RIM said it will "soon" begin shipping the work-around in latent mode on BlackBerry devices as part of a software update called the BlackBerry Multi-Mode Edition. The update won't be activated by RIM unless Judge James Spencer, who is overseeing a patent infringement lawsuit filed against the company by NTP Inc., imposes an injunction against BlackBerry usage.

The work-around will also be made available for download by current users at "a later date for free," RIM said. If the multimode software is activated, it will modify the underlying elements of the BlackBerry message delivery system in order to avoid NTP's patent claims, the Waterloo, Ontario-based vendor noted. But the changes will be invisible to end users and should have only a minor effect on the work of systems administrators and application developers, RIM added.

Joe Puglisi, CIO at Emcor Group Inc. in Norwalk, Conn., had been weighing technology alternatives for his 500 BlackBerry users. But after reviewing RIM's announcement, Puglisi said he has put all his contingency plans aside.

"I am now more confident than ever that RIM's service will not be interrupted," he said.

John Halamka, CIO at CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School in Boston, said he also is confident that the BlackBerry service will continue to be available. Halamka said he sees the proposed work-around as being "seamless to the user ... [with] low impact on the IT infrastructure and staff."