RIM Buys UI Specialist For Mobile Push

Research in Motion has come out fighting after it announced the acquisition of The Astonishing Tribe for an undisclosed sum.

The BlackBerry maker had been backed into something of a corner of late, following reports of slipping market share against the likes of Apple and Android; as well as users who are considering alternative devices when they next upgrade their smartphones. Matters were not helped when a survey revealed ‘iPhone envy‘ among RIM’s customers.

The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) is a Swedish software company with a workforce of roughly 150 people. It is best known for designing user interfaces for mobile devices.

Talent Pool Boost

The news of the acquisition was revealed on a blog by David Yach, RIM’s Chief Technology Officer.

“Today we are pleased to confirm plans for The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) team to join Research In Motion (RIM),” he wrote. “We’re excited that the TAT team will be joining RIM and bringing their talent to the BlackBerry PlayBook and smartphone platforms.”

“For those who don’t know, TAT is renowned for their innovative mobile user interface (UI) designs and has a long history of working with mobile and embedded technology,” Yach wrote.

“TAT focuses on delivering great user experiences, from a design, technology, and usability perspective,” he added. “Their design technology is used today in a variety of industries including the consumer electronics and automotive sectors.”

The acquisition is the last move by RIM, which is now working hard to shore up its market share and maintain its momentum in the fast-growing smartphone market. RIM is coming under increasing pressure from the Apple iPhone, as well as the multitude of Android-based devices out there.

RIM Fightback

While RIM remains locked in tough market share battle with Apple, the trend toward Apple iOS and Google Android handsets has been disheartening for the BlackBerry maker, which has long enjoyed 40 percent-plus market share in the US.

But RIM is looking to kick-start some momentum with its tablet offering (the PlayBook), as Apple continues its encroachment into the enterprise space, and even going as far as poaching RIM salespeople.

And the Waterloo, Ontario-based company has responded to the challenge after updating the BlackBerry operating system, as well as replacing its staid web browser with a quicker version. And in an effort to attract more developers, it has revamped its support for third-party application developers.

Meanwnile, despite describing the PlayBook as a business device, RIM has said it will cost less than £310, making the BlackBerry tablet much more competitive against the pricier iPad and Galaxy Tab.

Tablet Interest

The PlayBook will also reportedly support Adobe Flash and HTML5, as well as multitasking and high-definition video. In addition, it will come with front- and rear-facing cameras to enable video conferencing.

RIM has also opted to develop its own tablet-specific operating system, based on open source QNX technology, rather than modifying the BlackBerry 6 OS for a larger screen, or adopting Android.

This QNX technology comes from its acquisition of QNX Software Systems in April this year. QNX specialised in in-vehicle “infotainment and telematics systems”.