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Blackberry hitches a ride on Windows Mobile

The home of the so-called crackberry plague has decided that it's time to stop …

The mobile space just got a lot more interesting thanks to a surprising decision at RIM. The home of the so-called crackberry plague has decided that it's time to stop playing exclusive, and start working on support for phone platforms other than its own.

First up, RIM is hopping on board with Windows Mobile via a new software application suite that will let users access typical Blackberry services, such as the e-mail synchronization service. RIM says that the software will be made available later this year, and it will only work on Windows Mobile 6 devices. No word on which devices are yet supported, but the Motorola Q will most likely be among them.

According to the announcement, the software suite will offer "BlackBerry e-mail, phone, calendar, address book, tasks, memos, browser, instant messaging and other applications developed for the BlackBerry platform." This last matter is quite interesting: RIM's announcement suggests that Blackberry developers will be able to get on Windows Mobile via this suite.

The suite will launch like any other Windows Mobile Application, and users will be able to exit the Blackberry platform to switch back to the standard Windows Mobile interface, if needed. In short, the new application suite can convert a Windows Mobile 6 phone into a Blackberry clone.

"Extending BlackBerry applications to a broader range of devices is an important element of RIM's strategy to provide an open platform that supports industry standards and addresses the various needs of our customers and partners," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. "This new software will provide a range of important benefits, including easier support of Windows Mobile-based devices within BlackBerry Enterprise Server environments, a consistent user interface for BlackBerry applications across various devices, and the ability to run third-party applications developed for the BlackBerry platform."

It's a smart move by RIM, as it considerably expands the number of phones eligible to use the Blackberry data service, and it also shows that the company knows that its popular data service needs wider platform support than it currently enjoys. It's also a revenue booster for RIM, as the service will require support from your mobile carrier, and it will also require users to subscribe to a Blackberry data plan. RIM would be thrilled to scrape a tenner or more off the top of data plans for Windows Mobile users.

Will RIM expand this program to other phones? Only time will tell, but Windows Mobile is in many ways RIM's biggest threat, since many IT shops have to make the decision between Windows Mobile or Blackberry for push e-mail. In this way, Blackberry becomes a safer choice, as it's not necessarily tied to a specific hardware experience.

If RIM really wants to impress IT shops sitting on the fence, they should bolster this move by making it easier for smaller businesses to hop on board with BlackBerry Enterprise Server. Wider phone support is great, but the biggest complaint I hear from potential RIM customers is the cost of its server products. For a small business with only 10-25 users, Enterprise Server is prohibitively expensive. There is a considerable "hole" in RIM's server offerings between basic push e-mail users relying on third-party e-mail networks and those users blessed enough to have Enterprise Server.

RIM has made a smart move by hopping on Windows Mobile, but they should also realize that Windows Mobile is Exchange's turf. RIM needs to make e-mail push for Exchange on Windows Mobile truly cost competitive, and it can't do that without addressing its server licensing. I've got my fingers crossed.

Channel Ars Technica