BlackBerry

{{short description|Discontinued line of mobile devices and services}} {{Excessive detail|date=May 2026}} {{About|the brand of electronic devices|its parent company|BlackBerry Limited|the film|BlackBerry (film)|the fruit|Blackberry|other uses|Blackberry (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox computing device | name = BlackBerry | logo = Blackberry Logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert | logo_caption = Final logo introduced in 2004 | image = BlackBerry Bold9700.jpg | caption = BlackBerry Bold 9700 (2009) | developer = BlackBerry Limited (1999–2016) BB Merah Putih (Indonesia; 2016–2019) Optiemus Infracom (India; 2017–2018) TCL Corporation (Worldwide; 2016–2020) | manufacturer = Optiemus Infracom (South Asia) FIH Mobile (Enterprise) BlackBerry Limited TCL (Worldwide) BB Merah Putih (Indonesia) | type = Handheld devices | discontinued = {{end date and age|2020|8|30}} (final hardware production) {{end date and age|2022|1|4}} (end of web services) | os = BlackBerry OS BlackBerry 10 Android | website = {{URL|blackberry.com/en}} | release_date = {{start date and age|1999|1|19}} | units_sold = | units_shipped = | online_services = BlackBerry World, Google Play Store, BlackBerry Messenger }} '''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.<ref>{{cite web |title=RIM Company – Learn about Research in Motion |url=http://www.rim.com/company/ |access-date=September 23, 2012 |publisher=RIM}}</ref> 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)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-12-28 |title=Ten years of BlackBerry |url=https://www.engadget.com/2009-12-28-ten-years-of-blackberry.html |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Engadget |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Jowitt |first=Tom |date=2017-10-20 |title=Tales In Tech History: BlackBerry |url=https://www.silicon.co.uk/e-innovation/science/tales-tech-history-blackberry-223557 |access-date=2025-05-25 |work=Silicon UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newspapers |first=Tribune |date=2001-12-10 |title=Treo blends 3 functions into single gadget |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/12/10/treo-blends-3-functions-into-single-gadget/ |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite journal |last1=West |first1=Joel |last2=Mace |first2=Michael |date=June 2010 |title=Browsing as the killer app: Explaining the rapid success of Apple's iPhone |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0308596109001323 |journal=Telecommunications Policy |language=en |volume=34 |issue=5–6 |pages=270–286 |doi=10.1016/j.telpol.2009.12.002|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

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.<ref name=":11" /> It became especially used in the corporate world in the US and Canada. RIM debuted the BlackBerry in Europe in September 2001,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2001-09-24 |title=Gadgets get fruity |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1560419.stm |access-date=2025-05-25 |language=en-GB}}</ref> but it initially had less appeal there where text messaging using SMS was more established.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-03-05 |title=Blackberry device is out of season |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3527233.stm |access-date=2025-05-25 |language=en-GB}}</ref> With the advancement of cellular technology,<ref>{{Cite web |title=BlackBerry----Or Black Eye? |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2000/1127/6614265a.html |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BlackBerry - 5810 |url=https://www.mobilephonemuseum.com/phone-detail/blackbarry-5810 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=www.mobilephonemuseum.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-05-01 |title=The BlackBerry gets a phone |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3078379 |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frommer |first=Dan |title=In Pictures: Hottest Cellphones 2006 |url=https://www.forbes.com/2006/12/08/phones-music-internet-tech-cx_df_1208cellphones_slide.html |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite magazine |last=Timmer |first=John |title=The End of BlackBerry Phones Is Finally, Truly Here |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/12/end-of-the-line-finally-coming-for-blackberry-devices/ |access-date=2022-12-03 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> and was influential in the development and advancement of smartphones in this era.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/568693/the-extraordinary-rise-and-fall-of-blackberry/|title=The extraordinary rise and fall of BlackBerry - Washington Examiner|first=Emma|last=Loop|date=January 28, 2022}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 28, 2013 |title=BlackBerry Subscribers 2014 |url=http://bgr.com/2013/06/28/blackberry-subscribers-q1-2014/ |website=Boy Genius Report}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Colapinto |first=John |author-link=John Colapinto |date=October 3, 2011 |title=Famous Names |url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_colapinto |access-date=October 9, 2011 |magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |last=Foxx |first=Chris |date=September 28, 2016 |title=Blackberry stops designing own phones |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37493566 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mobile |first=BlackBerry |date=2020-02-03 |title=pic.twitter.com/jhcfVHjVqL |url=https://twitter.com/BBMobile/status/1224331849201258496 |access-date=2020-02-04 |website=@BBMobile}}</ref> New BlackBerry-branded products did not manage to gain significant market impact and were last produced in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TCL won't make BlackBerry phones anymore, sending the brand back into Noncé limbo |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/tcl-ends-blackberry-phone-production-news/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204090102/https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/tcl-ends-blackberry-phone-production-news/ |archive-date=February 4, 2020 |access-date=2020-02-04 |website=www.digitaltrends.com}}</ref> A new American licensee planned to release a new BlackBerry before it shut down in 2022 without a product.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2022 |title=BlackBerry's 5G Phone Is Officially Dead |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/blackberrys-5g-phone-is-officially-dead/ |access-date=February 21, 2022 |website=cnet}}</ref> On January 4, 2022, BlackBerry Limited discontinued its legacy BlackBerry software platform services (email, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry World, BlackBerry Protect, and Voice Search); BlackBerry devices based on the Android platform were not affected.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Olson |first=Carly |date=2022-01-03 |title=BlackBerry signals end of an era as it prepares to pull plug on classic phones |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/03/blackberry-discontinue-service-classic |access-date=2025-01-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://blackberry.com/us/en/company/overview |title=About Us |website=BlackBerry |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=January 4, 2022}}</ref> Following the discontinuation of BlackBerry smartphones and their related services, BlackBerry Limited transitioned to providing software and services and holds critical software application patents.

== History == {{seealso|BlackBerry Limited#History|BlackBerry Limited#Mobile OS transition}} [[File:Mike Lazaridis.jpg|thumb|Mike Lazaridis – Founder and former co-CEO of BlackBerry]] 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-type device that allowed two-way paging.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bbref.ca/900 |title=Inter@ctive Pager 900 |website=bbref.ca |access-date=January 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213150752/http://bbref.ca/900 |archive-date=February 13, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://press.blackberry.com/press/1998/pressrelease-697.html |title=Research In Motion Signs $10 Million Contract To Supply Two-way Pagers To IBM |website=BlackBerry |access-date=September 3, 2015 |date=February 4, 1998}}</ref> 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 first BlackBerry device, the 850, was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager in Munich, Germany.<ref name="Davis">{{cite web |title=Short Take: BlackBerry wireless email device debuts |first=Jim |last=Davis |url=http://news.cnet.com/short-take-blackberry-wireless-email-device-debuts/2110-1040_3-220388.html |website=CNET |date=January 20, 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522101747/http://news.cnet.com/short-take-blackberry-wireless-email-device-debuts/2110-1040_3-220388.html |archive-date=2013-05-22}}</ref> BlackBerry was a solution devised by RIM for delivering e-mail over several different wireless networks.<ref>{{cite web |title=BlackBerry Mobile Email Solution, Advanced Mobile Communications with RIM Wireless Products |url=http://www.rim.net/products/overview/index.html |publisher=Research in Motion |access-date=1 July 2022 |date=23 April 1999 |archive-date=April 23, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990423133133/http://www.rim.net/products/overview/index.html |url-status=deviated }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://qz.com/49115/rim-renames-itself-blackberry-heres-how-that-name-came-to-be/ |title=RIM renames itself BlackBerry: Here's how that name came to be |last=Seward |first=Zachary M. |date=January 30, 2013 |work=Quartz |access-date=January 24, 2018}}</ref>

The original BlackBerry devices, the RIM 850 and 857, used the DataTAC network. In 2002, the more commonly known convergent BlackBerry 5810 smartphone was released, which supports push email, mobile telephone, text messaging, Internet faxing, Web browsing and other wireless information services.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbscnw.com/a-short-history-of-the-blackberry.php |title=A short history of the BlackBerry |website=Bbscnw.com |access-date=October 3, 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003165305/http://www.bbscnw.com/a-short-history-of-the-blackberry.php |archive-date=October 3, 2013}}</ref>

BlackBerry gained market share in the mobile industry by concentrating on email. BlackBerry began to offer email service on non-BlackBerry devices, such as the Palm Treo, through the proprietary BlackBerry Connect software.

The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome display while newer models installed color displays. All newer models were 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 also incorporate a push-to-talk (PTT) feature, similar to a two-way radio.

On January 30, 2013, BlackBerry announced the release of the Z10 and Q10 smartphones. Both models consisted of touch screens: the Z10 features an all-touch design<ref>{{cite web |title=BlackBerry Q5 price in US revealed: BB Q10 & Z10 more expensive |url=http://www.popherald.com/news/20130717/blackberry/bb-q5-price-us-vs-z10-and-q10.php |work=Pop Herald |access-date=July 19, 2013 |last=Diokno |first=Carlo Raphael |date=July 17, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719162308/http://www.popherald.com/news/20130717/blackberry/bb-q5-price-us-vs-z10-and-q10.php |archive-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref> and the Q10 combines a QWERTY keyboard with touchscreen features.<ref>{{cite news |title=Review: BlackBerry Q10 |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/Gadgets-Reviews/Review-BlackBerry-Q10/SP-Article1-1093790.aspx |access-date=July 19, 2013 |newspaper=Hindustan Times |date=July 17, 2013 |last=Mahale |first=Sneha |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130718193930/http://www.hindustantimes.com/technology/Gadgets-Reviews/Review-BlackBerry-Q10/SP-Article1-1093790.aspx |archive-date=July 18, 2013}}</ref>

On March 5, 2013, BlackBerry announced the signature of a large contract to secure German government Data and Voice communications. Angela Merkel signed the contract publicly and [https://www.bundeskanzler.de/bk-en/news/the-chancellor-opens-cebit-in-hannover-481018 appeared at Cebit] along with BlackBerry Europe Managing Director, Herve Liboureau.

