RIM may get new browser through acquisition

IDG News Service - BlackBerry phones may soon get a new browser, now that Research In Motion Ltd. has acquired Torch Mobile.

The Toronto company is best known for its Iris browser, which is built on Webkit and currently runs on Windows Mobile phones. It also runs on Qtopia, the application development platform for Linux devices.

In a brief note on its Web site, Torch wrote that its team of developers will join RIM and "will now be focused on utilizing our WebKit-based mobile browser expertise to contribute to the ongoing enhancement of the BlackBerry platform." Webkit is the open-source software used in Apple Inc.'s Safari and Google Inc.'s Chrome browsers as well as Nokia Corp.'s Series 60 browser.

RIM did not reply to a request for comment. Torch did not disclose the value of the acquisition.

It's unclear if the Iris browser will continue to be available for Windows Mobile users or Qtopia. Qtopia was first developed by Trolltech, a company Nokia acquired last year.

BlackBerry devices come with a browser designed by RIM that some users have complained is not as easy to use as some other mobile browsers. It is facing some new competition in the browser market.

Rather than use the built-in browser, BlackBerry users can download Opera Mini, a lightweight browser from Opera. The popular Skyfire browser opened a small test of a version of a browser it is developing for the BlackBerry last month.

Browsing from mobile phones has grown more prevalent with the introduction of the iPhone and its easy-to-use browser.

RIM has made other acquisitions this year, including security software developer Certicom and GPS navigation company Dash.