Research In Motion (RIM) today demonstrates new levels of integration between the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution and IBM Lotus Sametime and IBM Lotus Domino, unveiling the first seamless, enterprise-grade implementation of wireless voice and instant messaging convergence.

As part of a series of planned initiatives focused on extending the voice, presence and location-based services of Lotus Sametime to BlackBerry users, IBM and RIM will demonstrate the seamless integration of Lotus Sametime instant messaging and presence with enterprise voice services in a wireless setting.

"As the leader in enterprise collaboration solutions, IBM is committed to providing our customers intuitive, anytime, anywhere access to their most important communication and collaboration tools," said Michael Rhodin, General Manager, IBM Lotus. "Working together with RIM, we are making it easy for customers to find, reach and collaborate across their desktop, mobile and telephony environments."

"The ability to securely extend voice, email, intranet and real-time collaboration applications to mobile workers is becoming a competitive imperative and BlackBerry Enterprise Server is proving to be a unique and powerful advantage for our enterprise customers,ö said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. ôIn this next phase of our continuing collaboration with IBM, we are focusing on enabling seamless access to the collaborative elements of the robust Lotus Sametime and Lotus Domino environments with new levels of convergence, efficiency and usability.ö

Convert To Call
RIM is previewing Lotus Sametime client software for BlackBerry handsets that includes a new menu item called "Convert to Call.ö This new functionality allows users engaged in an instant messaging group chat to instantly convert their text-based discussion into a multi-party conference call, which is initiated and managed through the enterprise PBX or a conference server. "Convert to Call" works through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server to seamlessly collect the presence information of each user from Lotus Sametime, then invokes the enterprise PBX or conference server to initiate outbound calls to each user, pulling them together into a voice conference. When the conference call ends, the users are automatically returned back to their group chat session exactly where they left off. Users benefit from the convenience and efficiency of the automated process and enterprises can achieve significant economic and administrative benefits from the least cost routing and centralized management.

Click to Map
Further demonstrating the ongoing integration between Lotus Sametime and the BlackBerry platform, RIM is showcasing a new feature called ôClick to Mapö that will allow users to generate maps on a BlackBerry handset within the context of a Lotus Sametime session. The "Click to Map" feature will launch BlackBerry Maps from within the Sametime client software and generate a map that illustrates a colleagueÆs location based on presence information retrieved from Lotus Sametime.

Domino Discussion Databases
RIM has developed a set of optimized BlackBerry interface templates with design elements to improve the usability for mobile workers. In addition, RIM provides a WSDL (Web Services Description Language) enabling the mobilization of standard Lotus Domino Discussion databases using the BlackBerry MDS Studio rapid development tool. With BlackBerry MDS Studio, the interface design elements can be visually dragged into position to create an optimal user interface on a BlackBerry handset.

The "Convert to Call" capability was demonstrated during the opening general session keynote address today at Lotusphere and all of the above capabilities will be showcased at the BlackBerry booth (#407-412).

About Research In Motion (RIM)
Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. RIMÆs portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry wireless platform, the RIM Wireless Handheld product line, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (NASDAQ: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com.