Canada based BlackBerry manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM), has recently signed a patent licensing agreement with software giant Microsoft. The agreement will allow RIM to utilize Microsoft’s latest file system technology on its upcoming smartphones that are expected to be released next year. The developers of the Windows Operating System created the Extended File Allocation Table technology, which makes large files easier to handle. RIM will now be able to use the same technology to handle these types of files on its phones.
The official announcement did not give any details about what sort of financial obligations RIM has agreed to in order to use the Extended File Allocation Table technology.
After the news was made public, RIM’s shares, which have been falling over the year, got a nice little bump of 2.4% on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The 17 cent gain was a welcome sign for the stock which ended up closing the day at $7.24.
The latest news should give a hint to observers about what the latest BlackBerry 10 OS will be able to do. The license agreement shows that BB10 is trying to address the issue of smartphone users creating large multimedia files through video and image applications. With the Microsoft technology, BB10 devices should be able to easily handle high-definition videos. This is because the new system increases the size and speed of flash memory devices.
David Kaefer, general manager of intellectual property licensing for Microsoft stated that, “Today’s smartphones and tablets require the capacity to display richer images and data than traditional cellular phones. This agreement with RIM highlights how a modern file system, such as exFAT can help directly address the specific needs of customers in the mobile industry.”
RIM may need all the technological edge it can get in order to catch up with Apple and Android which have dominated the market for the past year. Many see BB10 as RIM’s last chance to stay relevant and it seems the firm is looking at every venue to make their OS stand apart from the other that have been hitting the market lately.
Source: Financial Post
Photo: Geek.com
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