During the second financial quarter of 2013, BlackBerry sold 6.8 million handsets, but was eclipsed by the sales of competitor Nokia's Lumia model for the first time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nokia revenues slide 24% but Lumia sales rise offers hope |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/18/nokia-revenues-fall-lumia-sales?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2 |access-date=July 19, 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=July 18, 2013 |last=Arthur |first=Charles}}</ref>

On August 12, 2013, BlackBerry announced the intention to sell the company due to their increasingly unfavorable financial position and competition in the mobile industry.<ref>{{cite news |last=El Akkad |first=Omar |title=BlackBerry puts up 'for sale' sign, with Fairfax emerging as potential buyer |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/blackberry-says-it-is-exploring-strategic-alternatives/article13708618/ |access-date=September 21, 2013 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=August 12, 2013}}</ref> Largely due to lower than expected sales on the Z10, BlackBerry announced on September 20, 2013, that 4,500 full- and part-time positions (an estimated 40% of its operating staff) had been terminated and its product line had been reduced from six to four models.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gollom |first=Mark |title=Does BlackBerry have a future? |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/does-blackberry-have-a-future-1.1862945 |access-date=September 21, 2013 |work=CBC News |date=September 20, 2013}}</ref> On September 23, 2013, Fairfax Financial, which owned a 10% equity stake in BlackBerry, made an offer to acquire BlackBerry for $4.7 billion (at $9.00 per share). Following the announcement, BlackBerry announced an acceptance of the offer provisionally but it would continue to seek other offers until November 4, 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/blackberry-to-be-sold-to-group-led-by-fairfax-financial-1.1864922 |title=BlackBerry to be sold to group led by Fairfax Financial |work=CBC News |date=September 24, 2013 |access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref>

On November 4, 2013, BlackBerry replaced Thorsten Heins with new interim CEO John S. Chen, the former CEO of Sybase.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jane |last=McEntegart |url=http://www.tomshardware.com/news/thorsten-heins-fired-from-blackberry,24960.html |title=BlackBerry Replaces Thorsten Heins with New Interim CEO |website=TomsHardware.com |date=November 4, 2013 |access-date=November 17, 2013}}</ref> On November 8, the BlackBerry board rejected proposals from several technology companies for various BlackBerry assets on grounds that a break-up did not serve the interest of all stakeholders, which include employees, customers and suppliers in addition to shareholders, said the sources, who did not want to be identified as the discussions were confidential.<ref>{{cite news |last=Roumeliotis |first=Greg |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-offer-board-idUSBRE9A70Z020131108 |title=BlackBerry board rejected proposals to break up company that owned over 44,000 patents |work=Reuters |date=November 8, 2013 |access-date=November 17, 2013 |archive-date=November 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112235743/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/08/us-blackberry-offer-board-idUSBRE9A70Z020131108 |url-status=live }}</ref> On November 13, 2013, Chen released an open message: "We are committed to reclaiming our success."<ref>{{cite web |first=Adam |last=Zeis |url=http://crackberry.com/message-blackberry-ceo-john-chen-we-are-committed-reclaiming-our-success |title=Message from BlackBerry CEO John Chen: We are committed to reclaiming our success |website=Crackberry.com |date=November 13, 2013 |access-date=November 17, 2013}}</ref>

On December 17, 2013, BlackBerry announced a contract for more than [https://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/blackberry-10-000-collaborateurs-de-psa-equipes-de-z10-et-bes10-en-renfort-39796437.htm 10,000 BlackBerry Z10 for Peugeot SA].

On February 26, 2014, during Mobile World Congress, [https://www.boursier.com/actions/actualites/news/blackberry-limited-airbus-reitere-sa-confiance-dans-la-securite-et-la-fiabilite-de-la-plate-forme-blackberry-568099.html Airbus signed a contract with BlackBerry] Europe Managing Director, Herve Liboureau, for the BlackBerry 10 entire Mobility Management suite.

In early July 2014, the ''TechCrunch'' online publication published an article titled "BlackBerry Is One Of The Hottest Stocks Of 2014, Seriously", following a 50 percent rise in the company's stock, an increase that was greater than peer companies such as Apple and Google; however, an analysis of BlackBerry's financial results showed that neither revenue or profit margin were improved, but, instead, costs were markedly reduced. During the same period, BlackBerry also introduced the new Passport handset—consisting of a {{convert|4.5|in|cm|adj=on}} square screen with "Full HD-class" (1,440 x 1,440) resolution and marketed to professional fields such as healthcare and architecture—promoted its Messenger app and released minor updates for the BB10 mobile operating system.<ref>{{cite web |first=Matt |last=Burns |title=BlackBerry Is One Of The Hottest Stocks Of 2014, Seriously |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/08/blackberry-is-one-of-the-hottest-stocks-of-2014-seriously/ |website=TechCrunch |publisher=AOL Inc |access-date=July 12, 2014 |date=July 8, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Matt |last=Young |title=BlackBerry Passport: Breaking Design Boundaries |url=http://blogs.blackberry.com/2014/07/passport-design/ |website=BlackBerry Blog |publisher=BlackBerry |access-date=July 12, 2014 |date=July 7, 2014 |archive-date=July 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140709114758/http://blogs.blackberry.com/2014/07/passport-design/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On December 17, 2014, the BlackBerry Classic was introduced; it was meant to be more in line with the former Bold series, incorporating navigation buttons similar to the previous BlackBerry OS devices.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/blackberry-classic-1277422/review |title=BlackBerry Classic review |first=David |last=Nield |date=January 14, 2015 |work=TechRadar}}</ref> When it was discontinued in June 2016, it was the last BlackBerry with a keyboard that dominates the front of the phone in the classic style.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/technology/a-sad-day-for-punchers-blackberry-to-discontinue-its-last-keyboard-phone.html |title=A Sad Day for Punchers: BlackBerry to Discontinue Traditional Keyboard Phone |first=Ian |last=Austen |date=July 5, 2016 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>

In September 2015, BlackBerry officially unveiled the BlackBerry Priv, a slider phablet with a German-made camera lens with 18 megapixels that utilizes the Android operating system with additional security and productivity-oriented features inspired by the BlackBerry operating systems.<ref>{{cite news |title=BlackBerry to Launch Android Smartphone |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/blackberry-to-launch-android-smartphone-1443181465 |first=Ben |last=Dummett |date=September 25, 2015 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |publisher=Dow Jones & Company |access-date=September 25, 2015}}</ref><ref name="zdnet-privsecurity">{{cite web |title=The many ways BlackBerry beefs up Android security on the Priv |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-many-ways-blackberry-beefs-up-android-security-on-the-priv/ |first=Kevin |last=Tofel |date=October 21, 2015 |website=ZDNet |access-date=November 3, 2015}}</ref><ref name="zdnet-privstandout">{{cite web |title=BlackBerry Priv standout features: Hub, pop-up widgets and security app |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/blackberry-priv-standout-features-hub-pop-up-widgets-and-security-app/ |first=Kevin |last=Tofel |date=October 29, 2015 |website=ZDNet |access-date=November 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=BlackBerry Promises Robust Security on Android-Based Priv |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2493584,00.asp |first=Angela |last=Moscaritolo |date=21 October 2015 |website=PC Magazine |access-date=October 26, 2015}}</ref> However, BlackBerry COO Marty Beard told Bloomberg that "The company's never said that we would not build another BB10 device."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ubergizmo.com/2016/07/blackberry-bb10-smartphones-in-the-future/ |title=BlackBerry Not Ruling Out Future BB10 Smartphones |last=Lee |first=Tyler |date=July 11, 2016 |website=Ubergizmo |access-date=July 27, 2016 |quote=However with the rumors suggesting multiple Android devices in the works, we have to wonder where they will find the time to launch BB10 devices.}}</ref>

On July 26, 2016, the company hinted that another model with a physical keyboard was "coming shortly". The same day, BlackBerry unveiled a mid-range Android model with only an on-screen keyboard, the BlackBerry DTEK50, powered by the then latest version of Android Marshmallow (version 6.0). (The Priv could be upgraded to the same version of the Android operating system as well.) This device featured a 5.2-inch full HD display. BlackBerry chief security officer David Kleidermacher stressed data security during the launch, indicating that this model included built-in malware protection and encryption of all user information.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/blackberry-dtek50-1.3695450 |title=BlackBerry launching new smartphone with emphasis on beefed up security |author=The Canadian Press |date=July 26, 2016 |website=CBC News |publisher=CBC |access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Cheng">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/blackberry-dtek50-eschews-the-keyboard-but-keeps-android/ |title=BlackBerry's cheaper DTEK 50 skips the keyboard, but keeps Android |last=Cheng |first=Roger |date=July 26, 2016 |website=CNET |access-date=July 26, 2016}}</ref> Industry observers pointed out that the DTEK50 is a re-branded version of the Alcatel Idol 4 with additional security-oriented software customizations, manufactured and designed by TCL.<ref name="ars-dtek50">{{cite web |title=BlackBerry rebrands Chinese smartphone, creates the $299 BlackBerry DTEK50 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/07/blackberry-rebrands-chinese-smartphone-creates-the-299-blackberry-dtek50/ |first=Ron |last=Amadeo |date=July 26, 2016 |website=Ars Technica |access-date=July 27, 2016}}</ref><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="Cheng"/>

