Although they released their first device, an e-mail pager, back in 1999, the RIM BlackBerry that we have come to know and love in its current iteration launched four years later in 2003. Predominantly a device created to push e-mail, offer text messaging, internet faxing and mobile telephone service, it became an instant hit with CEOs and other business professionals. Some of the richest and most powerful corporate men and women around the globe were so addicted to the device that it earned the nickname “CrackBerry”.
The original BlackBerry devices were the RIM 850 and 857, and that was the start of what would see Canadian telecommunications company Research In Motion (RIM) become the predominant player in the mobile handset marketplace. RIM shipped the 100 millionth BlackBerry smartphone in June of 2010, and it took only a little over 2 more years to register their 200 millionth smartphone shipped globally, this occurring in September of 2012.
Up to 2010, RIM was a force to be reckoned with in the mobile marketplace. However, the last couple of years have not been so kind to the once dominant smartphone manufacturer. They hope to change all that in the very near future, as they launch a completely reworked operating system with the BlackBerry 10 OS. The company’s new smartphone is set to debut later this week, with the unlocked BlackBerry Z10 set to release at around $755 US as the new operating system’s flagship model.
Leaked screen shots revealing the handset’s price and upcoming availability came courtesy of Best Buy Canada, in yet another instance of what has become a rather common practice for that company. Rumors also indicate that purchasers of the BlackBerry Z10 will be able to get the handset on a standard two year contract from multiple carriers in the US and North America at around $200. The reveal will occur tomorrow or later this week, but no official launch date or carrier rollout has been mentioned as of yet.
RIM is holding a New York City event this week, and plans to make an announcement concerning the device and operating system at that time. The actual existence of powerful smartphones like the Galaxy S III, HTC Droid DNA and the Apple iPhone is thanks to the original BlackBerry platform. Commercializing the thought of mobile e-mail way back in 1999, RIM guaranteed that competition and technology would follow suit in the mobile marketplace, and that company hopes to return to dominance with the Z10. The handset will deliver a 4.2 inch display with a resolution of 768 x 1,280 pixels, 2.0 GB of RAM, 16 GB of built-in closet space and a dual core 1.5 GHz CPU.
