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BlackBerry maker RIM expands in Cary

Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes the BlackBerry devices, has expanded its presence in the Triangle.


The company said in a regulatory filing this week that it has added more office space in Highwoods Properties CentreGreen campus in Cary and now occupies a total of 78,000 square feet.


RIM has been tight-lipped about its operations in the Triangle ever since initially announcing last year that it planned to open an office in the region.


RIM is part of a growing cluster of mobile technology companies that have recently opened offices in the Triangle.


Garmin, the country's largest maker of satellite navigation devices, opened a research center in Cary a year ago. And Taiwanese cell phone maker HTC recently opened a research and development office in downtown Durham's American Tobacco Campus.


HTC is leasing about 15,000 square feet, with 12,000 square feet reserved for expansion.


A big reason for the cluster is Sony Ericsson's decision to move its Triangle operations to Atlanta as a cost-cutting maneuver.


At its peak, Sony Ericsson employed about 1,000 people in the Triangle, and many of those engineers have been targeted by HTC, RIM and Garmin.


RIM's headquarters are outside Ottawa, Ontario. The company's U.S. headquarters are in Dallas, where it leases 398,000 square feet.


RIM has 17,500 worldwide employees.


The company has been losing market share in the U.S. to Apple and other devices that run Google's Android operating system.


RIM shares sank 10 percent in after-hours trading this week after the company issued a forecast for earnings in the current quarter that was well below what analysts were expecting.


The company is set to begin selling its tablet, PlayBook, later this month in the U.S. and Canada.


RIM shares closed at $56.54 on Thursday. The stock is down 17 percent over the last year.

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