QNX Collaborates With Ford to Drive Industry Standard for Integrating Smartphone Apps Into Cars

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Jan. 4, 2016) - QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB), today announced that Ford Motor Company has ported its open source SmartDeviceLink™ (SDL) technology to the QNX CAR™ Platform for Infotainment.

SDL is designed to bring an intuitive and fully integrated app experience to the car. It allows drivers to use voice commands, steering-wheel buttons, and other in-car controls to interact with smartphone apps that provide navigation, music, location sharing, and other services. Drivers can, as a result, stay connected to their apps while keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

SDL offers broad device and platform compatibility, enabling the automotive developer community to create apps that will work, unmodified, across multiple automotive brands and vehicle models. Moreover, it allows automakers to deliver a consistent app experience across vehicles, while retaining the flexibility to customize that experience for each specific brand or model.

"Through our collaboration with QNX Software Systems, SDL will gain exposure to the many automakers and Tier 1 suppliers that use QNX technology as the software foundation for their infotainment and telematics solutions," said Paul Elsila, CEO of Livio, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford and the project maintainer of the SDL open source project. "With its large market share, QNX can play a key role in driving the adoption of auto industry standards, and we are excited to work with them in building vendor-neutral technology that can simplify the integration of smartphone apps in any brand or type of vehicle."

Ford created SDL by contributing its award-winning AppLink™ software to the open source community. Like the QNX CAR Platform and QNX® Neutrino® OS, SDL complies with the industry-standard Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), providing a familiar programming environment for developers.

"Through this joint initiative with Ford, QNX is helping to accelerate support for a standard that can simplify app integration and empower a larger community of app developers to add real value to the driving experience," said John Wall, Senior Vice President and Head of QNX Software Systems. "QNX has always been a champion of industry standards that increase interoperability, promote software reuse, and enable product differentiation. That is why we are excited to collaborate with Ford on SDL, and why we believe that it will benefit consumers, app developers, and the auto industry as a whole."

QNX Software Systems offers a comprehensive portfolio of infotainment, telematics, safety, and acoustics solutions deployed in more than 60 million vehicles worldwide. More than 40 automotive OEMs use QNX software, including the QNX Neutrino OS, the QNX CAR Platform for Infotainment, the QNX OS for Safety, and QNX acoustics middleware, for their head units, digital instrument clusters, advanced driver information systems (ADAS), handsfree systems, and connectivity modules.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 197,000 employees and 67 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.

About Livio

Livio, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, has been operating out of Metro Detroit since 2008. As an emerging leader in automotive technology, Livio is setting the standard for safe, on-the-road access to mobile device applications. Livio is the project maintainer of the SmartDeviceLink open source project, which can be found at www.github.com/smartdevicelink.

About QNX Software Systems

QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited, is a leading provider of operating systems, middleware, development tools, and professional services for connected embedded systems. Global leaders such as Audi, Siemens, General Electric, Cisco, and Lockheed Martin depend on QNX technology for their in-car electronics, medical devices, industrial automation systems, network routers, and other mission- or life-critical applications. Visit www.qnx.com and follow @QNX_News on Twitter. For updates on the company's automotive work, follow @QNX_Auto and visit qnxauto.blogspot.com.

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry is securing a connected world, delivering innovative solutions across the entire mobile ecosystem and beyond. We secure the world's most sensitive data across all end points - from cars to smartphones - making the mobile-first enterprise vision a reality. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The Company trades under the ticker symbols "BB" on the Toronto Stock Exchange and "BBRY" on the NASDAQ. For more information, visit www.BlackBerry.com.

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