The name BlackBerry was coined by the marketing company Lexicon Branding. The name was chosen due to the resemblance of the keyboard's buttons to that of the drupelets that compose the blackberry fruit. A Canada based company Research In Motion (RIM) has been designing and developing Blackberry since 1996. The first BlackBerry device, the 850, was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager in Munich, Germany. When it first came out a two way pager was a pretty novel product since most of them up until then had only allowed for one way communication. The original BlackBerry had a keypad that allowed the person who was receiving the page to respond to the sender.
In 2003 BlackBerry introduced the first of what we would think of as being the modern smart phone. This was a device that not only functioned as a telephone but also allowed for the sending and receiving of email and text messages as well as web browsing. One of the main focuses of the early BlackBerry's was to allow for mobile email. It was clear that this was a technology that was necessary since email had become so popular.
The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome display, but all current models have color displays. All models, except for the Storm series and the all-touch Torch 9850/9860 have a built-in QWERTY keyboard, optimized for "thumbing", the use of only the thumbs to type. The Storm 1 and Storm 2 include a SureType keypad for typing. Originally, system navigation was achieved with the use of a scroll wheel mounted on the right side of phones prior to the 8700. The trackwheel was replaced by the trackball with the introduction of the Pearl series which allowed for 4 way scrolling. The trackball was replaced by the optical trackpad with the introduction of the Curve 8500 series.
The operating system used by BlackBerry devices is a proprietary multitasking environment developed by RIM. The operating system is designed for use of input devices such as the track wheel, track ball, and track pad. The BlackBerry Curve 9360, BlackBerry Torch 9810, Bold 9900/9930, Curve 9310/9320 and Torch 9850/9860 feature the most recent BlackBerry OS 7 (launched in 2011). A new OS, BlackBerry 10, is slated for release on new BlackBerry models on January 30, 2013, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins announced. At BlackBerry World 2012, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins showed off a few new features of the upcoming OS, including a camera which is able to go back in time to ensure a perfect shot, an intelligent, predictive, and adapting keyboard, and a user interface designed around the idea of "flow".
BlackBerry devices use the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, software for sending and receiving encrypted instant messages, voice notes, images and videos via BlackBerry PIN. As long as your cell phone has a data plan these messages are all free of charge. Some of the features of BBM include groups, bar-code scanning, lists, shared calendars, BBM Music and integration with apps and games using the BBM social platform. BlackBerry PIN is an eight character hexadecimal identification number assigned to each BlackBerry device. BlackBerry devices can message each other using the PIN directly or by using the BlackBerry Messenger application. BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries internationally. BlackBerry Internet Service was developed primarily for the average consumer rather than for the business consumer.
The President of the United States, Barack Obama, became known for his dependence on a BlackBerry device for communication during his 2008 presidential campaign.
The Italian criminal group known as the 'Ndrangheta' was reported on February 2009 to have communicated overseas with the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel, through the use of the BlackBerry, since the texts are "normally difficult to intercept".
The primary competitors of the BlackBerry are smartphones running Android and the Apple iPhone. BlackBerry has struggled to compete against both and its market share has plunged since 2011, leading to speculation that it will be unable to survive as an independent going concern. However, it has managed to maintain significant positions in some markets. BlackBerry is widely referred to as "CrackBerry" in the United States, which alludes to its excessive use by its owners and is a reference to the addictiveness of crack cocaine.
In 2003 BlackBerry introduced the first of what we would think of as being the modern smart phone. This was a device that not only functioned as a telephone but also allowed for the sending and receiving of email and text messages as well as web browsing. One of the main focuses of the early BlackBerry's was to allow for mobile email. It was clear that this was a technology that was necessary since email had become so popular.
The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome display, but all current models have color displays. All models, except for the Storm series and the all-touch Torch 9850/9860 have a built-in QWERTY keyboard, optimized for "thumbing", the use of only the thumbs to type. The Storm 1 and Storm 2 include a SureType keypad for typing. Originally, system navigation was achieved with the use of a scroll wheel mounted on the right side of phones prior to the 8700. The trackwheel was replaced by the trackball with the introduction of the Pearl series which allowed for 4 way scrolling. The trackball was replaced by the optical trackpad with the introduction of the Curve 8500 series.
The operating system used by BlackBerry devices is a proprietary multitasking environment developed by RIM. The operating system is designed for use of input devices such as the track wheel, track ball, and track pad. The BlackBerry Curve 9360, BlackBerry Torch 9810, Bold 9900/9930, Curve 9310/9320 and Torch 9850/9860 feature the most recent BlackBerry OS 7 (launched in 2011). A new OS, BlackBerry 10, is slated for release on new BlackBerry models on January 30, 2013, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins announced. At BlackBerry World 2012, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins showed off a few new features of the upcoming OS, including a camera which is able to go back in time to ensure a perfect shot, an intelligent, predictive, and adapting keyboard, and a user interface designed around the idea of "flow".
BlackBerry devices use the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, software for sending and receiving encrypted instant messages, voice notes, images and videos via BlackBerry PIN. As long as your cell phone has a data plan these messages are all free of charge. Some of the features of BBM include groups, bar-code scanning, lists, shared calendars, BBM Music and integration with apps and games using the BBM social platform. BlackBerry PIN is an eight character hexadecimal identification number assigned to each BlackBerry device. BlackBerry devices can message each other using the PIN directly or by using the BlackBerry Messenger application. BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries internationally. BlackBerry Internet Service was developed primarily for the average consumer rather than for the business consumer.
The President of the United States, Barack Obama, became known for his dependence on a BlackBerry device for communication during his 2008 presidential campaign.
The Italian criminal group known as the 'Ndrangheta' was reported on February 2009 to have communicated overseas with the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel, through the use of the BlackBerry, since the texts are "normally difficult to intercept".
The primary competitors of the BlackBerry are smartphones running Android and the Apple iPhone. BlackBerry has struggled to compete against both and its market share has plunged since 2011, leading to speculation that it will be unable to survive as an independent going concern. However, it has managed to maintain significant positions in some markets. BlackBerry is widely referred to as "CrackBerry" in the United States, which alludes to its excessive use by its owners and is a reference to the addictiveness of crack cocaine.
Trivia
- There is actually a class for people on how to use their blackberry and the right etiquette to use.
- There are even terms for the feelings and emotions that Blackberry users experience:
- “BraxBerry-ing”-the vibration you get when you don’t even have the blackberry on you.
- “Whip-Lashberrying”-looking at your blackberry instead of the road.
“Gasp-Berrying”-a message you have read precisely when you are somewhere else.
- “Black Magic” is a term synonymous to addiction for BlackBerry devices.
- The French government actually banned the use of Blackberry’s in ministries and in the presidential palace. They feared there would be snooping by foreign spies.
- BlackBerry users have a world of their own. They even had their own injury terms, like 'BerryThumb' refers to the injury occurred due to excessive usage of the BlackBerry keyboard.
Reference: Wikipedia; bbgeeks.com; bbscnw.com; Hub Pages; The Geeks Club
Photos Courtesy: Google Images
Photos Courtesy: Google Images