The Toronto company is best known for its Iris browser, which is built on Webkit and currently runs on Windows Mobile phones. It also runs on Qtopia, the application development platform for Linux devices.

In a brief note on its Web site, Torch wrote that its team of developers will join RIM and "will now be focused on utilizing our WebKit-based mobile browser expertise to contribute to the ongoing enhancement of the BlackBerry platform." Webkit is the open-source software used in Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome browsers as well as Nokia's Series 60 browser.

It's unclear if the Iris browser will continue to be available for Windows Mobile users or Qtopia. Qtopia was first developed by Trolltech, a company Nokia acquired last year.