Image of Blackberry

Blackberry

Technology

A historical mobile device with a physical keyboard, brought out from the 'time capsule' to represent a once-dominant technology that was eventually disrupted.


First Mentioned

1/15/2026, 6:37:58 AM

Last Updated

1/15/2026, 6:45:12 AM

Research Retrieved

1/15/2026, 6:45:12 AM

Summary

BlackBerry, originally developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) in Waterloo, Ontario, revolutionized mobile communication starting in 1999 with its two-way pager and signature QWERTY keyboard. Known for pioneering push email and secure messaging, it became the standard for enterprise and government users, reaching a peak of 85 million subscribers in September 2011. Despite its early dominance, the brand struggled against the rise of the iPhone and Android, leading to a significant decline in market share to 23 million subscribers by 2016. In 2016, the company shifted from hardware manufacturing to software and services, licensing its brand to third parties before eventually discontinuing legacy services in 2022. By 2026, it was remembered as a foundational yet defunct mobile technology alongside the iPod and Google Glass.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Co-Founder

    Douglas Fregin

  • Headquarters

    Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

  • Key Investor

    Jim Balsillie

  • Peak Subscribers

    85,000,000 (as of September 2011)

  • Original Developer

    Research In Motion (RIM)

  • Current Entity Name

    BlackBerry Limited

  • Primary Input Method

    QWERTY Keyboard (Thumb typing)

  • Core Software Services

    BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Protect

Timeline
  • RIM announces the Inter@ctive Pager 900, a clamshell two-way paging device. (Source: Web Search Results)

    1996-09-18

  • Launch of the BlackBerry 850, the first device to carry the BlackBerry brand name. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1999-01-19

  • RIM debuts the BlackBerry in the European market. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2001-09-01

  • Release of the BlackBerry 5810, the first model to integrate cell phone functionality. (Source: Web Search Results)

    2002-03-04

  • Release of the BlackBerry Pearl, which expanded the brand's appeal to mainstream consumers. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2006-09-01

  • BlackBerry reaches its peak global subscriber base of 85 million users. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2011-09-30

  • BlackBerry 10, a revamped proprietary operating system, is launched to replace BlackBerry OS. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2013-01-30

  • Release of the BlackBerry Priv, the first BlackBerry-branded smartphone running on the Android platform. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2015-11-06

  • BlackBerry Limited announces it will cease internal hardware design to focus on software licensing. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2016-09-28

  • Production of licensed BlackBerry devices by partners officially ceases. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2020-08-31

  • BlackBerry Limited officially discontinues legacy software platform services for its non-Android devices. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2022-01-04

  • BlackBerry is featured in a 'time capsule' of past technologies at a CES 2026 panel. (Source: Document c08935b9-87d2-439d-a5ee-c1b4d7dc4dcf)

    2026-01-05

BlackBerry

BlackBerry (BB) is a discontinued brand of mobile devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry was a two-way pager, Inter@ctive Pager 950, launched in 1999 in North America, running on the Mobitex network (later also DataTAC) and became very popular because of its "always on" state and ability to send and receive email messages wirelessly. The BlackBerry pioneered push notifications and popularized the practice of "thumb typing" using its QWERTY keyboard, something that would become a trademark feature of the line. In its early years, the BlackBerry proved to be a major advantage over the (typically) one-way communication of conventional pagers and it also removed the need for users to tether to personal computers. It became especially used in the corporate world in the US and Canada. RIM debuted the BlackBerry in Europe in September 2001, but it had less appeal there where text messaging using SMS was more established. With the advancement of cellular technology, RIM released in 2002 the first BlackBerry cell phone, the BlackBerry 5810, that ran on the GSM network and used GPRS for its email and web capabilities. RIM also gained a reputation for secure communications, which led to the US government becoming its biggest customer and making use of BlackBerry services. Following the release of the BlackBerry Pearl in September 2006, as well as BlackBerry Messenger software, BlackBerry began attracting many mainstream consumers outside its traditional enterprise userbase, and was influential in the development and advancement of smartphones in this era. The BlackBerry line was for some time also the leading smartphone platform in the US. At its peak in September 2011, there were 85 million BlackBerry services subscribers worldwide. In the following years it lost market mainly to the Android and iOS platforms; its numbers had fallen to 23 million in March 2016, a decline of almost three-quarters. In 2013, RIM replaced the existing proprietary operating system, BlackBerry OS, with a new revamped platform called BlackBerry 10, while in 2015, the company began releasing Android-based BlackBerry-branded smartphones, beginning with the BlackBerry Priv. On September 28, 2016, BlackBerry Limited (formerly Research In Motion) announced it would cease designing its own BlackBerry devices in favor of licensing to partners to design, manufacture, and market. The original licensees were BB Merah Putih for the Indonesian market, Optiemus Infracom for the South Asian market, and BlackBerry Mobile (a trade name of TCL Technology) for all other markets. New BlackBerry-branded products did not manage to gain significant market impact and were last produced in 2020. A new American licensee planned to release a new BlackBerry before it shut down in 2022 without a product. On January 4, 2022, BlackBerry Limited discontinued its legacy BlackBerry software platform services, which included blackberry.net email, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Protect, and Voice Search; BlackBerry devices based on the Android platform were not affected. Following the discontinuation of BlackBerry smartphones and their related services, BlackBerry Limited transitioned to providing software and services and holds critical software application patents.

