The
History of Blackberry
By Emily Beach, eHow
Contributor
The
Blackberry is a portable hand-held device used to perform personal and business tasks on-the-go. It is used
for email, faxing, phone calls, and a variety of data and communications
services. The Blackberry was developed by a company known as Research in
Motion, commonly referred to as RIM. Since their initial release in the late
20th century, the Blackberry has become a common work tool for professionals in
a wide variety of industries.
The history of the Blackberry
dates back to the founding of RIM in 1984. This technology company that would
one day revolutionize wireless communications was created by a 23 year old
named Mike Lazardis. Lazardis was pursuing an electrical engineering degree at
the University of Waterloo, Ontario, but dropped out before graduation. Using
money borrowed from friends and family, he founded RIM to develop industrial
automation technologies. That same year, he secured a contract to perform work
for General Motors of Canada. By the end of the 1980s, the company had reached
over one million dollars in sales.
The
First Blackberry
In 1996, the company released
the Inter@ctive Pager, also known as the RIM 900. This two-way pager was the
very first Blackberry model, and featured a full QWERTY* keyboard and small black-and white screen.
The pager was based on RIM's own wireless networking technology. The
radio-based modem allowed short messages to be sent, and could store contacts
and other data. In 1998, the RIM 950 was introduced. It cost about one-third of
the price of the 900, and could send email and faxes. The 950 operated on a
more advanced RIM wireless system, allowing for faster service and more advanced features.
Blackberry
Goes Mainstream
In 1999, RIM introduced a new
wireless technology known as the Blackberry Email Solution. This system was
designed to "push" email from personal computers and network servers
to a wireless hand-held device. At the time, the company marketed this
technology to work with the RIM 950. Sales of the Blackberry technology,
coupled with increased use of the RIM 950, helped the company reach $47.5
million in sales in 1999.
In 2000, the Blackberry 5790 device was released, and
was the first RIM hand-held to bear the Blackberry name. It had a much larger screen as well as an expanded memory.
New
Developments
Since the first Blackberry was
released, RIM has continually released new models with updated features. In 2002, the 6710 and 6720 were
introduced. These models were the first to feature speakers, microphones, and
walkie-talkie features. The addition of speakers and microphones allowed users
to make phone calls on the Blackberry. By 2003, a variety of cell
phone carriers throughout the world were distributing the device on their
networks. By 2003, consumer-friendly models of the Blackberry were introduced
to appeal to non-corporate customers. The company added a large color screen,
as well as international roaming
capabilities. In 2006, the introduction of the Blackberry Pearl helped
capture a wider cell phone audience. This slimmed-down model featured a track-ball, along with a
modified keyboard, making it more convenient for one-handed use.
*QWERTY is the most
common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters
(keys) appearing in the top left letter row of the keyboard, read left to
right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the
Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the same year, when it
first appeared in typewriters
