Microsoft signs licensing agreement with Research In Motion for exFAT file system

Microsoft has announced a licensing agreement with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) for the use of the exFAT (extended File Allocation Table) file system. Of course, this doesn’t come free as RIM will now have to pay Microsoft for using this format.

For those that don’t know, exFAT is a modern file system from Microsoft that facilitates large files for audiovisual media and enables seamless data portability and an easy interchange between desktop PCs and other electronic devices. “exFAT improves on its predecessor, the FAT system, and greatly expands the size of files that flash memory devices can handle by five times over previous FAT technology. It also increases the speed with which those files can be accessed. The exFAT file system not only facilitates large files for use of audiovisual media, it enables seamless data portability and an easy interchange between desktop PCs and a variety of electronic devices,” Microsoft explained in the official blog post. The idea behind this licensing agreement is to give RIM access to the format and allow the company to build devices, applications, and services that work seamlessly with each other. No other details were revealed and one can only wonder what plans RIM has with the exFAT format.