[Dubdub]

RIM Reportedly Seeking a Bank, Suggesting a Possible Takeover is in the Works | TechnoBuffalo

RIM is reportedly seeking to hire a bank to help the company with strategic options, which suggests a takeover could be in the cards. The BlackBerry maker is said to be in talks with a global bank and a Canadian bank, Bloomberg said on Monday without naming either firm. RIM has failed to effectively compete with Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android-powered smartphones during the past five quarters and, as a result, both its stock price and market share have tanked. It’s unclear if RIM is looking to sell several of its assets, such as its patent portfolio, or if its leadership is considering an outright sale.

Newly appointed CEO Thorsten Heins openly stated that the company would refocus its efforts on attracting enterprise customers and that his firm would review the options of joint ventures and possibly licensing its intellectual properties. RIM needs something to help it turn the business around however. The stock price declined about 75% during the last year. So who might be interested?

Several pundits have suggested that Samsung, Nokia and Amazon would be interested in parts of the Canada-based smartphone maker. Rumors also surfaced recently that suggested Microsoft may be interested in a $3.5 billion investment in RIM. However, it’s possible the Canadian government will stand in the way of a purchase, so it remains unclear what path the company will ultimately choose.

[dc/dc]

I'm beginning to think that RIM needs to do what Nortel did and split their businesses for sale. Nortel had the same issue of Canadian regulatory difficulties, and had to enter bankruptcy in addition to splitting itself.

Logically, I could see RIM selling their software business to someone like Microsoft, and their hardware business to someone like Samsung or Nokia.

[NJBlackBerry]

I think their most valuable piece is their network infrastructure.
And yes, a breakup will maximize shareholder value, and the most painful.

[The Prophet]

Sadly, RIM's most valuable asset (much like AOL's) is the number of patents they own

The Prophet