(Reuters) - Intel Corp.will supply the chips powering future models of Research In Motion Ltd.'s Blackberry mobile e-mail device, the two firms said on Tuesday. The long-rumored partnership will see RIM use an Intel processor, codenamed "Hermon," for its next-generation BlackBerry, which will run on high-speed Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) networks.
EDGE is a mobile network standard that lets users connect to the Internet and send and receive data with broadband-like speed.The two companies said they will also work together to "drive new wireless technologies and handset features." Rumors of a RIM/Intel partnership first arose in July and one report in August boosted RIM's stock by about 5 percent.
RIM Co-Chief Executive Mike Lazaridis said the next-generation BlackBerry will boast increased browser speeds and should help the company push into new markets. He said the new platform will also appeal to application developers. "They really want to use the BlackBerry far beyond e-mail," he said in phone interview from a wireless convention in San Francisco. "They want to be able to interact with more complex information, they want more data on the device and to be able to access it faster. So I think it was a natural step for us to go to a more powerful platform."
RIM decided to go with Intel's technology partly because it will not compromise battery life, a key requirement of the BlackBerry's design, he said. Known for its distinctive thumb-operated keyboard, the original BlackBerry helped RIM carve out a lucrative niche by popularizing wireless e-mailing with corporate users.
'ELECTRON OUT SOON?' Continued ...
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