{{Anchor|merah}}In September 2016, BlackBerry Limited agreed to a licensing partnership with an Indonesian company to set up a new joint venture company called BB Merah Putih to "source, distribute, and market BlackBerry handsets in Indonesia".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2016/09/28/blackberry-joint-venture-bb-merah-putih/ |title=BlackBerry's first software and brand-licensing deal: a joint venture in Indonesia called BB Merah Putih |first=Paul |last=Sawers |website=Venture Beat |date=September 28, 2016}}</ref>

On October 25, 2016, BlackBerry released the BlackBerry DTEK60, the second device in the DTEK series, manufactured and designed by TCL. The device featured a 5.5-inch Quad-HD touch screen display running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor with support for Quick Charge 3.0, USB Type-C, and a fingerprint sensor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://press.blackberry.com/en/press/2016/blackberry-announces-dtek60-latest-android-device-with-blackberry-industry-leading-security-software.html |title=BlackBerry Announces DTEK60, Latest Android Device with BlackBerry's Industry Leading Security Software |work=BlackBerry |date=October 25, 2016}}</ref>

In October 2016, it was announced that BlackBerry would be working with the Ford Motor Company of Canada to develop software for the car manufacturer's connected vehicles.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-31/blackberry-ford-extend-partnership-to-develop-car-software |title=BlackBerry, Ford Extend Partnership to Develop Car Software |first1=Gerrit |last1=De Vynck |first2=Keith |last2=Naughton |date=October 31, 2016 |website=Bloomberg.com}}</ref>

In February 2017, a $20m class action lawsuit against BlackBerry was announced by the former employees of the company.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/blackberry-faces-class-action-lawsuit-from-former-employees/article34056298/ |title=BlackBerry to face class-action lawsuit from employees over Ford partnership |first=Shane |last=Dingman |date=February 16, 2017 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail}}</ref>

In March 2017, BB Merah Putih announced the BlackBerry Aurora, an Indonesian-made and sold device, running an operating system based on Android 7.0 out of the box.

In March 2018, BlackBerry announced that it would be working with Jaguar Land Rover to develop software for the car manufacturer's vehicles.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-22/blackberry-adds-jaguar-to-its-roster-of-automaker-partners |title=BlackBerry Adds Jaguar to its Roster of Automaker Partners |first=Gerrit |last=De Vynck |date=2018-03-22 |work=Bloomberg.com |access-date=2018-03-22}}</ref> In June 2018, BlackBerry, in partnership with TCL Mobile and Optiemus Infracom, launched the KEY2 at a global launch in New York.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://eoto.tech/blackberry-key2-unveiled-features-dual-camera-and-a-customizable-speed-key/ |title=BlackBerry KEY2 unveiled, features dual-camera and a customizable speed key |date=2018-06-08 |work=EOTO Tech |access-date=2018-06-27 |language=en-US |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627145808/https://eoto.tech/blackberry-key2-unveiled-features-dual-camera-and-a-customizable-speed-key/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> This was the third device to sport a keyboard while running Google's Android OS.

In 2017, BlackBerry Mobile released the BlackBerry KeyOne, which was known for having a physical keyboard below its 4.5 inch touchscreen and a long battery life. It was the last device to be designed internally by BlackBerry.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 27, 2017|title=BlackBerry's last internally designed phone comes out at the end of May|url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/04/blackberrys-last-internally-designed-phone-comes-out-at-the-end-of-may/|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=arsTECHNICA}}</ref> Also in 2017, BlackBerry Mobile, under their partner license agreements, released the BlackBerry Aurora, BlackBerry KeyOne L/E BLACK, and the BlackBerry Motion.

In June 2018, the BlackBerry Key2 was launched in international markets, and in India by licensee Optiemus Infracom.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/blackberry-key2-price-india-launch-specifications-release-date-amazon-1887906 |title=BlackBerry KEY2 With QWERTY Keypad, Dual Cameras Launched in India |first=Tasneem |last=Akolawala |date=24 July 2018 |website=NDTV Gadgets 360}}</ref> The Key2 sports a dual camera setup and incorporates features such as portrait mode and optical zoom. In August 2018, after the launch of the BlackBerry Key2, Optiemus Infracom announced the launch of the BlackBerry Evolve and Evolve X<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/launch/blackberry-evolve-evolve-x-launched-in-india/story/280926.html |title=BlackBerry Evolve, Evolve X launched in India |first=Nidhi |last=Singal |date=August 2, 2018 |website=Business Today}}</ref> smartphones for the Indian market sold exclusively on Amazon India. The smartphones were conceptualized, designed and manufactured in India.

As of 2019, BB Merah Putih's website had been repurposed,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bbmerahputih.co.id/ |title=Home |language=id |website=BB Merah Putih |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205052030/https://bbmerahputih.co.id/ |archive-date=December 5, 2019 |url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://forums.crackberry.com/blackberry-aurora-f463/bb-merah-putih-site-bankrupt-1168429/ |title=Is BB Merah Putih site bankrupt? |website=BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com}}</ref> with BlackBerry Limited stating that only technical support will be offered for the Indonesian devices built by the company.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/support/devices |title=Devices |website=BlackBerry.com |access-date=September 12, 2019 |archive-date=July 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703002243/https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/support/devices |url-status=dead }}</ref> Additionally, the operational status of Optiemus is unknown as of September 2020, as there have not been any updates posted regarding BlackBerry products in India since 2018.

In October 2023, it was announced that Blackberry Chief Operating Officer, John Chen would be leaving the company after ten years.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-10-30 |title=BlackBerry CEO John Chen to Exit With Software Company Planning Split |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-30/blackberry-ceo-john-chen-to-exit-as-software-company-plans-split |access-date=2023-11-01}}</ref> Richard Lynch took over as interim CEO and chair of the board.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Glickman |first=Ben |date=2023-10-30 |title=BlackBerry Taps Richard Lynch as Interim CEO |language=en-US |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/blackberry-taps-richard-lynch-as-interim-ceo-5cf10042 |access-date=2023-11-01 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-30 |title=BlackBerry CEO John Chen to Exit With Software Company Planning Split |url=https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/blackberry-ceo-john-chen-exit-202700310.html |access-date=2023-11-01 |website=Yahoo Finance |language=en-CA |archive-date=November 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101201356/https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/blackberry-ceo-john-chen-exit-202700310.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Intellectual property litigation === ==== NTP Inc case ==== In 2000 NTP sent notice of its wireless email patents to a number of companies and offered to license the patents to them. NTP brought a patent-infringement lawsuit against one of the companies, Research In Motion, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. This court is well known for its strict adherence to timetables and deadlines, sometimes referred to as the "rocket docket", and is particularly efficient at trying patent cases.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=12741229581232708370&hl=en&as_sdt=2&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr |title=NTP, Inc. v. Research in Motion, Ltd., 418 F. 3d 1282 - Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit 2005 |website=Google Scholar}}</ref>

The jury eventually found that the NTP patents were valid; furthermore, the jury established that RIM had infringed the patents in a "willful" manner, and the infringement had cost NTP US$33 million in damages (the greater of a reasonable royalty or lost profits). The judge, James R. Spencer, increased the damages to US$53 million as a punitive measure due to the willful nature of the infringement. He also instructed RIM to pay NTP's legal fees of US$4.5 million and issued an injunction ordering RIM to cease and desist infringing the patents—this decision would have resulted in the closure of BlackBerry's systems in the US.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Barrie |last1=McKenna |first2=Paul |last2=Waldie |first3=Simon |last3=Avery |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=February 21, 2006 |title=Patently Absurd: The inside story of RIM's wireless war |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060221.wpatentlyabsured-rim21/BNStory/RIM2006/home?pageRequested=all&print=true |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116071908/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060221.wpatentlyabsured-rim21/BNStory/RIM2006/home?pageRequested=all&print=true |archive-date=January 16, 2009}}</ref> RIM appealed all of the findings of the court. The injunction and other remedies were stayed pending the outcome of the appeals.

In March 2005 during appeal, RIM and NTP tried to negotiate a settlement of their dispute; the settlement was to be for $450 million. Negotiations broke down due to other issues. On June 10, 2005, the matter returned to the courts. In early November 2005 the US Department of Justice filed a brief requesting that RIM's service be allowed to continue because of the large number of BlackBerry users in the US Federal Government.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/11/AR2005111101789.html |last=Noguchi |first=Yuki |title=Government Enters Fray Over BlackBerry Patents. Agencies Depend on Devices, Lawyers Say |page=D01 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 12, 2005}}</ref>

In January 2006 the US Supreme Court refused to hear RIM's appeal of the holding of liability for patent infringement, and the matter was returned to a lower court. The prior granted injunction preventing all RIM sales in the US and use of the BlackBerry device might have been enforced by the presiding district court judge had the two parties been unable to reach a settlement.

On February 9, 2006, the US Department of Defense (DOD) filed a brief stating that an injunction shutting down the BlackBerry service while excluding government users was unworkable. The DOD also stated that the BlackBerry was crucial for national security given the large number of government users.

On February 9, 2006, RIM announced that it had developed software workarounds that would not infringe the NTP patents, and would implement those if the injunction was enforced.

