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BlackBerry smartphone maker Research In Motion confirmed the acquisition of Documents To Go maker DataViz. The blog Crackberry reported that according to “multiple sources” the deal was worth $50 million in cash.
“RIM has acquired some of the assets of DataViz and hired the majority of its employees to focus on supporting the BlackBerry platform,” RIM said in a prepared statement. “Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the transaction was not material to RIM in the context of RIM’s financial results.”
Documents To Go is an all-in-one application with support for Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; PDF; Apple iWork; and other files and attachments. It includes a desktop application (Win and Mac) to provide two-way file synchronization, and a version with support for Google Docs, Box.net, Dropbox, iDisk and SugarSync is also available. Any changes users make can be saved and synchronized back to the online account so that they’ll always have the most up-to-date version. Users can also create new files in Docs To Go and upload them to the account. DataViz’s InTact Technology preserves the changed and original formatting when editing Word, Excel or PowerPoint files on an iPhone.
DataViz is a developer and marketer of Office compatibility and productivity solutions across a variety of platforms, including Apple iPhone, Google Android, RIM’s BlackBerry devices, Java, Linux, Maemo 5, Symbian OS, WebOS, Windows Mobile and Windows and Macintosh. Founded in 1984, DataViz began its business developing file conversion software and expanded to providing solutions aimed at meeting the demands of the handheld and mobile markets. It offers enterprise-grade solutions that include its mobile Office suite, Documents To Go and the wireless Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync client, RoadSync.
Distribution and carrier partnerships with companies like Ingram Micro and Cingular Wireless in the United States, along with Brightpoint and Orange abroad, have propelled the company’s office mobility product line into the marketplace. The company’s Documents To Go solution also includes support for viewing native PDF files.
In addition to push e-mail, calendar, contacts and attachments, the latest version of the company’s Exchange ActiveSync client adds Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 compatibility; optimizations for the latest Android devices running OS 1.5, 1.6, 2.0 and 2.1; tasks synchronization; and new home screen widgets and shortcuts. It also offers a Global Address List/Corporate Directory Look-up and improved contact integration with new “Quick Contact Toolbar,” enhanced meeting creation for inviting required attendees, and the ability to store e-mail and attachments on the memory card.
In 2005, DataViz became the first software company to license the Microsoft Exchange Server ActiveSync protocol. DataViz then created RoadSync, an Exchange ActiveSync client that provides non-Microsoft smartphones and Windows legacy devices with secure, wireless and direct push synchronization of corporate e-mail, calendar, contacts and attachments for more than 100 smartphones across six mobile platforms.
According to industry analyst firm The Radicati Group, 33 percent of corporations worldwide currently use Microsoft Exchange as their insourced corporate messaging solution, and their market share is expected to rise to 39 percent by 2009. Additionally, the Radicati Group predicted that by 2009, the corporate wireless e-mail install base would increase from 6.5 million to 123 million.