Research In Motion is in talks to hire a financial adviser to help it weigh strategic options, four people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. A decision to work with at least one bank could come in the next few days, said one of the people. RIM would prefer an agreement to license its mobile software, and its next choice is a strategic investment, one source said, adding that RIM doesn't plan to sell itself. RIM said last month that it's weighing strategic changes after reporting another sharp fall in quarterly results. The company declined to comment on the Bloomberg report. CEO Thorsten Heins, who replaced co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis in January, said last month that RIM will redouble efforts to attract business customers while reviewing options, such as licensing, partnerships, joint ventures and other ways to "leverage" assets. Other options include finding ways to wring more money from its messaging service and patents portfolio, which are its most valuable assets, the report said. Microsoft and Samsung could be among the interested parties, the people said. If RIM were to put its patents up for sale, Microsoft would be interested in taking a look, according to one person with knowledge of the matter. The company is unlikely to seek a strategic investment in RIM or an outright acquisition, this person said. RIM's top priority is finding a bank that can advise the company on potentially licensing the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, currently under development, according to the report.
