RIM has made 'notable progress,' but 'still a lot to do,' says analyst

RIM, the beleaguered Canadian company behind BlackBerry smartphones, is actually making progress in its fight to survive against the twin titans of Android and iOS.

Following an investor meeting with RIM, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said that the company had made "notable progress" but that there was "still a lot to do."

On the plus side, Wu believes that significant strides have been made when it comes to lowering costs, improving the balance sheet, narrowing losses, and gaining carrier support with BlackBerry 10.

The move to BlackBerry 10 is particularly important, because with it Wu believes that service fees for consumers using the operating system will fall to zero, and that this "will put it on better price parity against Apple's iOS and Google's Android smartphones."

BlackBerry 10 also brings with it a host of new features for enterprise customers, including multi-platform mobile device management and advanced security that Wu believes will drive services and software revenue.

"The big question now," wrote Wu in a note to clients, "is whether the company can gain customer and developer acceptance that will allow BlackBerry to remain a viable platform."

The launch of the new mobile platform is set for January 30. ZDNet will bring you the coverage live from London and New York City.