BlackBerry, the struggling Canadian smartphone maker, said its board has formed a special committee to explore strategic options and potentially sell itself. Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins will join fellow board members Barbara Stymiest, Richard Lynch and Bert Nordberg and Timothy Dattels on the committee, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said today in a statement. Fairfax Financial CEO Prem Watsa, a director whose firm is BlackBerry’s largest shareholder, is stepping down from the board to avoid conflicts. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-12/blackberry-forms-board-committee-to-explore-options.html