BlackBerry pushes to extend software to self-driving cars

The Canadian software and smartphone company will showcase new advances being made by its infotainment unit at the Computer Electronics Show, a premier gathering of the tech world in January in Las Vegas, CEO John Chen said. "You're going to see our advanced driver-assist technologies and solutions," Chen said. BlackBerry is already involved with the auto industry through its QNX unit, which makes infotainment systems used in millions of vehicles. The Waterloo, Canada-based company said recently that it was joining with Luxoft Holding Inc. to work on semi-autonomous driving technology like that used by Tesla's cars. Chen said he'd be keen to work with bigger companies like Google, Apple and Tesla as well. "Our software platform actually works with the Apple car strategy as well as Google. I would love to be able to work with Tesla," Chen said in an interview with Emily Chang on Bloomberg TV. "Our software is currently in 60 million cars running around, so it's obvious, natural for us to step into the next generation of automobiles." The QNX software is now used by manufacturers like Ford to power in-car entertainment systems. Chen, who has shifted BlackBerry's focus to security software as its smartphone business shrinks, has spoken often about the importance of securing vehicle software as computers take over more functions in cars. Carmakers have begun incorporating semi-autonomous features in cars like the ability to stay in a lane during turns or sense when the vehicle ahead is stopping and apply the brakes without input from the driver. Zug, Switzerland-based Luxoft will marry its computer vision and object-tracking technology with QNX's operating system, according to the statement earlier this week. BlackBerry earlier reported a narrower third- quarter loss than analysts estimated as software revenue gained, but the number of phones it shipped in the quarter fell to 700,000 from 800,000 in the previous quarter. The company reported that it made $162 million in revenue on software and services during the quarter, an increase of 183 percent from the same period last year. It hasn't completely given up the ghost on smartphones, either, having released its first Android-based handset, the Priv, in November. As the name of this phone suggests, the company is aiming the product at consumers who put privacy high on their priority list when looking at smartphones. BlackBerry sold 700,000 units of all devices in the past three months, a decline of 100,000 from the same period last year. But at $699 a piece, the Priv helped generate more revenue for the company and brought the hardware division closer to breaking even, with revenue of $214 million. Chen said he thinks "the direction of our software business is really good. We really want to build out our software business." Chen also criticized tech companies for refusing to grant government authorities access to their customers' devices, even when the police have warrants. Source: Arab News