On March 3, 2006, after a stern warning from Judge Spencer, RIM and NTP announced that they had settled their dispute. Under the terms of the settlement, RIM has agreed to pay NTP $612.5 million (USD) in a "full and final settlement of all claims." In a statement, RIM said that "all terms of the agreement have been finalized and the litigation against RIM has been dismissed by a court order this afternoon. The agreement eliminates the need for any further court proceedings or decisions relating to damages or injunctive relief." The settlement amount is believed low by some analysts, because of the absence of any future royalties on the technology in question.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6448213/did/11659304?GT1=7935 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121206040337/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6448213/did/11659304?GT1=7935 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 6, 2012 |title=Settlement reached in BlackBerry patent case |website=MSNBC |date=March 3, 2006 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

On May 26, 2017, BlackBerry announced that it had reached an agreement with Qualcomm Incorporated resolving all amounts payable in connection with the interim arbitration decision announced on April 12, 2017. Following a joint stipulation by the parties, the arbitration panel has issued a final award providing for the payment by Qualcomm to BlackBerry of a total amount of U.S.$940,000,000 including interest and attorneys' fees, net of certain royalties due from BlackBerry for calendar 2016 and the first quarter of calendar 2017.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/05/26/1297275/0/en/BlackBerry-Announces-Final-Award-in-Qualcomm-Arbitration.html |title=BlackBerry Announces Final Award in Qualcomm Arbitration |date=May 26, 2017 |website=GlobeNewswire News Room}}</ref>

==== KIK ==== On November 24, 2010, BlackBerry removed Kik Messenger from BlackBerry App World and limited the functionality of the software for its users.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://benefice-net.branchez-vous.com/actubn/2010/11/rim-blackberry-messenger-kik-application-mobile-concurrence.html |title=RIM bloque une application concurrente A son service BlackBerry Messenger |date=24 November 2010 |language=fr |website=Benefice.net |access-date=December 17, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127152006/http://benefice-net.branchez-vous.com/actubn/2010/11/rim-blackberry-messenger-kik-application-mobile-concurrence.html |archive-date=November 27, 2010}}</ref> RIM also sued Kik Interactive for patent infringement and misuse of trademarks.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weinberg |first1=Stuart |title=RIM Sues App Maker Kik Over Patents |date=2010-12-01 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704594804575648932379804088 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |location=New York City |access-date=2016-02-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Silcoff |first1=Sean |last2=McNish |first2=Jacquie |last3=Ladurantaye |first3=Steve |title=Inside the fall of BlackBerry: How the smartphone inventor failed to adapt |date=September 27, 2013 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-inside-story-of-why-blackberry-is-failing/article14563602/?page=all |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930181216/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-inside-story-of-why-blackberry-is-failing/article14563602/?page=all |archive-date=September 30, 2013 |access-date=October 12, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2013, the companies settled the lawsuit, with the terms undisclosed.<ref name="Lawsuit">{{cite news |last=Simone |first=Rose |title=Kik eager to move on after settling spat with BlackBerry |date=October 9, 2013 |url=http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4146815-kik-eager-to-move-on-after-settling-spat-with-blackberry/ |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |access-date=August 8, 2014}}</ref>

==== Facebook and Instagram ==== In 2018 it was reported that BlackBerry would be filing legal action against Facebook over perceived intellectual property infringements within both Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp as well as with Instagram.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/blackberry-lawsuit/blackberry-files-lawsuit-against-facebook-whatsapp-and-instagram-idUSL4N1QO4WP |title=BlackBerry sues Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram over patent infringement |first=Ahmed |last=Farhatha |date=March 6, 2018 |website=Reuters}}</ref> They settled for an undisclosed amount on January 15, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lenihan |first1=Rob |title=BlackBerry and Facebook Settle Patent Lawsuit |url=https://www.thestreet.com/investing/blackberry-settles-patent-lawsuit-filed-against-facebook |website=TheStreet |access-date=14 June 2024 |language=en-us |date=15 January 2021}}</ref>

=== Service outages === At various stages of the company's history it suffered occasional service outages that have been referred to in the media as "embarrassing".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lashinsky |first1=Adam |date=November 10, 2011 |title=BlackBerry's business problem |url=http://fortune.com/2011/11/10/blackberrys-business-problem/ |work=Fortune |access-date=January 25, 2018 |quote=Slow browsing, few apps, and an embarrassing service outage. Can BlackBerry recover from its biggest crisis yet?}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=October 15, 2011 |title=RIM and its troubles: BlackBerry blues |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2011/10/15/blackberry-blues |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=January 25, 2018 |quote=Research In Motion can ill afford embarrassing service interruptions.}}</ref>

In 2005 the company suffered a relatively short-term outage reportedly among a small handful of North America carriers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Osborne |first1=Brian |date=June 20, 2005 |title=Limited BlackBerry outage Friday morning |url=https://www.geek.com/blurb/limited-blackberry-outage-friday-morning-559126/ |work=Geek.com |access-date=January 25, 2018 |archive-date=January 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126125613/https://www.geek.com/blurb/limited-blackberry-outage-friday-morning-559126/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The service was restored after several hours.

In 2007 the e-mail service suffered an outage which led for calls by some questioning the integrity towards BlackBerry's perceived centralized system.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jedras |first=Jeff |date=April 18, 2007 |title=BlackBerry outage suggests IT infrastructure weakness |url=https://www.itbusiness.ca/news/blackberry-outage-suggests-it-infrastructure-weakness/10368 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525072316/https://www.itbusiness.ca/news/blackberry-outage-suggests-it-infrastructure-weakness/10368 |archive-date=May 25, 2024 |access-date=January 25, 2018 |work=ITBusiness.ca }}</ref>

In 2009 the company had an outage reportedly covering the whole of North America.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 23, 2009 |title=BlackBerry users hit by eight-hour outage |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/23/blackberry.outage/index.html |work=ZDNet |access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref>

At 2011-10-10 10:00 UTC began a multi-day outage in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, affecting millions of BlackBerry users.<ref>{{cite web |last=Williams |first=Christopher |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/blackberry/8818094/BlackBerry-services-collapse.html |title=BlackBerry services collapse |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=October 10, 2011 |access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref> There was another outage the following day.<ref>{{cite web |last=Meyer |first=David |url=http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/businessstyling-of-it/2011/10/12/rim-explains-blackberry-downtime-as-outage-spreads-40094166/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505152321/http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/businessstyling-of-it/2011/10/12/rim-explains-blackberry-downtime-as-outage-spreads-40094166/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 5, 2013 |title=RIM explains BlackBerry downtime as outage spreads |website=ZDNet UK |date=October 12, 2011 }}</ref> By October 12, 2011, the BlackBerry Internet Service went down in North America.<ref name="bloomberg1">{{cite news |last=Browning |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-12/blackberry-maker-rim-still-clearing-data-backlog-vodafone-says.html |title=RIM in 'Race Against Clock' as BlackBerry Disruption Spreads |website=Bloomberg |date=October 12, 2011 |access-date=May 31, 2012}}</ref> Research In Motion attributed data overload due to switch failures in their two data centres in Waterloo in Canada and Slough in England as the cause of the service disruptions.<ref name="bloomberg1"/><ref>{{cite news |author=P.L. |date=October 13, 2011 |title=BlackBerry outage: Another burning platform |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2011/10/blackberry-outage |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=January 25, 2018 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The outage intensified calls by shareholders for a shake-up in the company's leadership.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Garside |first1=Juliette |date=October 15, 2011 |title=Service restored, but BlackBerry may never repair its reputation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/oct/16/service-restored-but-blackberry-may-never-repair-its-reputation |work=The Guardian |access-date=January 25, 2018 |quote="This outage couldn't have come at a worse time," says Francisco Jeronimo, research manager at analyst IDC. "It harms BlackBerry's brand. Corporations, users and mobile operators are now asking themselves: how reliable is RIM?" Activist shareholders, egged on by financial analysts, are hammering on the boardroom door, calling for Lazaridis and Balsillie to leave. Chief among them is Vic Alboini, who runs Jaguar Financial, a merchant bank which claims to have support from 12 of RIM's top 20 stockholders for a change at the top.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Garside |first1=Juliette |date=October 12, 2011 |title=Shareholders put pressure on BlackBerry chiefs to sell up |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/oct/12/blackberry-chiefs-under-pressure |work=The Guardian |access-date=January 25, 2018 |quote=As RIM battled to contain a three-day outage of its email service, which has spread from Europe to Africa and now North and South America, affecting many of its 70 million users, Jaguar called for Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, who are co-chief executives and co-chairmen, to step down. […] RIM declined to comment on shareholder unrest.}}</ref> Some estimates by BlackBerry are that the company lost between $50 million<ref>{{cite news |date=August 15, 2016 |title=BlackBerry maker selling tablets at a loss, takes $485 million charge |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2011/12/02/blackberry-maker-selling-tablets-at-a-loss-takes-485-million-charge/ |work=East Bay Times |access-date=January 25, 2018 |quote=The company is also taking a charge of $50 million for an embarrassing October outage of email and Web services that lasted days for millions of overseas BlackBerry users. It briefly spread to the U.S. and Canada before the company was able to contain the damage.}}</ref> to $54 million due to global email service failure and outage in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whittaker |first1=Zack |date=March 30, 2012 |title=RIM lost $54 million on four-day global BlackBerry outage |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/rim-lost-54-million-on-four-day-global-blackberry-outage/ |work=ZDNet |access-date=January 25, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Leo |date=October 12, 2011 |title=BlackBerry Users Express Anger At Two Day Outage |url=https://www.csoonline.com/article/2129818/data-protection/blackberry-users-express-anger-at-two-day-outage.html |work=CSO Online by IDG |access-date=January 25, 2018 |archive-date=January 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126125614/https://www.csoonline.com/article/2129818/data-protection/blackberry-users-express-anger-at-two-day-outage.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Retail stores == Many BlackBerry retail stores operated outside North America, such as in Thailand, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates.<ref name=CNET>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57413450-94/rim-plans-to-open-its-first-middle-east-retail-store-in-dubai/ |title=RIM plans to open its first Middle East retail store in Dubai |date=April 12, 2012 |first=Dara |last=Kerr |website=CNET |access-date=September 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/first-of-many-blackberry-stores-opens-in-jakarta/478964 |access-date=September 3, 2013 |title=First of Many BlackBerry Stores Opens in Jakarta |first=Shirley |last=Christie |date=November 17, 2011 |newspaper=Jakarta Globe |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402204811/http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/first-of-many-blackberry-stores-opens-in-jakarta/478964 |archive-date=April 2, 2013}}</ref> In December 2007 a BlackBerry Store opened in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The store offered BlackBerry device models from AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint, the major U.S. carriers which offer smartphones. There were three prior attempts at opening BlackBerry stores in Toronto (Canada) and London (United Kingdom),<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2005/04/18/daily41.html |first=David |last=Mildenberg |title=Nexcom opens first U.S. BlackBerry store in Charlotte |date=April 20, 2005 |work=Charlotte Business Journal}}</ref> but they eventually folded.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbgeeks.com/blackberry-scoops/the-inside-scoop-on-the-new-blackberry-store-88139/ |title=The inside scoop on the new BlackBerry Store |website=BB Geeks |date=December 21, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224064324/http://www.bbgeeks.com/blackberry-scoops/the-inside-scoop-on-the-new-blackberry-store-88139/ |archive-date=December 24, 2007}}</ref> There were also BlackBerry Stores operated by Wireless Giant at airports in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Philadelphia, Houston, and Newark.<ref name=RIM>{{cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/where-to-buy/wireless-giant.html |title=Enjoy a unique BlackBerry experience at the BlackBerry from Wireless Giant store |website=BlackBerry |access-date=September 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120923024432/http://us.blackberry.com/where-to-buy/wireless-giant.html |archive-date=September 23, 2012}}</ref>

