BlackBerry-maker RIM fends off claims it’s splitting in two

Could Research In Motion’s comeback strategy involve the drastic step of selling the company’s handset business to focus on services? That’s what the Sunday Times claimed this weekend, although RIM has moved to deny the report. Facebook and Amazon had been suggested as potential buyers of the BlackBerry hardware business. One thing this speculation is doing, though, is casting doubt over the long-term viability of RIM’s BBM Music service. Its chances of scale depend on RIM preloading it on handsets, and a standalone BlackBerry services company would be more likely to focus on enterprises rather than consumers.