[Slammed]

Announcement of deal between RIM and Intel imminent, says analyst

TORONTO (CP) - An announcement of a deal between Research In Motion and Intel Corp. is imminent and could be extremely positive for the Waterloo, Ont.-based maker of BlackBerry wireless devices, an analyst said Tuesday.

Rumours began swirling on Monday that RIM and the world's largest computer chipmaker are about to announce a licensing deal allowing California-based Intel to use RIM technology in a new generation of chips. The companies are expected to formally announce the deal at Intel's Developer Forum this week.

RIM spokeswoman Marisa Conway declined comment.

However, in a note to clients, Canaccord Capital analyst Peter Misek wrote: "Although no official press release has been issued, we are reasonably confident that third-party corroboration of our original view suggests that an announcement is imminent."

He added that, "if true, the impact of this partnership could be extremely positive for RIM."

Intangible benefits would include "greater competitive credibility and marketing muscle," and while Misek declined to speculate on the potential financial impact to RIM, he noted that Intel's Centrino platform has generated $5 billion US in revenue over two years.

RIM's technology presents considerable advantages to Intel's laptop chips, he said. It would improve battery life three-fold and significantly reduce the Centrino's bandwidth and heat generation.

The partnership also makes sense as Intel begins to look beyond computers to cell phones, the analyst said.

If Intel agrees to pay royalties to RIM for every Centrino shipment, "it could have a substantial impact to the company's bottom line."

Misek advised investors to cover any short trading positions in RIM, "as a partnership announcement could drive a considerable run-up in the company's share price."

Source http://www.canada.com/national/natio...2-e07d86cb660b