Wireless transfers targeted by RIM
Home service would mimic iTunes
MATT HARTLEY
August 24, 2007
Research In Motion Ltd. is working on technology that would allow BlackBerry users to wirelessly transfer files between their handheld devices and their PCs, an analyst says.
The technology, dubbed BlackBerry Home Server, would operate in a similar fashion to RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server,which connects business e-mail and data servers with the popular mobile devices, Scotia Capital's Gus Papageorgiou said in a report yesterday.
"Anybody who has an MP3 player and a mobile phone is a target for this service," Mr. Papageorgiou said in an interview.
If Mr. Papageorgiou is correct, the technology could broaden the consumer market for BlackBerrys and represent a significant counterattack for RIM in the growing battle for smart phone supremacy that has heated up since the launch of Apple's iPhone earlier this summer.
Print Edition - Section Front
Enlarge Image
More Report on Business Stories
UAE firm boosts its stake in oil patch
Online apparel tries to sell the perfect fit
Land rights sales cool in Alberta
TD Bank shares the wealth
Debt market woes heighten fears for economy
Corporate clients will have to be patient for cure of commercial paper sickness
Go to the Report on Business section
Although the company hasn't made any announcements, and a company spokeswoman said she wasn't aware of any such plans, Mr. Papageorgiou said he's gathered information that leads him to believe it's on the way.
With the new service, BlackBerry users would install the software on their PC, which would then have access to RIM's network operating centre, providing the link to the BlackBerry, Mr. Papageorgiou said.
The software would also allow the user to organize their digital media, in a manner similar to Apple's iTunes program.
Just as increasingly multifunctional cellphones have cannibalized the market for electronic organizers, Mr. Papageorgiou said a technology allowing users to transfer media files from their PC to their BlackBerry via wireless Internet would likely help RIM grab a share of the market for iPods and other MP3 players.
"Why do you need this application-specific, expensive piece of hardware that you batch process into your PC every once in a while when you happen to be home, when instead you can just do everything you want to over the air and not have to worry about being at home to sync it with your PC or your laptop?" Mr. Papageorgiou asked.
He said the move would represent a step forward for the Waterloo, Ont.-based company, which recently began a renewed push into the consumer market with the introduction of sleeker and more stylish versions of the BlackBerry.
But it's the all-in-one nature of the BlackBerry that really sets the device apart from its competitors, Mr. Papageorgiou said.
"People talk about convergence, and right now, for the most part it's all talk," he said. "But RIM is the only company that has a convergence platform, because they have the [network operating centre]. The NOC can tie in your PC to your mobile phone, so that one is always in touch with the other."
The report also said that Scotia Capital raised its forecast for the company, with 12-month share-profit expectations climbing 8 per cent from $2.96 (U.S.) a share to $3.20, and the price target increased from $90.08 to $96.72.
On Wednesday, TD Newcrest raised its price target on RIM from $78 to $95, adjusted for a three-for-one stock split. It also speculated that the stock price could double within two years. Those numbers were due in large part to a comparison of the iPhone with the BlackBerry, which concluded that the two products appealed to different consumers.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
AI