On September 23, 2015, BlackBerry opened its first pop-up store in Frankfurt, Germany.

== Certification == * BCESA (BlackBerry Certified Enterprise Sales Associate, BCESA40 in full) was a BlackBerry Certification for professional users of RIM (Research In Motion) BlackBerry devices. The Certification required the user to pass several exams relating to the BlackBerry devices, all its functions including desktop software and providing technical support to customers of BlackBerry devices.

The BCESA, BlackBerry Certified Enterprise Sales Associate qualification, was the first of three levels of professional BlackBerry Certification. * BCTA (BlackBerry Certified Technical Associate) * BlackBerry Certified Support Associate T2 More information on certifications is on the BlackBerry.com website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/support/programs/training.jsp#tab_ddetail_subtab_cert |title=BlackBerry Training |website=BlackBerry |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424114635/http://us.blackberry.com/support/programs/training.jsp#tab_ddetail_subtab_cert |archive-date=April 24, 2011}}</ref>

The BlackBerry Technical Certifications available were: * BlackBerry Certified Enterprise Server Consultant (BCESC) * BlackBerry Certified Server Support Technician (BCSST) * BlackBerry Certified Support Technician (BCSTR)

== Products == thumb|Original BlackBerry 850 or 950 - the appearance was identical thumb|A BlackBerry R957M released in 2000 {{Main|List of BlackBerry products}}

'''Android devices:''' * BlackBerry Evolve X (2018) * BlackBerry Evolve (2018) * BlackBerry Key2 (2018) * BlackBerry Motion (2017) * BlackBerry Aurora (2017) * BlackBerry KeyOne (2017) * BlackBerry DTEK60 (2016) * BlackBerry DTEK50 (2016) * BlackBerry Priv (2015)

'''BlackBerry 10 devices:''' * BlackBerry Leap (2015) * BlackBerry Classic (2014) * BlackBerry Passport (2014) * BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9983 (2014) * BlackBerry Z3 (2014) * BlackBerry Z30 (2013) * BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9982 (2013)<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://press.blackberry.com/press/2013/porsche-design-p9982.html |title=Introducing the Porsche Design P'9982 Smartphone from BlackBerry |publisher=BlackBerry |date=November 19, 2013 |access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref> * BlackBerry Q10 (2013) * BlackBerry Z10 (2013) * BlackBerry Q5 (2013)

'''BlackBerry 7 devices:''' * BlackBerry Bold series (2011): BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930/9790 * BlackBerry 9720 (2013)<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://press.blackberry.com/press/2013/new-blackberry-9720-smartphone-lets-you-spark-the-conversation.html |title=New BlackBerry 9720 Smartphone Lets You Spark The Conversation |publisher=BlackBerry |date=August 13, 2013 |access-date=November 5, 2013}}</ref> * BlackBerry Porsche Design (2012): BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 * BlackBerry Torch series (2011): BlackBerry Torch 9810 * BlackBerry Torch series (2011): BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860 * BlackBerry Curve series (2011): BlackBerry 9350/9360/9370/9380 * BlackBerry Curve 9320/9220 (2012)

'''BlackBerry 6 devices:''' * BlackBerry Torch series (2010): BlackBerry Torch 9800 * BlackBerry Curve series (2010): BlackBerry Curve 9300/9330 * BlackBerry Style 9670 (2010) * BlackBerry Pearl series (2010): BlackBerry Pearl 3G 9100/9105 * BlackBerry Bold series (2010–2011): BlackBerry Bold 9780/9788

'''BlackBerry 5 devices:''' * BlackBerry Bold series (2008–2010): BlackBerry Bold 9000/9700/9650 * BlackBerry Tour series (2009): BlackBerry Tour (9630) * BlackBerry Storm series (2009): BlackBerry Storm 2 (9520/9550) * BlackBerry Storm series (2008): BlackBerry Storm (9500/9530) * BlackBerry Curve series (2009–2010): BlackBerry Curve 8900 (8900/8910/8980) * BlackBerry Curve series (2009): BlackBerry Curve 8520/8530

'''BlackBerry 4 devices:''' * BlackBerry 8800 series (2007): BlackBerry 8800/8820/8830 * BlackBerry Pearl series (2006): BlackBerry Pearl 8100/8110/8120/8130 * BlackBerry Pearl Flip series (2008): BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220/8230 * BlackBerry Curve series (2007): BlackBerry Curve 8300 (8300/8310/8320/8330/8350i)

'''BlackBerry 3 devices:''' * BlackBerry Java-based series: 5000, 6000

'''BlackBerry 2 devices:''' * BlackBerry phone series: BlackBerry Charm 7100 * BlackBerry color series: 7200, 7500, 7700

'''BlackBerry 1 devices:''' * BlackBerry pager models: 850, 857, 950, 957

=== Hardware === Modern LTE based phones such as the BlackBerry Z10 have a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus, a proprietary Qualcomm SOC which is based on ARMv7-A architecture, featuring two 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait CPU cores, and a 400 MHz Adreno 225 GPU. GSM-based BlackBerry phones incorporate an ARM 7, 9 or 11 processor.<ref name="manuals">{{cite web |url=http://docs.blackberry.com/en/ |title=Manuals and Guides |website=BlackBerry |date=January 24, 2011 |access-date=January 24, 2011}}</ref> Some of the BlackBerry models (Torch 9850/9860, Torch 9810, and Bold 9900/9930) have a 1.2 GHz MSM8655 Snapdragon S2 SOC, 768 MB system memory, and 8 GB of on-board storage.<ref name="manuals" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://fccid.net/document.php?id=786388 |title=RBK40CG Handheld BlackBerry with CDMA and Bluetooth Teardown Internal Photos BlackBerry Limited |website=FCC ID Database}}</ref> Entry-level models, such as the Curve 9360, feature a Marvell PXA940 clocked at 800 MHz.

Some previous BlackBerry devices, such as the Bold 9000, were equipped with Intel XScale 624 MHz processors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gardner |first=W. David |title=RIM Gets 'Bold' With 3G BlackBerry 9000 |url=http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/blackberry/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207602677 |access-date=June 13, 2010 |newspaper=InformationWeek |date=May 12, 2008 |archive-date=June 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617211143/http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal_tech/blackberry/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207602677 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Bold 9700 featured a newer version of the Bold 9000's processor but is clocked at the same speed. The Curve 8520 featured a 512 MHz processor, while BlackBerry 8000 series smartphones, such as the 8700 and the Pearl, are based on the 312 MHz ARM XScale ARMv5TE PXA900. An exception to this is the BlackBerry 8707 which is based on the 80 MHz Qualcomm 3250 chipset; this was due to the PXA900 chipset not supporting 3G networks. The 80 MHz processor in the BlackBerry 8707 meant the device was often slower to download and render web pages over 3G than the 8700 was over EDGE networks. Early BlackBerry devices, such as the BlackBerry 950, used Intel 80386-based processors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blackberrycool.com/2005/07/13/00641/2/ |title=RIM Circa 1999: BlackBerry History Revisited |date=July 13, 2005 |website=BlackBerry Cool |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215063954/http://blackberrycool.com/2005/07/13/00641/2/ |archive-date=December 15, 2007 |access-date=January 31, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Strietelmeier |first=Julie |url=http://the-gadgeteer.com/2001/02/26/rim_blackberry_950_review/ |title=RIM BlackBerry 950 Review |website=The-Gadgeteer.com |date=February 26, 2001}}</ref>

The BlackBerry Z30 has a 5-inch Super AMOLED, 1280×720 resolution, at 295 ppi 24-bit color depth and powered by Quad-Graphics and Qualcomm's Dual Core 1.7 GHz MSM8960T Pro.

