BlackBerry (Gadget)

The BlackBerry device is a line of smartphones and tablets that were developed and manufactured by BlackBerry Limited, formerly known as Research In Motion (RIM). BlackBerry devices were known for their physical keyboards, secure messaging capabilities, and email integration.

The first BlackBerry device, the 850, was developed by the Canadian firm Research in Motion and introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager. In 2002, the more commonly known smartphone BlackBerry was released, which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, Internet faxing, Web browsing and other wireless information services. The original BlackBerry devices, the RIM 850 and 857, used the DataTac network.

The BlackBerry is so called because its black miniature buttons on its keyboard look like Blackberry fruit seed. Branding consultants came up with the name as a punchier version of 'strawberry,' after the buttons evoked in one observer that particular fruit.

The same creative company, Lexicon Branding. that came up with the name BlackBerry' also christened the ‘PowerBook’, and ‘Pentium.’

There have already been more than 10 different commercial models of BlackBerry introduced since year the first model released in year 1999.

In the early 2000s, BlackBerry devices gained popularity and became synonymous with mobile communication and productivity. They were particularly popular among business professionals and government organizations due to their robust security features, including encrypted messaging and push email.

At one time the US government had 500,000 BlackBerries, and Barack Obama refused to give up his personal BlackBerry when entering the White House. 

In 2010, BlackBerry had half of the US smartphone market and 20 per cent globally.

The addictiveness of the device led it to be dubbed the "CrackBerry", which is a reference to crack cocaine. Use of the term CrackBerry became so widespread that in November 2006 Webster's New World College Dictionary named "crackberry" the "New Word of the Year." A popular BlackBerry user forum is called crackberry.com.

The company failed to predict the rise of smartphones for personal use, was slow to innovate and released slow, bug-riddled models. Eventually BlackBerrys started using the Android system – but it was too late.

By the mid 2010s BlackBerry had since lost its dominant position in the market due to the success of the Android and iOS platforms. In 2015, BlackBerry re-focused its business strategy and began to release Android-based smartphones, beginning with the BlackBerry Priv slide. On September 28, 2016, Blackberry announced it would stop designing its own phones. However, BlackBerry continues to develop software and services for its devices, and it remains a popular choice for businesses and government agencies.

The consumer BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) was available in over 91 countries worldwide on over 600 mobile service operators using various mobile technologies, including 2G, 3G, and 4G.

BlackBerry announced on October 31, 2019, that it would be shutting down BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) and BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) on January 31, 2023. This means that users of BlackBerry devices will no longer be able to access email, calendars, contacts, and other corporate data through their devices.

Sources Scottish Mail, Onlinemarketingtrends