RIM to support iPhones, Androids

Research In Motion said Tuesday that it will offer software to companies and governments that would open up its secure network for use on iPhones and other mobile devices in the workplace.   

The move is intended to encourage enterprise customers to stick with its services, even if they gravitate away from the BlackBerry smartphone itself.   

"Organizations face pressure to allow employees to bring their own devices into the workplace, and they are looking to RIM as the global leader in the enterprise mobility space to solve that problem," Alan Panezic, RIM's vice-president of enterprise product management and marketing said in a news release.   

The company's stock closed down more than nine per cent, losing $1.34 to finish the session at $12.91.

The Waterloo, Ont., tech company has been losing consumer market share to Apple and Android devices and although it's still dominant in workplaces, its competitors are making inroads there as well with iPhone and Android smartphones and tablets.   

RIM said about 90 per cent of Fortune 500 companies are using BlackBerry smartphones.

However, recently several major organizations have confirmed plans to open up the options for their employees to use devices other than the BlackBerry. Those customers include energy services giant Halliburton Co. and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.   

Research In Motion has said it will focus more on its business customers and will go after only "targeted" parts of the consumer market, possibly with partners.   

After releasing weak quarterly results on Thursday, the BlackBerry maker announced plans to rebuild itself and it will consider a host of corporate options, including putting itself up for sale.