BlackBerry director says company can survive as niche smartphone maker -WSJ

(Reuters) - A member of BlackBerry Ltd's board committee tasked with exploring strategic alternatives said the company can survive as a niche smartphone maker but should sell off some parts, the Wall Street Journal said. Bert Nordberg, who joined the struggling smartphone maker's board in February, did not rule out a sale or strategic partnership, and did not specify which parts could be sold off, the newspaper said. (http://link.reuters.com/xam72v) BlackBerry said earlier this month it was looking into options for the company, which could include an outright sale. Nordberg said being a small player in the global smartphone market is difficult, the Wall Street Journal said on Friday. He also said the company needs to close the gap between its value on paper and how Wall Street perceives the company's worth, the newspaper said. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that BlackBerry is considering spinning off its messaging service into a separate unit, which the company refused to comment on. (Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bangalore,)