BlackBerry Wants A Google-Type Company To Come To The Rescue

BlackBerry BBRY has publicly stated that it is seeking strategic alternatives to help the company prosper. Secretly, the company may have a more specific plan in mind. According to the New York Post, BlackBerry is hoping to attract an investor along the lines of Google GOOG. When Motorola -- once the leading maker of high-end cellular devices -- lost market share to Apple AAPL and Samsung SSNLF, Google decided to rescue the manufacturer. At the time of its sale, many believed that Google had no plans to manufacture electronic devices. Instead, Google was thought to have purchased Motorola to gain control of its patent portfolio, which was one of the strongest in the industry. Google proved the critics wrong when it unveiled the Moto X, its first original Motorola device since the acquisition. The company is so supportive of Moto X that it is willing to spend as much as $500 million to market the handset worldwide. Any firm would love to find a partner that's equally as supportive. BlackBerry, whose market share has dropped to one percent in the United Sates, could use a partner like that to avoid bankruptcy, to rebuild the brand and to revitalize its quarterly sales. Worldwide, BlackBerry is still a strong company. It is the most important electronics company in Canada. And it has one of the most recognizable brands in the industry. Thus, there are bound to be a few corporations who are interested in an acquisition or joint venture that could save BlackBerry. Three possible suitors were mentioned in the New York Post report: Amazon AMZN, Microsoft MSFT and Dell DELL. With BlackBerry's market cap coming in at roughly $5.5 billion, Amazon would have to spend most of its cash ($7.46 billion) to pay for the company. Despite Dell's problems, the PC manufacturer has managed to amass $10.9 billion in cash. Microsoft's treasure chest is much larger, coming in at $76.21 billion. Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