RIM launches BlackBerry clients for Lotus

Research in Motion today launched new BlackBerry software for a range of IBM Lotus products designed to improve social networking and collaboration for mobile workers.

The applications will be available to customers immediately and will include a BlackBerry Client for the Quickr content sharing tool, a new Client for the Connections blogs and communities product, and a Client for the Sametime familty of web conferencing and collaboration services.

IBM said the tools will allow users to quickly find the right expertise they need, share content with their colleagues and see if their contacts are online, while on the go.

IBM and RIM have been partners for over ten years and last year at the Lotusphere conference the firms brought a range of Lotus collaboration software and developer tools to the BlackBerry, which became available to customers in the second quarter of 2009.

This year the alliance is deeper because RIM has developed customised applications of IBM social software that come pre-integrated on the BlackBerry.

"We have built these powerful BlackBerry applications for Lotus Software in order to make it very easy for mobile workers to tap into their enterprise knowledge-bases and stay connected with colleagues," said David Yach, chief technology for software at RIM.

"Equally important, we have made it easy for IT departments to align with corporate policies and efficiently deliver these capabilities in a protected and manageable environment."