RIM gears up for BlackBerry sales push

Firm sells 6.1 million devices in its second quarter

Research In Motion has reported a $495.5m profit for its 2008 financial second quarter

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has reported a $495.5m profit for its 2008 financial second quarter, representing a per-share profit increase of $0.86, and has announced a new BlackBerry sales push during the rest of the year.

RIM's profit marks a 2.7 per cent increase since its first quarter earlier this year, with the main revenue coming from the sale of new devices. The firm's second quarter ended on 30 August.

RIM reported total revenue of $2.58bn for the second quarter, up 15 per cent on $2.24bn in the last quarter.

Some 82 per cent of this revenue came from the sale of approximately 6.1 million devices. The rest came from services and software sales. Around 2.6 million new BlackBerry subscriber accounts were added in the quarter.

"We shipped over 11 million BlackBerry smartphones in the first half and we are gearing up for an even stronger second half," said Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive at RIM.

RIM's intentions for the near future can be seen by a 42 per cent increase in research and development spend since the firm's last quarter, and a 16 per cent increase in selling and marketing spend.