Blackberry

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.

RIM History 

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

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