RIM acquires Paratek to boost BlackBerry

With new RF tech, mobile users said to get faster downloads, longer battery life, and less dropped calls.

March 8, 2012 8:34 PM PST Follow @darakerr

Weeks after Research In Motion's shakeup, losing two co-executives and gaining a new CEO, the company is beginning to make some changes. The latest is acquiring Paratek Adaptive RF, which designs and manufactures adaptive radio frequency front-end components for cell phones.

"Watch out providers of mobile phones," General Partner of Polaris Venture Partners Alan Spoon, which is a lead investor in Paratek, wrote in a statement today. "Integrating Paratek's technology into mobile phones is a game changer."

Spoon writes that Paratek technology will allow Blackberry users to upload and download large amounts of data faster--making for longer battery life--and a new antennae design will make phones smaller and thinner. Additionally, Paratek's "Tunable RF" technology reportedly improves user experience by reducing dropped calls.

Along with the technology, RIM is also bringing on board Paratek's team of engineers and executives.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not revealed.

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