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Overview

BlackBerry is a line of smartphones and services designed and marketed by BlackBerry Limited (formerly known as Research In Motion/RIM).[1] The very first RIM device was the Inter@ctive Pager 900, a clamshell-type device that allowed two-way paging, announced on September 18, 1996.[2] After the success of the 900, the Inter@ctive Pager 800 was created for IBM, which bought US$10 million worth of them on February 4, 1998.[3] The next device to be released was the Inter@ctive Pager 950, on August 26, 1998. The very first device to carry the BlackBerry name was the BlackBerry 850, an email pager, released January 19, 1999. Although identical in appearance to the 950, the 850 was the first device to integrate email and the name Inter@ctive Pager was no longer used to brand the device.

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BlackBerry devices can record video, take photos, play music and also provide functions such as web browsing, email, instant messaging, and the multi-platform BlackBerry Messenger service. The BlackBerry line traditionally used proprietary operating systems developed by BlackBerry Limited known as BlackBerry OS. In 2013, BlackBerry introduced BlackBerry 10, a major revamp of the platform based on QNX operating system. BlackBerry 10 was meant to replace the aging BlackBerry OS platform with a new system that was more in line with the user experiences of modern smartphone operating systems. The first BB10 powered device was the BlackBerry Z10, which was followed by other all-touch and keyboard-equipped models; including the BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Classic, BlackBerry Passport, and the BlackBerry Leap.

BlackBerry was considered one of the major smartphone vendors in the world, specializing in secure communications and mobile productivity. At its peak in September 2013, there were 85 million BlackBerry subscribers worldwide.[4][5] However, BlackBerry has since lost its dominant position in the market due to the success of the Android and iOS platforms; the same numbers had fallen to 23 million in March 2016.[6]

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In 2015, BlackBerry re-focused its business strategy and began to release Android-based smartphones, beginning with the BlackBerry Priv slider and then the BlackBerry DTEK50. However, BlackBerry COO Marty Beard told Bloomberg that "The company’s never said that we would not build another BB10 device."[7]