Research In Motion April 23 unveiled plans to offer a new software application suite enabling Windows Mobile-powered devices from third-party manufacturers to use BlackBerry software applications and services.
The company plans to begin offering the new application suite later in 2007 for select devices based on Windows Mobile 6.
RIM says its Blackberry application suite will provide a “virtual BlackBerry application experience” to users of Windows Mobile devices.
This will include “support for BlackBerry e-mail, phone, calendar, address book, tasks, memos, browser, instant messaging and other applications developed for the BlackBerry platform.”
Although RIM had previously offered a “BlackBerry Connect” service for select Windows Mobile devices (including HTC and Motorola handhelds), the earlier service appears to have been limited to support for RIMs e-mail and PIM (contacts, calendar, etc.) data push services, and did not introduce any BlackBerry-style applications on the devices.