Should RIM Buy Handspring?
We've written many times about RIM's struggle to be in the hardware and software business. Lately they seem to be moving toward the software side by licensing their software to rivals Nokia, Palm and Handspring. But maybe it would make more sense for them to just buy Handspring suggests Seamus McAteer of the Zelos Group. McAteer points out that RIM would benefit from Handspring's CDMA and GSM products as well as relationships with carriers. Maybe. I don't think RIM really needs as much help in this area as McAteer suggests. What they will gain is hardware based on the Palm OS which addresses a key stumbling block for RIM, getting developers to write software for their devices. The big problem with RIM devices is that you pay a lot for a great email device that can't do much else. Switching to the Palm OS would instantly make their devices more appealing by extending their functionality. Plus they would have an additional differentiator to take on upstarts like Good. The Handspring group could focus on the hardware and the RIM group could focus on enterprise email.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
