After a long drawn spell of rumors, delays, prototypes and previews, Research In Motion has finally released its new operating system and the two phones that run on it on Wednesday. In an event held in New York, CEO Thorsten Heins introduced the audience to Blackberry Q10 and Blackberry Z10, both powered by the new Blackberry 10 OS. Another significant announcement at the event was RIM’s decision to change its name to Blackberry, so that there is a unified brand name. The company will trade under “BBRY” on Nasdaq Stock Market. The event was telecasted via video at other RIM events in Toronto, Paris, Dubai, London, New Delhi and Jakarta.
For lovers of the Blackberry QWERTY keyboard, the Q10 will be a better choice, while the Z10 rides the new touchscreen wave. The whole idea for the new operating system is to take Blackberry into a multimedia, apps-based touchscreen-integrated space. Competitors like Apple and several Android-based phones have dominated this space for a while, and the likelihood of a new ecosystem making a significant mark is small. However, the smartphone industry as a whole is growing by leaps and Blackberry may be able to find its space without having to convince Apple and Android users to switch.
The Blackberry 10 is considered the key moment in RIM’s story from this point onward. A recovery will be close to impossible if this product doesn’t work. On the plus side, the sentiment about BB10 has been positive so far. Critics that have tested it have commented encouragingly, bloggers have given it approving nods and financial analysts have started pointing at a comeback possibility for RIM. The only dark cloud among these rays of hope is the lack of apps. While RIM has been on a very aggressive app campaign all year and its new App World will be released with 70,000 apps. This is far less than the numbers boasted by Apple and Android, but more than the 2,000 that Windows Phone had upon its release.
Other than Heins, Alec Saunders, VP of developer relations, and Martyn Mallick, VP of global alliances, addressed the crowd. Saunders is the man single-handed responsible for the large number of apps on BB10 App World. Frank Boulben, chief marketing officer, held question-and-answer session with reporters after the three speakers had done their part.
