RIM acquires mobile app testing platform tinyHippos

Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) has acquired tinyHippos, developer of the Ripple multi-platform mobile environment emulator. Financial details were not disclosed; RIM confirmed the deal on its Inside BlackBerry Developer's Blog, with VP of Global Alliances and Developer Relations Tyler Lessard promising a "simplified and streamlined" developer experience as the device maker integrates support for web technologies like HTML5 and BlackBerry WebWorks into its platform.

The Ripple solution provides cross-platform mobile application and widget development and testing tools. "We will be working to bring BlackBerry support to the Ripple product," tinyHippos co-founder and CTO Dan Silvestru writes on the firm's blog. "We also want to reassure all new and existing users that we expect that the Ripple product will continue to be offered for download and the team will continue to develop features, provide support, and help grow the mobile application developer community."

Last month, RIM acquired social media solutions developer Gist, which creates personalized social networks expressly for the enterprise segment, aggregating professional contacts from across inboxes, address books, social media websites and related sources to build rich business profiles. And late last year, RIM snapped up mobile user interface design firm The Astonishing Tribe in an effort to bolster the user experience across its BlackBerry smartphone platform and the forthcoming PlayBook tablet.

For more:
- read this Inside BlackBerry Developer's Blog entry

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