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Missing image Bb7100.jpg BlackBerry 7100t The BlackBerry is a handheld wireless device providing e-mail, telephone, text messaging and web browsing services.
HardwareMissing image Bb7510.jpg (1) Trackwheel, (2) Escape key and (3) radio/phone speaker on the BlackBerry 7510 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 anywhere it has access to an appropriate wireless network, as well as for its built-in keyboard optimized for "thumbing", or using only your thumbs to type. System navigation is primarily accomplished by the trackwheel (or "thumbwheel"), a scrolling wheel with a "click" function, located on the right side of the device. Some models (such as 7510 and 7520) also incorporate a two-way radio. The devices are very popular with some businesses, where they are primarily used to provide e-mail delivery to roaming employees. To fully integrate the BlackBerry into a company, the installation of BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is required. In November 2004, RIM announced that the number of subscribers to the BlackBerry service had reached two million, having doubled within ten months.  Social usageThanks to their gains in popularity, Blackberry devices are also used in social scenarios for setting up dates or movie viewing times with friends and acquaintances. Operating systemRIM provides a proprietary operating system (OS) for the BlackBerry, which makes heavy use of the device's specialized input devices, particularly the thumbwheel. The OS provides support for MIDP 1.0 and WAP 1.2. The newer OS 4 and later provides a subset of MIDP 2.0.
Supporting softwareBlackBerry handheld integration into an organization's e-mail system is provided through a software package called the "BlackBerry Enterprise Server" (BES). Versions of the BES are available for Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino and Novell Groupwise. Individual users can often use e-mail services provided by the wireless provider and therefore may not be required to install a BES server on their local network, but organizations that have multiple wireless users usually run BES on their own network. BES can act as a sort of e-mail relay for corporate accounts so that users always have access to their e-mail. BES monitors the user's local "inbox", and when a new message comes in, it picks up the message and passes it to RIM's Network Operations Center (NOC). The messages are then relaayed to the user's wireless provider, which in turn delivers them to the user's BlackBerry device. BES also provides handhelds with TCP/IP connectivity that is proxyed through a component of BES server called "Mobile Data Service" (MDS). This allows for custom application development using data streams on BlackBerry devices based on the Sun Microsystems J2ME platform. The universal connectivity of the BES/MDS infrastructure is one of the most valuable aspects of Research In Motion's product. An organization can have devices on different carriers, and connected through different cellular network protocols, all functioning in an integrated fashion. Most providers offer flat monthly pricing for unlimited data between BlackBerry units and the BES, which also enhances the value of the MDS component. In addition to receiving e-mail, organizations can make intranets or custom internal applications with unmetered traffic. NicknamesThe ability to read e-mail that is received in realtime, anywhere, has made the BlackBerry devices infamously addictive, earning them the nickname "CrackBerry". Smaller blue-coloured models of the BlackBerry are colloquially nicknamed "BlueBerrys". Due to the abbreviated company name displayed prominently on early BlackBerry devices, they are mistakenly nicknamed "RIM". Internal to the company, various model families are named for subatomic particles; names used include Proton, Baryon, Quark and Charm, among others. Models Early Models:
Java-based Models:
Phones with BlackBerry e-mail clientSeveral ordinary mobile phones have been released featuring the BlackBerry e-mail client which connects to BlackBerry servers. All these phones have full QWERTY keyboards.
ProvidersMany cellular/digital providers offer Blackberries. North America
Europe
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:: About Us This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "BlackBerry". |