While attention with wearables this week is focused on hardware (Apple Watch), John Sims, head of BlackBerry's enterprise division, says his company is mulling new services and software for wearable tech and intends to bring BlackBerry Messenger to smart watches soon.
Sims said BlackBerry is conducting internal research on wearables and indicated that a version of BBM for wearables would likely relay on support from smartphones.
"I would love for BBM to be running on a wearable," Sims told a group of reporters at Super Mobility Week in Las Vegas.
When asked if BlackBerry was planning to release a wearable product, Sims said he had nothing to announce.
"It's definitely an area of research for us," said Sims of wearable products.
BlackBerry tests on wearable products were aimed at determine how well applications work on smart glasses and watches, according to Sims. While BlackBerry may not be ready to release a wearable product, the struggling hardware manufacturers is preparing to release two new mobile products this fall.
The BlackBerry Classic is due to launch in November and the Passport has been slated for a Sept. 24 release, but Sims stayed on message when answering questions about his company's incoming products.
"We're not releasing the Passport thinking tens of millions of devices will be sold," Sims said. "It has a focused market."
After CEO John Chen took over BlackBerry in 2013, the company has been restructuring to focus less on hardware and more on services. The hardware the company releases is targeted at specific users group, typically enterprise users.
On the other side of the coin, BlackBerry has been working to grow its support from the enterprise crowd by releasing software and services directed at work life.
Recently, BlackBerry acquired Movirtu to push the startup's solution to a common problem found in bring-your-own-device environments and company-owned personally enabled systems.
Movirtu develops virtual SIM software that isolates personal and work calls and data usage on smartphones used by enterprise users. Instead of carrying multiple handsets and switching SIM cards, Movirtu's virtual SIM directs personal calls to the individual's account and charges business usages to the employer's bill.
"Clearly this fits nicely within the strategy we have so far articulated," said Sims of the Movirtu acquisition. "We are building recurring revenue streams in value-added services and providing more value to enterprises."
