<p>The Waterloo, Ontario, company said it earned a $9 million profit in its fiscal third quarter, which ended Dec. 1, compared to a $235 million loss a year earlier. Most of that gain, though, came from a tax benefit. Excluding one-time costs and benefits, RIM said it would have lost $114 million, or 22 cents per share. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, who typically exclude one-time items from their estimates, had forecast a loss of 35 cents per share.</p><p>RIM said it is likely to report another loss next quarter as it ramps up its marketing campaign for its new BlackBerry 10 operating system and smartphones, which are slated to go on sale Jan. 30. The company said its sales until then will likely take a hit. It is considering lowering its prices on existing BlackBerry 7 devices to keep its current subscriber numbers up during the transition.</p><p>Sales during the quarter fell 47% to $2.7 billion, matching analysts' forecasts. RIM said it shipped just 6.9 million BlackBerry phones and 255,000 PlayBook tablets over the past three months.</p><p>Shares of RIM (RIMM) rose 6% in after-hours trading.</p><p><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/20/technology/enterprise/rim-earnings/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2012/12/20/research-in-motion-blackberry-earnings/1781837/">BlackBerry maker RIM reports lower profit, revenue for third fiscal quarter</a> (USA TODAY)</p><p><a href="http://www.cnet.com/8301-17918_1-57560332-85/sources-out-blackberry-z10-as-rims-first-new-smartphone/">&#039;Sources&#039; out BlackBerry Z10 as RIM&#039;s first new smartphone</a> (CNET)</p><p><a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2012/12/20/blackberry-parent-rim-reveals-quarterly-earnings/">BlackBerry Parent RIM Tops Expectations</a> (Fox Business)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dTT5xnBOnfEBTxMtqIl5IgdTStW8M&ned=us">278 additional articles.</a></p>