Cellmania says it has become part of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion under undisclosed terms. Cellmania is “bringing their expertise in application storefront development to the BlackBerry platform,” a company spokesperson said Wednesday. “However, RIM is not providing any further comment at this time.”
Cellmania reportedly has 23 customers spread across four continents and currently provides some two million content items. Although RIM offers mobile software in its App World, the inventory of mobile apps is a fraction of what rivals deliver, so Cellmania’s technology could help it better compete with Google’s Android Market and Apple’s App Store.
“It is refreshing when a company understands the threat to its position in the market, resists the not-invented-here instincts, and opens up for acquisition in the way RIM has,” said Al Hilwa, director of application development software at IDC. “It shows a strong survival instinct and adaptability.”
A Generation Behind
The Mountain View, Calif.-based Cellmania said it will continue to support its client base, which consists of multiple devices and content types. What Hilwa finds interesting about RIM’s acquisition is its potential as a content hub for more than just the BlackBerry platform.
“That is a new play and would position them well if they choose to keep that part of Cellmania’s portfolio active,” Hilwa explained. “Generally, the more traffic you can get to your catalog, the more visible the apps for your platform will be.”
Still, RIM’s future hinges on more than a storefront overhaul. RIM had high hopes earlier this month when the company launched a new Torch smartphone featuring the latest version of the Blackberry OS, but analysts were unimpressed. “With this specific phone, the screen size and resolution are probably a generation behind the state of the art today from Apple or Android,” Hilwa said.
Gartner currently ranks RIM as number two…