BlackBerry unveils strategy to become secure IoT provider
BlackBerry is seeking to become a supplier of secure applications and software to support the internet of things (IoT), from connected cars to smart domestic appliances, according to CEO John Chen. Speaking at an event in Jakarta organised by the American and Canadian chambers of commerce, Chen revealed the firm had inked a seven-year deal with car maker Ford and wanted BlackBerry to become "the number one secure communications [provider] in IoT", adding that "a car without proper security or anti-hacking [systems] will become a weapon".
JAKARTA -- For a decade or so before the market for touchscreen smartphones took off around 2010, BlackBerry's hand-held communication devices were ubiquitous among thumb-jockeying executives trying to keep in touch with the office outside working hours.

After several recent failed attempts to launch new phones and operating systems to compete against Apple, Google and Samsung Electronics products, the company that "made the modern cellphone," as BlackBerry's CEO John Chen puts it, is hoping to become the main supplier of secure applications and software for the next generation of internet-linked devices -- the much- touted "internet of things" -- from web-connected self-driving cars to "smart" domestic appliances that are expected to take off over the coming decade.