Lenovo BlackBerry Bid Potential Resurfaces

Lenovo is once again rumored to be considering a bid to acquire BlackBerry, with sources claiming the Chinese company has inked a non-disclosure agreement to dig through the ailing Canadian firm's financial records. The interest, reported by the WSJ, does not mean that Lenovo will definitely attempt to buy out BlackBerry, though fuels long-standing speculation that the Chinese manufacturer is looking to acquire its way into the western market by leveraging an existing brand.

Lenovo has done well in its home market with devices like the Vibe X announced at IFA 203, running Android or a customized version of it. Financial results from the company announced in August revealed that in fact mobile sales had out-performed PC sales.

It's not the first time Lenovo has been tipped to be interested in buying BlackBerry. Chatter of the possibility began back in January 2013, though the Chinese firm quickly moved to squash the speculation, only to spur it on again in March after leading comments from Lenovo's CEO.

However, BlackBerry isn't the only company Lenovo has been connected with around takeover rumors. A possible NEC purchase was suggested in March, while earlier this month HTC was tipped as the likely target.

Meanwhile BlackBerry isn't short on rumored suitors. Although an initial takeover consortium led by Fairfax seemed to settle the company's future, the fact that the firm is yet to detail its partners or, indeed, prove it has the $4.7bn it promised has led to suspicions that it may not go through.

Instead, private equity firm Cerberus is said to have signed a similar NDA to Lenovo to see BlackBerry's finances, while RIM co-founder Mike Lazaridis is also considering a bid.