EC picks Apple's iPhone over RIM's BlackBerry

According to a report by CNET, the EC, which serves as the executive arm of the European Union, began a search for future smartphone platform in 2008. The EC currently uses devices built by HTC.

The group evaluated a variety of devices, including RIM's BlackBerry, before making the decision to continue to support HTC and add Apple's iPhone.

"Following this evaluation, the HTC and the iPhones emerged as the most suitable platforms for voice/mail-centric mobile devices. As a result, the Commission currently supports these two platforms," the group said in the report.

The EC's evaluation factored in "security, financial impact, integration into its IT infrastructure, resiliency, administrative overhead, and openness toward other applications and future technologies."