The first BlackBerry with an Android operating system was released in late November 2015, the {{convert|192|g|oz|abbr=off}} BlackBerry Priv.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ca.blackberry.com/smartphones/priv-by-blackberry/specifications.html |title=Smartphones - PRIV |date=2015 |website=BlackBerry Canada |access-date=December 19, 2015}}</ref> It launched with version 5.1.1 but was later upgraded to version 6.0 Android Marshmallow. It was first available in four countries but increased to 31 countries by February 28, 2016.<ref name="Friend">{{cite news |last=Friend |first=David |date=December 18, 2015 |title=BlackBerry revenue exceeds expectations, as software and service sales rise |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2015/12/18/blackberry-loss-narrows-on-software-revenue.html |newspaper=Toronto Star |location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada |access-date=December 19, 2015}}</ref> Employing a Qualcomm 8992 Snapdragon 808 Hexa-Core, 64-bit, Adreno 418, 600 MHz GPU with 3 GB RAM processor, this unit is equipped with a curved 5.4-inch (2560 x 1440) OLED display and a sliding QWERTY keyboard which is hidden when not in use; Google's voice recognition that allows for dictating e-mails is also available. The Priv retained the best BlackBerry 10 features. Its 3,410 mAh battery is said to provide 22.5 hours of mixed use. The 18-megapixel camera, with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens, can also record 4K video; a secondary selfie camera is also provided. Several important apps unique to the Priv were available from Google Play by mid December.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/11/review-blackberry-priv/ |title=Review: BlackBerry Priv |last=Moynihan |first=Tim |date=November 6, 2015 |magazine=Wired |publisher=Condé Nast |access-date=December 18, 2015}}</ref>

=== Software === {{See also|QNX|BlackBerry 10|BlackBerry OS}} A new operating system, BlackBerry 10, was released for two new BlackBerry models (Z10 and Q10) on January 30, 2013. At BlackBerry World 2012, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins demonstrated some of the new features of the OS, including a camera which is able to rewind frame-by-frame separately of individual faces in an image, to allow selection of the best of different shots, which is then stitched seamlessly to an optimal composite,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57425726-94/time-shifting-blackberry-camera-makes-pictures-perfect/ |title=Time-shifting BlackBerry camera makes pictures perfect |first=Joseph |last=Hanlon |website=CNET |date=May 1, 2012}}</ref> an intelligent, predictive, and adapting keyboard, and a gesture based user interface designed around the idea of "peek" and "flow".<ref>{{cite web |title=Thorsten Heins in the BlackBerry World 2012 Keynote General Session |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfHLjlogDS8 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501225153/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfHLjlogDS8&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2012-05-01 | url-status=dead|author=BlackBerry |via=YouTube |access-date=September 22, 2012 |date=May 1, 2012}}</ref> Apps are available for BlackBerry 10 devices through the BlackBerry World storefront.

The previous operating system developed for older BlackBerry devices was BlackBerry OS, a proprietary multitasking environment developed by RIM. The operating system is designed for use of input devices such as the track wheel, track ball, and track pad. The OS provides support for Java MIDP 1.0 and WAP 1.2. Previous versions allowed wireless synchronisation with Microsoft Exchange Server email and calendar, as well as with Lotus Domino email. OS 5.0 provides a subset of MIDP 2.0, and allows complete wireless activation and synchronisation with Exchange email, calendar, tasks, notes and contacts, and adds support for Novell GroupWise and Lotus Notes. The BlackBerry Curve 9360, BlackBerry Torch 9810, Bold 9900/9930, Curve 9310/9320 and Torch 9850/9860 featured the 2011 BlackBerry OS 7. Apps were available for these devices through BlackBerry World (which before 2013 was called BlackBerry App World). {{Further|BlackBerry OS}}

Third-party developers can write software using these APIs, and proprietary BlackBerry APIs as well. Any application that makes use of certain restricted functionality were required to be digitally signed so that it could be associated to a developer account at RIM. This signing procedure guarantees the authorship of an application but does not guarantee the quality or security of the code. RIM provided tools for developing applications and themes for BlackBerry. Applications and themes can be loaded onto BlackBerry devices through BlackBerry World, Over The Air (OTA) through the BlackBerry mobile browser, or through BlackBerry Desktop Manager.

BlackBerry devices, as well as Android, iOS, and Windows Phone platforms, had the ability to use the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger, also known as BBM, software for sending and receiving encrypted instant messages, voice notes, images and videos via BlackBerry PIN. As long as users had a data plan, these messages were all free of charge. Some of the features of BBM included groups, barcode scanning, lists, shared calendars, BBM Music and integration with apps and games using the BBM social platform.

In April 2013, BlackBerry announced that it was shutting down its streaming music service, BBM Music, which was active for almost two years since its launch. BlackBerry Messenger Music closed on June 2, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.engadget/2013/04/04/blackberry-to-shut-down-bbm-music-june-2/ |title=BlackBerry shutting down BBM Music on June 2nd, points users to Rdio |first=A. |last=Santos |date=4 April 2013 |website=Engadget }}{{Dead link|date=February 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In July 2014, BlackBerry revealed BlackBerry Assistant, a new feature for BlackBerry OS 10.3, and BlackBerry Passport hardware. The feature was a digital personal assistant to help keep users "organized, informed and productive."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/16/blackberry-gets-its-own-siri-with-blackberry-assistant/ |title=BlackBerry Gets Its Own Siri With BlackBerry Assistant |first=Darrell |last=Etherington |date=July 16, 2014 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref>

In December 2014, BlackBerry and NantHealth, a healthcare-focused data provider, launched a secure cancer genome browser, giving doctors the ability to access patients' genetic data on the BlackBerry Passport smartphone.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-browser/blackberry-nanthealth-launch-cancer-genome-browser-idUSKBN0JM08Z20141208 |title=BlackBerry, NantHealth launch cancer genome browser |first=Euan |last=Rocha |date=December 8, 2014 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

=== Phones with BlackBerry email client === Several non-BlackBerry mobile phones have been released featuring the BlackBerry email client which connected to BlackBerry servers. Many of these phones have full QWERTY keyboards. * AT&T Tilt * HTC Advantage X7500 * HTC TyTN * Motorola MPx220, some models * Nokia 6810 * Nokia 6820 * Nokia 9300 * Nokia 9300i * Nokia 9500 * Nokia Eseries phones, except models Nokia E66, Nokia E71 * Qtek 9100 * Qtek 9000 * Samsung t719 * Siemens SK65 * Sony Ericsson P910 * Sony Ericsson P990 * Sony Ericsson M600i * Sony Ericsson P1

=== Third-party software === Third-party software available for use on BlackBerry devices includes full-featured database management systems, which can be used to support customer relationship management clients and other applications that must manage large volumes of potentially complex data.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wireless.sys-con.com/node/590908 |title=Maximizer Software Partners with McObject to Improve Mobile CRM on BlackBerry Devices |date=June 19, 2008 |website=Wireless Business & Technology |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603040430/http://wireless.sys-con.com/node/590908 |archive-date=June 3, 2009}}</ref>

In March 2011, RIM announced an optional Android player that could play applications developed for the Android system would be available for the BlackBerry PlayBook, RIM's first entry in the tablet market.<ref> {{cite news | url = https://www.engadget.com/2011/03/24/rim-adds-android-app-support-to-blackberry-playbook/ | title = RIM adds Android app support to BlackBerry PlayBook via 'optional app player' | work = Engadget | date = March 24, 2011 | access-date = October 21, 2011 | quote = You read that right – RIM just announced that its forthcoming BlackBerry PlayBook will support both BlackBerry Java and Android apps. | last=Murphy |first=Darryl | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110926112506/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/24/rim-adds-android-app-support-to-blackberry-playbook | archive-date = September 26, 2011 | url-status=live }} </ref><ref> {{cite news | url = http://crackberry.com/press-release-rim-expands-application-ecosystem-blackberry-playbook-android-apps-playbook | title = Press Release: RIM Expands Application Ecosystem for BlackBerry PlayBook – Android Apps on Playbook!!! | work = Crackberry | date = March 24, 2011 | access-date = October 21, 2011 | quote = Android apps won't come from Google Play itself, but rather Android developers will simply have to repackage, code sign and submit their BlackBerry Java and Android apps to BlackBerry App World from where users will be able to download the apps. |last=Michaluk |first=Kevin }} </ref><ref>{{cite news |url = https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/ |title = Repackage your apps for blackberry playbook |work = BlackBerry |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120105153741/https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/ |url-status = dead |archive-date = January 5, 2012 |access-date = October 21, 2011 }}</ref>

On October 20, 2011, RIM officially announced that Android applications could run, unmodified, on the PlayBook and BlackBerry 10 phones, using the newest version of its operating system.<ref name="DailyMaverick2011-10"> {{cite news | url = http://dailymaverick.co.za/article/2011-10-21-bbx-blackberrys-latest-purported-saviour | title = BBX, BlackBerry's latest purported saviour | work = Daily Maverick | date = October 21, 2011 | access-date = October 21, 2011 | quote = Rui Brites, the director for product management in Africa told iMaverick that the new BBX system was RIM's way of securing its future. "With BBX, we've opened up in a big way," he said. "We have over 400,000 developers worldwide and have now developed tools for Android developers to submit their apps to the BlackBerry App World without needing to recode." }} </ref><ref name="ZimbabweTelegraph2011-10-21">{{cite news |url = http://www.zimtelegraph.com/?p=2234 |title = BlackBerry maker's area developer unit to fill gap |work = Zimbabwe Telegraph |date = October 21, 2011 |access-date = October 21, 2011 |quote = The company introduced its BlackBerry BBX operating system on Tuesday, combining features from the existing BlackBerry platform and the QNX software it bought last year. The system, which doesn't have a release date, includes new programming tools like HTML5 designed to make building apps easier. |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120106003036/http://www.zimtelegraph.com/?p=2234 |url-status = usurped |archive-date = January 6, 2012 }}</ref>

