The BlackBerry is dead. Could Research in Motion bring it back to life by partnering with Microsoft? - Slate Magazine

A RIM/Nokia merger and combined bet on Windows 8 might be their best bet at this point

"Why do I think RIM would fare any better with Windows? Well, Nokia and RIM might help each other. I know this sounds funny—if Windows can attract two once-legendary failing mobile companies to its platform, then surely people will pay attention! But I think it might be true. Both BlackBerry and Nokia still command some brand loyalty. Hundreds of millions of people have owned and loved their devices, and many of us would be happy to give them another chance to wow us. If they’re both making great Windows devices—and if Microsoft, too, is making its own Windows tablets and, who knows, maybe its own phones—perhaps their combined efforts will spark renewed consumer and developer interest in the platform.
Yes, it’s a long shot for all of them. But long shots are the only think RIM—and Nokia—have left. Out of all the treacherous paths before it, going with Windows might be RIM’s last, best hope."

The BlackBerry is dead. Could Research in Motion bring it back to life by partnering with Microsoft? - Slate Magazine