Rumors of RIM selling part or all of itself are making the rounds once again today, with the latest report suggesting that Samsung may be in the lead in the race to buy the BlackBerry manufacturer. According to BGR, RIM has been holding talks with other companies about licensing out its software, though the sources say that the Waterloo firm would prefer a straight up sale. Co-CEO Jim Balsillie is said to be meeting with each and every company interested in RIM, though he is said to be "going hard after Samsung." However, RIM's asking price for itself is reportedly far more than what others think its worth, with the BlackBerry maker rumored to be looking for $12 to $15 billion even though its market capitalization is currently at $8.5 billion.
A purchase of RIM by Samsung would give the latter company the opportunity to beef up its own products using services that BlackBerrys are known for, such as BlackBerry Messenger and email. Plus, I'm sure RIM's got some patents that Samsung wouldn't mind adding to its portfolio. This is all still very much a rumor at this point, of course, but RIM is obviously going through a bit of a tough time right now, and it's tough to imagine that the company hasn't at least considered licensing its software or selling at least parts of itself off. What do you all make of this news? Think RIM will go through with a sale? Would Samsung make a good buyer?
UPDATE: Speaking to Reuters, Samsung spokesman James Chung has said that the company not only hasn't considered buying RIM, but that it isn't interested in such a purchase. He added that Samsung hasn't been approached by RIM about a buyout.
