BOSTON, May 2 (Reuters) - Research in Motion Ltd (RIM.TO: Quote, Profile, Research)
is working with SAP AG (SAPG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) to develop sales management
software and other business programs for the Blackberry,
seeking to expand the device beyond an e-mail and phone
service.
The first programs are designed to help companies send
sales leads to their staff in real time, then provide tools to
let employees follow up on them, the two companies said on
Friday. The software will be available within several weeks.
SAP, the biggest maker of business management software,
designed the customer relationship management (CRM) system and
RIM engineers developed tools that allow it to be fully
integrated with the BlackBerry's own e-mail system, contact
database and other programs.
RIM's BlackBerry competes with Palm Inc's (PALM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Treo and
smart phones using Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) software. Its newest
rival, Apple Inc.'s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) iPhone, is gradually gaining
traction among business users.
Many companies, including SAP, already tweak their business
programs to run on mobile devices, but RIM Co-Chief Executive
Jim Balsillie said that such software has never been so tightly
integrated with the BlackBerry device and network.
"Literally a person can do their work on BlackBerry without
having to go back and forth between a laptop and a BlackBerry,"
he said during a conference call with media.
Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek said that ability gives
RIM an opportunity to leverage its large market share and "a
huge competitive advantage" over rivals.
Besides the customer relationship management software, RIM
also plans to work with Blackberry to develop a wide variety of
programs for the platform.
"They are early to the game. No one else does this in the
wireless market," Misek said. This expands their market, he
said, giving them an opportunity to help deliver business
management software.
RIM also left the door open for developing similar products
with other software makers.
"Doing exclusivity doesn't help either company because all
it does is limit the benefits to customers," Balsillie said.
(Additional reporting by Wojtek Dabrowski; Editing by Brian
Moss)
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