=== Connectivity === {{See also|BlackBerry Enterprise Server}} thumb|A BlackBerry Bold from 2008 held in hand featuring all the different selective hardware and software on the screen. Note the white trackball in the middle which is later replaced by a black trackpad. BlackBerry smartphones could be integrated into an organization's email system through a software package called BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) through version 5, and BlackBerry Enterprise Service (BES) as of version 10. (There were no versions 6 through 9.) Versions of BES were available for Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, Novell GroupWise and Google Apps. While individual users were able to use a wireless provider's email services without having to install BES themselves, organizations with multiple users usually ran BES on their own network. BlackBerry devices running BlackBerry OS 10 or later could also be managed directly by a Microsoft Exchange Server, using Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) policies, in the same way that an iOS or Android device can. (EAS supports fewer management controls than BES does.) Some third-party companies provided hosted BES solutions. Every BlackBerry has a unique ID called a BlackBerry PIN, which was used to identify the device to the BES. BlackBerry at one time provided a free BES software called BES Express (BESX).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/business/server/express/ |title=BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express |work=BlackBerry USA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226115443/http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/business/server/express/ |archive-date=December 26, 2010}}</ref>

The primary BES feature was to relay email from a corporate mailbox to a BlackBerry phone. The BES monitored the user's mailbox, relaying new messages to the phone via BlackBerry's Network Operations Center (NOC) and user's wireless provider. This feature was known as push email, because all new emails, contacts, task entries, MemoPad entries, and calendar entries were pushed out to the BlackBerry device immediately (as opposed to the user synchronising the data manually or having the device poll the server at intervals).

BlackBerry also supported polling email, through third-party applications. The messaging system built into the BlackBerry only understands how to receive messages from a BES or the BIS, these services handled the connections to the user's mail providers. Device storage also enabled the user to access all data off-line in areas without wireless service. When the user reconnected to wireless service, the BES sent the latest data.

A feature of the newer models of the BlackBerry is their ability to quickly track the user's current location through trilateration without the use of GPS, thus saving battery life and time. Trilateration can be used as a quick, less battery intensive way to provide location-aware applications with the co-ordinates of the user. However, the accuracy of BlackBerry trilateration is less than that of GPS due to a number of factors, including cell tower blockage by large buildings, mountains, or distance.

BES also provided phones with TCP/IP connectivity accessed through a component called MDS (Mobile Data System) Connection Service.<ref>{{cite web |title=BlackBerry MDS Connection Service |work=Research In Motion (RIM) |url=http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7335/BB_MDS_Connection_Service_267709_11.jsp |access-date=July 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810193214/http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7335/BB_MDS_Connection_Service_267709_11.jsp |archive-date=August 10, 2011}}</ref> This allows custom application development using data streams on BlackBerry devices based on the Sun Microsystems Java ME platform.

In addition, BES provided network security, in the form of Triple DES<ref>{{cite web |url=http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/How_BESolution_uses_TDES_to_encrypt_data_834425_11.jsp |title=How the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution uses Triple DES to encrypt data |work=BlackBerry |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120044926/http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/How_BESolution_uses_TDES_to_encrypt_data_834425_11.jsp |archive-date=November 20, 2010}}</ref> or, more recently, AES<ref>{{cite web |url=http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/How_BESolution_uses_AES_to_encrypt_data_834424_11.jsp |title=How the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution uses AES to encrypt data |work=BlackBerry |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708012410/http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/How_BESolution_uses_AES_to_encrypt_data_834424_11.jsp |archive-date=July 8, 2011}}</ref> encryption<ref>{{cite web |url=http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/Encrypting_data_sent_between_BES_and_BB_device_806441_11.jsp |title=Encrypting data that the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and a BlackBerry device send to each other |work=BlackBerry |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123100528/http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/Encrypting_data_sent_between_BES_and_BB_device_806441_11.jsp |archive-date=November 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/Algorithms_the_BESolution_uses_to_encrypt_data_806442_11.jsp |title=Algorithms that the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution uses to encrypt data |work=BlackBerry |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122211103/http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/7325/Algorithms_the_BESolution_uses_to_encrypt_data_806442_11.jsp |archive-date=November 22, 2010}}</ref> of all data (both email and MDS traffic) that travels between the BlackBerry phone and a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Most providers offered flat monthly pricing via special BlackBerry tariffs for unlimited data between BlackBerry units and BES. In addition to receiving email, organizations could make intranets or custom internal applications with unmetered traffic.

With more recent versions of the BlackBerry platform, the MDS is no longer a requirement for wireless data access. Starting with OS 3.8 or 4.0, BlackBerry phones can access the Internet (i.e. TCP/IP access) without an MDS – formerly only email and WAP access was possible without a BES/MDS. The BES/MDS is still required for secure email, data access, and applications that require WAP from carriers that do not allow WAP access.

The primary alternative to using BlackBerry Enterprise Server was to use the BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS). BlackBerry Internet Service was available in 91 countries internationally. BlackBerry Internet Service was developed primarily for the average consumer rather than for the business consumer. The service allowed users to access POP3, IMAP, and Outlook Web App (not via Exchange ActiveSync) email accounts without connecting through a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES).<ref name=setup>{{cite web |url=http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/software/internet.jsp |title=Email setup and integration |website=Research In Motion |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323073428/http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/software/internet.jsp |archive-date=March 23, 2010}}</ref> BlackBerry Internet Service allowed up to 10 email accounts to be accessed, including proprietary as well as public email accounts (such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and AOL). BlackBerry Internet Service also supported the push capabilities of various other BlackBerry Applications. Various applications developed by RIM for BlackBerry utilised the push capabilities of BIS, such as the Instant Messaging clients (like Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger). The MMS, PIN, interactive gaming, mapping and trading applications{{which |date=February 2012}} required data plans like BIS (not just Wi-Fi) for use. The service was usually provisioned through a mobile phone service provider, though BlackBerry actually ran the service.<ref name=setup/>

=== BlackBerry PIN === {{See also|BlackBerry Messenger}} The BlackBerry PIN ('''P'''ersonal '''I'''dentification '''N'''umber) is an eight-character hexadecimal identification number assigned to each BlackBerry device. PINs cannot be changed manually on the device (though BlackBerry technicians are able to reset or update a PIN server-side), and are locked to each specific BlackBerry. BlackBerry devices could message each other using the PIN directly or by using the BlackBerry Messenger application. BlackBerry PINs were tracked by BlackBerry Enterprise Servers and the BlackBerry Internet Service and were used to direct messages to a BlackBerry device. Emails and any other messages, such as those from the BlackBerry Push Service, were typically directed to a BlackBerry device's PIN. The message could then be routed by a RIM Network Operations Center, and sent to a carrier, which would deliver the message the last mile to the device. In September 2012 RIM announced that the BlackBerry PIN would be replaced by users' BlackBerry ID starting in 2013 with the launch of the BlackBerry 10 platform.{{citation needed |date=September 2013}}

== Competition and financial results == The BlackBerry grew swiftly in popularity during the early 2000s, and by 2005 had become highly popular and influential in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN.com - How BlackBerry conquered the world - Mar 23, 2005 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2005/BUSINESS/03/23/blackberry.rim/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=CNN}}</ref> It then gained the nickname "CrackBerry" due to its seemingly addictive nature.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gosyne |first=Kavita |date=2007-07-31 |title=It is called a 'Crackberry' for good reason – Metro US |url=https://www.metro.us/it-is-called-a-crackberry-for-good-reason/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=www.metro.us |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2006, the term CrackBerry was formally recognized by Webster's New World College Dictionary.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dubious distinction: CrackBerry is Word of the Year |url=https://adage.com/article/adages/dubious-distinction-crackberry-word-year/112906 |access-date=August 31, 2025 |publisher=AdAge}}</ref>

As of 2006, some of the BlackBerry's main competitors included offerings from Motorola (namely Motorola Q), Palm, Inc., the iPAQ and other Pocket PCs, and Nokia (namely Nokia E61).<ref>{{Cite web |title=BlackBerry rivals see their chance {{!}} The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2006/jan/16/blackberry-rivals-see-their-chance/ |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=www.spokesman.com |date=January 16, 2006 }}</ref>

As of 2009, RIM held 56 percent of the American smartphone market. While the iPhone from Apple Inc. quickly became popular after its launch, RIM remained market leader and was growing too, with sales tripling between 2007 and 2009. In ''Fortune'''s list of the Fastest Growing Companies of 2009, RIM ranked first, while the BlackBerry Curve became the best-selling smartphone in the U.S. in 2009.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Research in Motion battles BlackBerry's competitors - Aug. 17, 2009 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2009/08/12/technology/blackberry_research_in_motion.fortune/index.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820053911/http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/12/technology/blackberry_research_in_motion.fortune/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 20, 2009 |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=money.cnn.com}}</ref>

Despite market share loss, on a global basis, the number of active BlackBerry subscribers increased substantially through the years. For example, for the fiscal period during which the Apple iPhone was first released, RIM reported that they had a subscriber base of 10.5 million BlackBerry subscribers.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 4, 2007 |title=Research in Motion Reports Second quarter Results |url=http://www.rim.com/investors/documents/pdf/financial/2008/Q2_financial_information.pdf |access-date=August 29, 2012 |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316170544/http://www.rim.com/investors/documents/pdf/financial/2008/Q2_financial_information.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the end of 2008, when Android first hit the market, RIM reported that the number of BlackBerry subscribers had increased to 21 million. After the release of the Apple iPhone 5 in September 2012, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins announced that the current global subscribers was up to 80 million, which sparked a 7% jump in shares price.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 25, 2012 |title=RIM shares rise on new phone hopes |work=The Globe and Mail |location=Canada |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/rim-subscriber-base-grows-to-80-million/article4567392/ |url-status=dead |access-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915200135/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/rim-subscriber-base-grows-to-80-million/article4567392/ |archive-date=September 15, 2018}}</ref>

