The majority of people around the world hear the word BlackBerry and instantly think of three things; Email, Security, and BlackBerry Messenger. But most people don’t have a clue what Research in Motion is, nor do they know how the product known as the BlackBerry came to be. In this piece we’ll be taking a walk back through the history of RIM and seeing how the BlackBerry evolved from a simple pager to the advanced smartphones we all know and love today. Follow us past the break for a look at how the BlackBerry has grown over the years.
The Research Begins
In the late 1980′s, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie were just two Canadian businessmen who had a passion for technology. Mike was working in the electronics and communications industry and Jim was working hard as a businessman. The two got together and formed a small technology company which they named “Research in Motion.” In the early days, RIM worked with various companies to create and implement wireless data networks for commercial and enterprise implementations. In the early 90′s, after working on two-way communications networks for companies like Motorola and Ericsson, RIM got funding and began their own venture into the world of two-way communications.
RIM started out by building what they thought to be the most important part of a communications system, the communications control system and infrastructure. This philosophy, that the network infrastructure is almost more important than the receiving devices themselves, is a big part of why RIM saw early success and continues to see that success with government and enterprise today. RIM worked on the network infrastructure throughout the 1990′s and then in 1999 they debuted the first BlackBerry device.
The First “BlackBerry”
The first BlackBerry that RIM produced was nothing like the BlackBerrys of today that we all know and love. The first BlackBerry device was the 850, a monochrome pager with a thumbwheel for scrolling text. The 850, and the 857 after that, offered paging, calendar, tasks, and email functionality across the DataTAC network. The 850 was released as the RIM 850 and the name “BlackBerry” was a nickname that caught on and RIM began using for its products. After the 85X series, RIM produced a series of larger devices in the 900 series. These 9XX devices ran on the Mobitex network.
The BlackBerry Evolves
After the success of the pagers, it was time for RIM to step it up and make an all-in-one communications device. They ditched the pager form factor but kept the thumbwheel and began producing the BlackBerry form that we know today, a QWERTY keyboard with a screen above. The first full-keyboard BlackBerry devices, the 5XXX series, did not have a phone built directly in, but you could attach a headset and use the mobile phone functionality.
Right after the 5XXX series, RIM came out with the first, true mobile communications device, the BlackBerry 6200 series. This is the model that most people think of when they think about the first BlackBerry. This GSM-enabled device still had that monochrome screen, but it also packed the full-keyboard, thumbwheel, and built-in telephone. RIM continued the 6XXX series with a few models and even made their first CDMA device, the BlackBerry 6750.
The BlackBerry Gets Colorized
The 6000 series of BlackBerry was just the beginning for RIM. They planned to take mobile communications even farther, and they did that with the introduction of the BlackBerry 7200 series. The 7200 series of BlackBerry devices have all the features of previous BlackBerry models, but with the addition of a color display screen. RIM made a total of 12 devices in the 7XXX series and then decided a change was needed.
SureType is Born
With the rapid expansion of mobile phones, RIM decided to change up the BlackBerry form factor to try and expand their target audience. They wanted to keep the keyboard but they wanted to shrink the device. The great minds at RIM came up with a solution to achieve both these goals and they called it SurePress. RIM debuted the 71XX line of BlackBerry models with the revolutionary SurePress technology and the devices sold extremely well.
The Consumer Shift
In 2004, the consumer market for “smartphones” was really heating up and RIM decided to make the first consumer focused device, the BlackBerry Electron, or 8700 series. These devices packed more consumer features such as expandable memory, ringtones, and cameras, and set RIM up to compete with Palm and Motorola in the coming smartphone race.
The Trackball Cometh
RIM was really starting to do well in the consumer business when they threw the world for a loop with the introduction of the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 series. The 8100 series featured the now well-known SureType technology, but RIM had left off the legendary thumbwheel in favor of the all-new trackball. The trackball was included in the Pearl SureType series of BlackBerry devices and then made the transition to full QWERTY devices with the introduction of the Curve 8800.
The Curve series really took off and helped propel BlackBerry to the top of the smartphone market in the mid-2000′s. The Curve and Pearl series of BlackBerrys began to make use of the new 2G and 3G networks that carriers were now offering and paved the way for a world of BlackBerry lovers.
