Research In Motion has now acquired Torch Mobile, which is a WebKit developer that offers the Iris mobile browser, and it is presumed that RIM purchased Torch Mobile to compete in the mobile browser market with the likes of Safari on the iPhone.

WebKit has become the unofficial standard in the smartphone arena, so Torch Mobile’s acquisition by Research In Motion could be a good move reports an article on Cnet.

The Apple iPhone, Symbian S60, Palm Pre and Android mobile devices all use WebKit to power their browsers, so it is believed that BlackBerry maker RIM felt it was time to level the playing field, although just how much RIM paid for Torch Mobile hasn’t been disclosed.