Web Search Results
  • Blackberry - Wikipedia

    The blackberry is an edible fruit ("berry") produced by many species in the genus Rubus in the family "Family (biology)") Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus Rubus, and hybrids between the subgenera Rubus and Idaeobatus. The taxonomy of blackberries has historically been confused because of hybridization "Hybrid (biology)") and apomixis so that species have often been grouped together and called species aggregates. Blackberry fruit production is abundant with annual volumes of 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) per 1 acre (0.40 ha) possible, making this plant commercially attractive. [...] | Blackberry | | | | Ripe, ripening, and unripe Allegheny blackberries (Rubus allegheniensis) | | | | Blackberry flower, Rubus fruticosus species aggregate | | Scientific classification "Taxonomy (biology)") | | Kingdom: | Plantae | | Clade: | Tracheophytes | | Clade: | Angiosperms | | Clade: | Eudicots | | Clade: | Rosids | | Order: | Rosales | | Family: | Rosaceae | | Genus: | Rubus | | Subgenus: | Rubus subg. Rubus | | Species | | Rubus ursinus Rubus laciniatus— Evergreen blackberry Rubus argutus Rubus armeniacus— Himalayan blackberry Rubus plicatus Rubus ulmifolius Rubus allegheniensis Rubus violaceifrons And hundreds more microspecies (the subgenus also includes the dewberries) | | Synonyms "Synonym (taxonomy)") | | Rubus subg. Eubatus | [...] Blackberries grow wild throughout most of Europe. They are an important element in the ecology of many countries, and harvesting the berries is a common pastime. However, their vigorous growth and tendency to grow unchecked if not managed correctly mean that the plants are also considered a weed, sending down roots from branches that touch the ground "Layering (horticulture)"), and sending up suckers "Sucker (botany)") from the roots. In some parts of the world, such as in Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and the Pacific Northwest of North America, some blackberry species, particularly Rubus armeniacus (Himalayan blackberry) and Rubus laciniatus (evergreen blackberry), are naturalized "Naturalisation (biology)") and considered an invasive species and a noxious weed.

  • BlackBerry (film) - Wikipedia

    BlackBerry is a 2023 Canadian biographical comedy-drama film directed by Matt Johnson "Matt Johnson (director)") from a screenplay by Johnson and producer Matthew Miller "Matthew Miller (filmmaker)"). It was loosely adapted from Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff's book Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry. The film is a dramatized account of the history of the BlackBerry line of mobile phones created by co-founders Douglas Fregin and Mike Lazaridis, and investor Jim Balsillie. Lazaridis is portrayed by Jay Baruchel, Balsillie is portrayed by Glenn Howerton, and Fregin is portrayed by Johnson. The film also stars Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside, Martin Donovan, Michelle Giroux, SungWon Cho, Mark Critch, Saul Rubinek, and Cary [...] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 209 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "With intelligence as sharp as its humor, BlackBerry takes a terrifically entertaining look at the rise and fall of a generation-defining gadget." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail named the film as third of the 23 best Canadian comedy films ever made. The film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual Canada's Top Ten list for 2023. It was also named as the fourth-best film of 2023 by film critic Cory Woodroof for USA Today's For the Win. [...] BlackBerry premiered in competition at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2023. The film was released in Canada on May 12, 2023, to positive reviews. In late 2023, Blackberry was re-released as a three-part miniseries with additional footage. The film is the most nominated film in the history of the Canadian Screen Awards, with 17 nominations. It won 14 awards, including Best Motion Picture. ## Plot [edit&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Plot")]

