Lenovo To Buy BlackBerry: Report

TORONTO – A high-ranking Lenovo executive says he is open to an eventual deal to buy embattled Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry.

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Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing told the French financial newspaper Les Echos that a deal “could possibly make sense, but first I need to analyse the market and understand what exactly the importance of this company is.”

The comments sparked a 14.1 percent leap in BlackBerry’s stock, up US$1.84 to $14.90 in recent trading.

Blackberry’s new Z10 touchscreen smartphone – which uses the all new Blackberry 10 operating system – went on sale in the US last week with delivery promised on March 22, and Australian carriers Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are now taking pre-orders for delivery from Monday March 25.

The phone – which maintains separate divisions for work and home use – has received favourable reviews, but many critics suggest it has come too late, with Apple’s iPhone and an array of Android-powered smartphones now dominating the market, and Microsoft also vying for a distant third spot