlackBerry Connect licensing model, this new approach
promises to meet a far larger number of devices on terms
satisfactory to the enterprise, and it ensures that RIM will remain
relevant as the mobile enterprise evolves from email only to a full
suite of corporate applications."
Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart agreed with Taylor,
noting that the offering will not only serve to give RIM longevity
but will also give the company a software-based revenue source.
"RIM has long looked to diversify its revenue away from an
over-reliance on hardware – currently 70% of total revenue -- and
this offering fits nicely into that strategic view," Greengart
said. "The goal is not just to move a significant portion of RIM's
revenue from relatively lower-margin hardware to higher-margin
software, but also to ensure that RIM doesn't lose out based on
hardware and software factors in the industry that it cannot
control."
Greengart continued: "By allowing RIM's middleware and email
services to connect to non-RIM devices, RIM can maintain its
position in mobile email and continue to generate high-margin
revenue even if someone like HTC or Samsung creates a must-have
device, or if someone creates a killer app that only runs on
Windows Mobile or
Symbian S60."
Jack Gold, president and founder of J.Gold Associates, a
Northborough, Mass.-based mobile research and advisory firm, said
bringing BlackBerry online with Windows Mobile is RIM's way of
adapting to the allure of
cool and hip devices, many of which run the Windows Mobile
operating system.
"A lot more organizations are going out and buying the coolest
devices," Gold said. "If I already have the BES, you can just
include it. [BlackBerry is] not going to be able to sell a
Pearl or
8800 to everyone."
The drawback Gold sees at this point is that the software is
available only for Windows Mobile 6, which has not yet been made
available on devices. It appears that many devices running Windows
Mobile 5 may not be upgradeable to the latest version of the
operating system when it's released, he said, though
Palm is working on a way to upgrade its Windows-based Treos.
"This is significant in that it's RIM saying, 'We're going to
have to support a lot of different devices,'" Gold said. "But I
doubt Microsoft is particularly happy about it."
Greengart said, however, that Microsoft should have few qualms
about BlackBerry being able to run on its Windows Mobile
devices.
"Microsoft should be pretty happy about this as well -- anything
that makes their mobile OS more flexible and capable should help to
increase adoption," he said. "Microsoft could even build a
migration strategy around the new software, using it to support
BlackBerry users today, and then once a company has a critical mass
of Windows Mobile devices, they could move to an all-Microsoft
infrastructure on the back end."
Greengart added that Microsoft could reap the benefits of being
able to run virtual BlackBerry on its mobile operating system.
"But the boost to the Windows Mobile ecosystem could be
significant -- Microsoft doesn't need to own the whole value chain
to succeed," he said. "Microsoft Exchange has plenty of momentum
for corporate messaging without considering mobility, and, indeed,
Microsoft doesn't even charge for push email, so it stands to lose
no money if companies use RIM's BES Middleware to connect to
Windows Mobile devices instead."
Other RIM competitors, such as Nokia, are not excited about the
offering, however. In a statement issued this week, Nokia said its
Intellisync Mobile Suite 8.0 gives enterprises and operators
reliable, secure and flexible access to mobile data and
applications through wireless email and other unified
communications tools.
Nokia pointed out that its solutions, unlike RIM's, don't
require a Network Operating Center (NOC) to deliver email from a
company's messaging system to its employees' devices, though a
NOC-based solution is available. The Intellisync suite also
supports more than 100 Nokia and non-Nokia devices on Windows
Mobile, Palm, Symbian and BlackBerry platforms.
Lior Nir, director of product marketing for the Mobility
Solutions division of Nokia Enterprise Solutions, said that
allowing companies to leverage mobile applications across various
devices and operating systems has become a necessity as companies
seek to drive down mobility costs while also boosting user
productivity. In addition, he said, the proliferation of end users
bringing varying devices into the enterprise, or enterprises
offering
device menus, means that companies have to be able to support
them while also offering similar functionality on each.
"It's the same look and feel whether it's a Nokia or non-Nokia
device," Nir said. "We can provide to a whole breadth of
capabilities now and companies can use the existing devices they
have today."