Demand jump lifts Blackberry firm

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Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM) has seen its second-quarter profits more than double on the back of surging subscriber numbers.

For the three months to 1 September, the Canadian firm made a net profit of $287.7m (Â£141m), compared with $140.2m for the same period in 2006.

RIM said the profit jump, which beat market targets, was helped by global users breaking the 10-million mark.

Blackberry is the market leader in handheld e-mail devices.

RIM said its revenues in the second quarter also more than doubled, reaching $1.37bn from $658.5m, as it added 1.45 million subscribers.

It now expects revenues for the current quarter to pass $1.6bn.

Although a Canadian company, RIM reports its results in US dollars.