Posted by Charles_Ca on 1/27/06 1:55pm
Msg #91819
Any BlackBerry users in the crowd??? FYI
Real Estate Professionals May Lose BlackBerries
(January 27, 2006) -- Real estate professionals who depend on a BlackBerry may soon find it more difficult to conduct business in the field. A lawsuit filed by Arlington, Va.-based NTP Inc. accuses Research in Motion Ltd., which operates the popular handheld service, of illegally using its patented technology in BlackBerry devices.
In a years-long battle, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last summer that Ontario, Canada-based RIM had infringed NTP's patents and sent the case back to the U.S. District Court, where RIM potentially could be told to stop offering its service to U.S. users.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected RIM's latest request to review the case. RIM is now set to appear in District Court on Feb. 24 to hear if it must close or change its BlackBerry services to U.S. customers.
The prospect of BlackBerries being shut down is alarming to the countless real estate professionals who use the device to send e-mails to clients and prospects; store escrow numbers, contact information, and important dates; get leads; and connect to the MLS.
Many practitioners have begun transferring files to their desktop computers, just in case NTP wins an injunction that would halt their service.
Although RIM has prepared software workarounds for new customers, it remains to be seen how existing customers would be affected if the company is unable to forge an agreement with NTP.
"They (clients) can still call me on my cell phone if I don't have the BlackBerry," explains Burke, Va.-based practitioner Keith Cockrell. "But 10 e-mails as opposed to 10 phone calls are a lot easier to deal with."
Some alternatives to the BlackBerry include the Palm Treo and a new broadband phone from Sprint.
Source: Inman News (01/26/06)
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