  • BlackBerry - Wikipedia

    The first BlackBerry device, the 850, was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager in Munich, Germany. BlackBerry was a solution devised by RIM for delivering e-mail over several different wireless networks. The name BlackBerry was coined by the marketing company Lexicon Branding. The name was chosen out of about 40 potential names, because of the resemblance of the keyboard's buttons to that of the drupelets that compose the blackberry fruit. The original BlackBerry devices, the RIM 850 and 857, used the DataTAC network. In 2002, the more commonly known convergent "Convergence (telecommunications)") BlackBerry 5810 smartphone was released, which supports push email, mobile telephone, text messaging, Internet faxing, Web browsing and other wireless information services. [...] Research in Motion (RIM), founded in Waterloo, Ontario, first developed the Inter@ctive Pager 900, announced on September 18, 1996. The Inter@ctive Pager 900 was a clamshell "Flip (form)")-type device that allowed two-way paging. 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. The next device to be released was the Inter@ctive Pager 950, on August 26, 1998. The 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. [...] The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome display while newer models installed color displays. All newer models have been optimized for "thumbing", the use of only the thumbs to type on a keyboard. The Storm and Storm 2 include a SureType keypad for typing. Originally, system navigation was achieved with the use of a scroll wheel mounted on the right side of device models prior to the 8700. The trackwheel was replaced by the trackball with the introduction of the Pearl series, which allowed four-way scrolling. The trackball was replaced by the optical trackpad with the introduction of the 8500 series, the company's first entry-level device. Models made to use iDEN networks, such as Nextel, SouthernLINC, NII Holdings, and Mike "Mike (cellular network)") also incorporate a

  • Blackberry | Description, Types, Nutrition, Uses, & Facts | Britannica

    ## Physical description Closely related to raspberries (also in the genus Rubus), blackberry plants have biennial canes (stems) that are characteristically covered with prickles and are erect, semi-erect, or trailing; the thornless blackberry is a modern development. The compound leaves usually feature three or five oval, coarsely toothed, stalked leaflets, many of which persist through the winter. Borne on terminal clusters, the flowers are white, pink, or red and produce black or red-purple fruits. Though commonly called berries, the fruits of Rubus species are technically aggregates of drupelets. Unlike the hollow fruits of raspberries, the drupelets of blackberries remain attached to a juicy white core, thus distinguishing the two. [...] Britannica Editors History blackberry, usually prickly fruit-bearing bush of the genus Rubus of the rose family (Rosaceae) known for its dark edible fruits. Native chiefly to north temperate regions, wild blackberries are particularly abundant in eastern North America and on the Pacific coast of that continent and are cultivated in many areas of North America and Europe. Blackberries are a fairly good source of iron, vitamin C, and antioxidants and are generally eaten fresh, in preserves, or in baked goods such as cobblers and pies. ## Physical description [...] Related Topics: : dewberry : bramble : cloudberry : berry : Rubus ursinus See all related content ## Major species There are tens of thousands of blackberry hybrids and segregates of various types. Several species, notably the cutleaf, or evergreen, blackberry (Rubus laciniatus) and the Himalayan blackberry (R. armeniacus), are invasive species that spread rapidly by animal-mediated seed dispersal and vegetative reproduction. At least two South American Rubus species are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Britannica Quiz What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.

  • What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Blackberries Regularly

    Blackberries are a nutrient-packed superfood that supports heart, bone, and immune health while helping prevent chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes. They're rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like anthocyanins, which are being studied for their role in preventing serious health issues.1 ## 1. Boosts Brain Health Blackberries are rich in phytochemicals, particularly anthocyanins, which support brain health and may help prevent age-related neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.2 Research shows that anthocyanins, the compounds responsible for blackberries' purple color, can boost blood flow to the brain and enhance areas controlling memory and attention.3 [...] ## 3. Protects Against Cancer The antioxidants and other compounds in blackberries help neutralize harmful free radicals, which can damage cells, cause oxidative stress, and contribute to chronic diseases. Eating more blackberries may help prevent the growth of cancer cells.7 Blackberries may also help prevent colorectal cancer. Research shows blackberry extract can stop a key process that allows cancer cells to grow in the colon. However, this study was conducted in a lab, not on humans, so more research is needed.8 ## 4. Fights Diabetes Eating blackberries regularly may help prevent diabetes. Their fiber content slows digestion and helps lower blood sugar levels.9 The fruit also boosts metabolic health by:10 [...] ## 6. Improves Digestion Blackberries contain soluble and insoluble fiber, which is vital to digestion. Soluble fiber absorbs water, helping slow down food movement through the digestive tract, allowing for better nutrient absorption. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool, which helps move food more efficiently through the intestines, promoting regular bowel movements and preventing constipation.1 ## 7. Promotes Good Dental Health Research shows that blackberry extract can fight bacteria, viruses, and inflammation, which may help prevent periodontal disease. One study found that chewing gum with xylitol and freeze-dried blackberry powder (50 milligrams) reduced bacteria in saliva, significantly improving oral health.11 ## Blackberries' Nutritional Information

Location Data

Blackberry Township, Itasca County, Minnesota, 55752, United States

administrative

Coordinates: 47.1807760, -93.3904900

Open Map