BlackBerry Goes Bold
The Curve and Pearl series were doing great and RIM knew they needed a BlackBerry to rule all BlackBerrys. To accomplish this goal they took the Curve and supersized it, delivering the first BlackBerry Bold, the 9000. The 9000 took all the features of current BlackBerry devices and improved them. Bigger screen, larger and faster keyboard, leather battery door. The Bold 9000 had it all. This device began to be used by executives and CEO’s at corporations and it became known as the “Cadillac” of BlackBerrys.
The Bold 9000 saw wild success, and like most successful products, demanded a sequel. The Bold 9700 launched next and it took all the features of the Bold 9000, put them into a more powerful and compact design, and gave RIM another huge success.
A Storm’s a Brewin’
The iPhone and various Android devices brought the full-touchscreen experience to the forefront of consumer and business minds alike. RIM needed a product that could compete and they though they had it with the BlackBerry Storm 9530. The Storm featured a new technology RIM called SurePress where the screen actually moved when you typed and provided tactile feedback. The Storm, with SurePress and a 3.5″ full-touch display, was not received well and is considered by many to be the first of many “failures” RIM would launch as time went on.
The BlackBerry Torch is Lit
With the BlackBerry Storm and Storm 2 both being relative failures for the company, they still wanted a touchscreen device to compete but they also wanted the traditional BlackBerry keyboard. To accomplish this, RIM launched the BlackBerry Torch 9800, a full-touchscreen device that features a vertical slide-out keyboard. This device also launched BlackBerry OS 6.
Research in Motion Acquires QNX Software Systems
It’s now the late 2000′s and RIM’s Java-based, BlackBerry Operating system is showing its age. The competition is producing faster and smoother experiences and the BlackBerry experience seems to be getting worse, in comparison. RIM is hard at work on BlackBerry OS 7, but they are also planning for the future. They acquired QNX Software Systems in early 2010 and began work on the next generation BlackBerry Operating System.
RIM Adds a New Page to Their PlayBook
It had only been about a year since RIM acquired QNX when they launched the first BlackBerry device featuring the QNX-based OS. However, this device wasn’t like any BlackBerry we had seen before. RIM launched the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, billed as the first “Professional Grade Tablet,” to compete with the likes of the iPad and Galaxy Tab. The PlayBook brought lots of controversy, since it launched with no Email service, no BBM, and a buggy Operating System.
BlackBerry 7 Fills the Gap
It’s now 2011 and RIM is banking on their QNX-based devices to bring them back to the top of the smartphone market however, there is a problem. QNX on the PlayBook isn’t working as well as RIM hoped and the version for phones is nowhere near ready for release. So RIM launches an update to the BlackBerry OS line, BlackBerry 7. BB7 launches on the Bold 9900 and then follows on the Torch 9810, 9850/60, and Curve 9350/60/70. These devices are what RIM is relying on to bridge the gap between BlackBerry 7 in 2011 and the future in 2012.
The Future of BlackBerry: BlackBerry 10 and Beyond
2012 is going to bring many new and exciting things for RIM. First, coming in February 2012 is the release of PlayBook OS 2.0. This update will feature Email, PIM, and many other improvements to the OS. RIM hopes to start 2012 off well with a successful launch of PlayBook 2.0. Then in late-2012, RIM will be launching the future of BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10. The new devices will feature the QNX-based BlackBerry 10 OS on phones that are unmatched in design and performance. In addition to BlackBerry 10, we will see RIM launch more user services and expand the BlackBerry ecosystem even further.
2012 will be a definitive year for Research in Motion and the BlackBerry brand. Many think it will mark the end of the company, but here at TheBerryFix.com we see the story playing out a little differently. We see PlayBook OS 2.0 taking the market by storm and helping the PlayBook see some of the success that the iPad and Kindle Fire are seeing. Then we see RIM bringing out the new BlackBerry 10 OS and devices, and blowing the competition away with an amazing experience and futuristic specs and design.
While we can only guess right now what 2012 holds for RIM, we will see in the coming months if BlackBerry can make a resurgence or if the company will go the way of Palm. Keep it here at TheBerryFix.com as we bring you all the news that BlackBerry will be making in 2012.
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