Blackberry unveils new software update for automakers

(Before It's News)

Blackberry (NASDAQ:BBRY) (NASDAQ:BBRY), the Canada-based smart-phone maker, is headed to stretch losses for a fourth day on Wednesday even as the company unveiled a new product that allows automakers to manage and deliver over-the-air software updates to vehicles.

The shares slid 0.6 percent to $13.88 at 9:38 a.m. in New York. The stock had lost 6 percent in the past three days.

The new service, called Software Update Management for Automotive, will leverage Blackberry’s existing global and secure infrastructure, used to push software updates to millions of Blackberry devices around the world, to facilitate machine-to-machine communication directly between the automaker and the vehicle, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Blackberry is helping facilitate a rapid convergence between mobile computing and the auto industry as automakers seek to connect with customers wherever they may be,” the company said, citing David J. Smith, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Mobile Computing.

“Blackberry’s Software Update Management for Automotive service can transform the vehicle experience by enabling automakers to deliver new, compelling capabilities to their customers, long after the initial sale,” Smith was quoted as saying.

Blackberry plans to provide more details about the technology at the Telematics Detroit conference later in the day.

Also on Wednesday, Blackberry announced that international law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has chosen to deploy 500 Blackberry 10 devices and Blackberry Enterprise Service 10 to its employees.

Akin Gump has offices in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. 

“We are thrilled to announce that Akin Gump is deploying Blackberry 10 and Blackberry Enterprise Service 10, recognizing the valuable security proposition the Blackberry platform provides,” the company said in a separate statement, citing Richard Piasentin, Vice President and Managing Director for the U.S. at Blackberry.

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