To add to its already impressive harem of high-tech brides, Microsoft Corp. announced its most recent marriage to Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) to produce an instant messaging component for its line of BlackBerry mobile phones.

Ontario-based RIM will add the service to link up with Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005, broadening the features offered on BlackBerry phones.

The expanded applications would allow businesses to use PDA’s and smart phones to connect to others with IM, email, and even video conferencing.

Microsoft’s Real-Time Collaboration Group’s corporate vice president Gurdeep Pall said, “Instant messaging and presence are playing an increasingly important role in helping information workers stay in touch with critical business contacts and make better decisions, faster.”
BlackBerry will be the juggernaut for Microsoft's Live Communications Server, Novell's GroupWise Messenger and IBM's Lotus Instant Messaging and Web Conferencing, A.K.A Sametime