BlackBerry is a brand of wireless handheld devices and services developed by Research In Motion (RIM). The first BlackBerry device, an email pager, was released in 1999; the 100 millionth BlackBerry smartphone was shipped in June quarter of 2010 and the 200 millionth smartphone was shipped in September quarter of 2012.
Most BlackBerry devices are smartphones and are primarily known for their ability to send and receive push email and instant messages while maintaining a high level of security through on-device message encryption. They are also designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, cameras and more. BlackBerry devices support a large variety of instant messaging features, with the most popular being the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger service. The BlackBerry PlayBook is a tablet computer offered by RIM.
BlackBerry accounts for 3% of mobile device sales worldwide in 2011, making its manufacturer RIM the sixth most popular device maker (25% of mobile device sales are smartphones). The consumer BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries worldwide on over 500 mobile service operators using various mobile technologies. As of September 2012, there were eighty million subscribers worldwide to BlackBerry. In 2011 the Caribbean and Latin America had the highest penetrations of BlackBerry smartphones worldwide, with up to about 45 per cent in the region having a RIM device.
Read more about BlackBerry: History, Operating System, Hardware, Models, BlackBerry Store, BlackBerry PIN, RIM Patent Infringement Litigation, Certification, Use, Competition, Nicknames
Famous quotes containing the word blackberry:
“And they both went a walking to Blackberry Fold.”
—Unknown. Squire and Milkmaid; or, Blackberry Fold (l. 20)