TORONTO (REUTERS) - Smartphone maker BlackBerry reported a massive quarterly loss on Friday due to an inventory writedown and asset impairment charges.

The company, which abandoned an attempt to sell itself last month, reported a net loss of US$4.4 billion (S$5.6 billion), or US$8.37 a share, in the third quarter ended Nov 30. That compared with net income of US$9 million, or 2 cents a share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, the company reported a loss of US$354 million, or 67 cents a share.