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Aug. 26, 2009

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has acquired Torch Mobile, developers of the Iris browser for Windows Mobile.

Lately, Research In Motion has been rumored to be working on Flash and SilverLight technology for its line of BlackBerry smartphones.

However, some wireless industry analysts are questioning whether the company’s current browsers are up to the challenge.

A better Internet browsing experience could be just what RIM needs right now, which in recent months has received some bad publicity for not adequately serving its own consumer market.

Critics also suggest that RIM is increasingly concentrating on the enterprise segment of the mobile industry, by offering such services as Microsoft's Exchange on its BlackBerry smartphones.

Meanwhile, slimmer mobile devices such as the iPhone and the Palm Pre are increasingly proficient at handling enterprise tasks as they are at doing consumer-oriented functions.

According to an announcement on Torch Mobile’s site, the company will now be “focused on utilizing our WebKit-based mobile browser expertise to contribute to the ongoing enhancement of the BlackBerry platform.”

UBS recently downgraded RIM to “Neutral” from “Buy” noting the possibility of a Verizon Wireless device from Apple.

Senior UBS analyst Maynard Um said in a research note that RIM could suffer from rumors that an iPhone might be released in the near future on Verizon’s network.

In the coming two to three quarters, observers will have their eyes focussed on RIM to see if it will better address the consumer segment of the market.

There's no question that Apple's new iPhone 3G S is a major rival to the BlackBerry. It also comes with about 30 percent more mobile apps as well.

Meanwhile, the Palm Pre is still struggling more than two months since its launch.

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Source: Research In Motion.