The BlackBerry is a wireless handheld device
introduced in 1997 which supports push e-mail, mobile telephone, text
messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and other wireless information
services. It is a prime example of a convergent device. Developed by the
Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM), it delivers information over the
wireless data networks of mobile phone service companies. BlackBerry first
made headway in the marketplace by concentrating on e-mail. RIM currently
offers BlackBerry e-mail service to non-BlackBerry devices, such as the Palm
Treo, through the BlackBerry Connect software. The original BlackBerry
device had a monochrome display, but all current models have color displays.
While including the usual PDA applications (address book, calendar, to-do
lists, etc.) as well as telephone capabilities on newer models, the
BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive e-mail
wherever it can access a wireless network of certain cellular phone
carriers. It has a built-in keyboard, optimized for "thumbing", the use of
only the thumbs to type. System navigation is primarily accomplished by a
trackball in the middle of the device (older devices used a scroll wheel on
the side). Some models (currently, those manufactured for use with iDEN
networks such as Nextel and Telus) also incorporate a PTT (Push-To-Talk)
feature, similar to a two-way radio. Some BlackBerry devices don't depend on
mobile phone service coverage and are Wi-Fi compatible like similar handheld
devices that are on the marketplace.
Modern BlackBerry handhelds incorporate an ARM 7 or 9 processor, while
older BlackBerry 950 and 957 handhelds used Intel 80386 processors. The
latest GSM BlackBerry models (8100 and 8700 series) have an Intel PXA901
312 MHz processor, 64 MB flash memory and 16 MB SDRAM CDMA BlackBerry
smartphones are based on Qualcomm MSM6x00 chipsets which also include the
ARM 9-based processor and GSM 900/1800 roaming (as the case with the 8830).The devices are very popular with some businesses, where they are
primarily used to provide e-mail access to roaming employees. To fully
integrate the BlackBerry into a company's systems, the installation of
BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is required.