In the year 2010, RIM and Apple continued to dominate the U.S. smartphone market, although the BlackBerry Curve had lost its spot as the single highest selling product to the iPhone 3GS.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-12-24 |title=Top 10 Mobile phones in the US in 2010 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/top-10-mobile-phones-in-the-us-in-2010-2168707.html |access-date=2023-01-04 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

In the early 2010s, BlackBerry struggled to compete against both the iPhone and the Android platform - after device sales peaking in 2011, its share plunged in the years after, leading to speculation that it would be unable to survive as an independent going concern.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/blackberry/8985101/BlackBerry-market-share-slides-again-amid-takeover-talk.html |title=BlackBerry market share slides again amid takeover talk |date=January 30, 2012 |access-date=February 9, 2012 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> However, it managed to maintain significant positions in some markets.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/article/1120466 |date=January 24, 2012 |title=Why the Canadian love affair with BlackBerry isn't over yet |access-date=February 9, 2012 |work=Toronto Star |archive-date=January 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127085628/http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1120466 |url-status=dead }}</ref> BlackBerry's global user base (meaning active accounts) declined dramatically since its peak of 80 million in June 2012, dropping to 46 million users in September 2014.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Arthur |first1=Charles |date=29 September 2014 |title=Ten things to know about BlackBerry - and how much trouble it is (or isn't) in |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/29/ten-things-to-know-blackberry-john-chen |work=The Guardian |access-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref> Its market share globally had also declined to less than 1 percent.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gruman |first1=Galen |title=The dangerous delusions of the BlackBerry fan |url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/2881562/blackberry/the-dangerous-delusions-of-the-blackberry-fan.html |website=InfoWorld |date=February 13, 2015 |publisher=IDG |access-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Android and iOS Squeeze the Competition, Swelling to 96.3% of the Smartphone Operating System Market for Both 4Q14 and CY14, According to IDC |url=http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS25450615 |website=IDC |access-date=September 3, 2015 |date=February 24, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225074430/http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS25450615 |archive-date=February 25, 2015}}</ref>

During the report of its third quarter 2015 results on December 18, 2015, the company said that approximately 700,000 handsets had been sold, down from 1.9 million in the same quarter in 2014, and down from 800,000 in Q2 of 2015. The average sale price per unit was up from $240 to $315, however. This should continue to increase with sales of the new Android Priv device which was selling at a premium price ($800 in Canada, for example). In Q3 of 2015, BlackBerry had a net loss of $89 million U.S. or 17 cents per share, but only a $15 million net loss, or three cents per share, when excluding restructuring charges and other one-time items.<ref name="Dingman">{{cite news |last=Dingman |first=Shane |date=December 18, 2015 |title=BlackBerry's focus on software starting to pay off: CEO |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/blackberry-earnings-beat-estimates-on-software-revenue/article27837728/ |newspaper=Globe and Mail |location=Toronto, Ontario, Canada |access-date=December 19, 2015}}</ref>

Revenue was up slightly from a year earlier, at $557 million U.S. vs. $548 million, primarily because of software sales. Chief executive officer John Chen said that he expected the company's software business to grow at (14 percent) or above the market.<ref name="Dingman"/> At the time, the company was not ready to provide sales figures for the Android-based Priv handset which had been released only weeks earlier, and in only four countries at that time, but Chen offered this comment to analysts: "Depending on how Priv does ... there is a chance we could achieve or get closer to break-even operating profitability for our overall device business in the (fourth) quarter".<ref name="Friend"/>

Due to a continuous reduction in BlackBerry users, in February 2016 the BlackBerry headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, slashed 35 percent of its workforce.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/02/08/310743120/Blackberry-Cuts-35-Percent-of-Its-Workforce |title=Blackberry Cuts 35 Percent of Its Workforce |first=Maya |last=Nawangwulan |date=February 8, 2016 |magazine=Tempo}}</ref> By early 2016, BlackBerry market share dropped to 0.2%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.technobuffalo.com/2016/02/18/mobile-os-market-share-gartner/ |title=Windows Phone and BlackBerry OS are fading into nothingness |work=Techno Buffalo |access-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608084022/http://www.technobuffalo.com/2016/02/18/mobile-os-market-share-gartner/ |archive-date=June 8, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In Q4 2016, reports indicate BlackBerry sold only 207,900 units—equivalent to a 0.0% market share.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/16/14634656/android-ios-market-share-blackberry-2016 |title=99.6 percent of new smartphones run Android or iOS |last=Vincent |first=James |date=2017-02-16 |website=The Verge |access-date=2017-02-17}}</ref>

=== Indonesian market === In 2011, BlackBerry shipped 43% of all smartphones to Indonesia. By April 2014 this had fallen to 3%. The decline in the Indonesian market share mirrors a global trend for the company (0.6% of North America).<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Marlow |first=Iain |date=November 3, 2014 |title=Lack of global knowledge cost BlackBerry Indonesia |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/lack-of-global-knowledge-has-cost-blackberry-indonesia/article21432165/}}</ref> The retail price of 2,199,000 Indonesian Rupiah ($189) failed to give BlackBerry the boost it needed in Indonesia. The company launched the device with a discounted offer to the first 1000 purchasers, which resulted in a stampede in the capital in which several people were injured.<ref name=":0" /> BlackBerry lost market share in Indonesia despite the launch of the Z3 on May 13, 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Purnell |first=Newley |date=May 13, 2014 |title=BlackBerry Turns to Indonesia to Make Turnaround Push |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303851804579559711902688366?mg=reno64-wsj&mod=e2tw |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315145610/http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303851804579559711902688366?mg=reno64-wsj&mod=e2tw |archive-date=March 15, 2016}}</ref> The new device was given a worldwide launch in the city of Jakarta and came on the back of the news that Research in Motion (RIM) was to cut hardware production costs by outsourcing this to Taiwan-based Foxconn Group.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Hugo |date=December 21, 2013 |title=BlackBerry's Foxconn Deal Spurs Evolution Into Services Company |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-21/blackberry-s-foxconn-deal-spurs-evolution-into-services-company.html |website=Bloomberg}}</ref>

===Worldwide user base numbers=== The number of active BlackBerry users since 2000 globally:

{| class="wikitable" |- ! BlackBerry users globally: !! As of: |- |25,000 |2000<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2014-01-22 |title=BlackBerry – Intelligent Security. Everywhere. |url=https://us.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2003/2003rim_ar.pdf |access-date=2023-01-04 |archive-date=January 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122124522/https://us.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2003/2003rim_ar.pdf |url-status=deviated }}</ref> |- |165,000 |2001<ref name=":7" /> |- |321,000 |2002<ref name=":7" /> |- | 534,000 || March 1, 2003<ref name=":7" /> |- | 1,069,000 || February 28, 2004 |- | 2,510,000 || February 26, 2005 |- | 4,900,000 || March 4, 2006 |- | 8,000,000 || March 3, 2007 |- | 14,000,000 || March 1, 2008 |- | 25,000,000 || February 28, 2009 |- | 41,000,000 || February 27, 2010 |- | 70,000,000 || August 27, 2011 |- | 77,000,000 || March 3, 2012 |- | 80,000,000 || December 1, 2012 |- | 76,000,000 || March 2, 2013<ref>{{cite web |url=http://press.blackberry.com/content/dam/rim/press/PDF/Financial/FY2013/Q4_FY2013_Press_Release.pdf |date=September 16, 2013 |title=Q4 Fiscal 2013 Results Announcement |work=BlackBerry}}</ref> |- | 72,000,000 || June 1, 2013<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2013/Q1_FY2014_Press_Release.pdf |date=September 16, 2013 |title=Q1 Fiscal 2014 Results Announcement |work=BlackBerry}}</ref> |- | 79,000,000 || September 2013 |- | 76,000,000 || November 2013 |- | 71,000,000 || March 2014 |- | 69,000,000 || May 2014 |- | 60,000,000 || September 2014 |- | 56,000,000 || November 2014 |- | 37,000,000 || February 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2015/Q4_Fiscal_2015/Q4%20FY15%20filing.pdf |date=February 18, 2015 |title=Q4 Fiscal 2015 Results Announcement |work=BlackBerry}}</ref> |- | 33,000,000 || June 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2016/Q1_Fiscal_2016_Financial_Information.pdf |date=June 24, 2015 |title=Q1 Fiscal 2016 Results Announcement |work=BlackBerry}}</ref> |- | 30,000,000 || September 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2016/Q2_Fiscal_2016_Financial_Information.pdf |date=September 25, 2015 |title=Q2 Fiscal 2016 Results Announcement |work=BlackBerry}}</ref> |- | 25,000,000 || December 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2016/Q3%20Fiscal%202016%20Financial%20Information.pdf |date=December 18, 2015 |title=Q3 Fiscal 2016 Results Announcement |work=BlackBerry}}</ref> |- | 23,000,000 || March 2016<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2016/Q416_Financial_Statements.pdf |date=April 1, 2016 |title=Q4 Fiscal 2016 Results Announcement |work=BlackBerry |access-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>{{verify source |date=September 2019|reason=Did not find info in 82 occurrences of "23"}} |- |20,000,000 |June 2016<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2017/Q1FY2017_Financial_Information.pdf |title=Q1 Fiscal 2017 Results Announcement |date=June 23, 2016 |work=BlackBerry}}</ref>{{verify source |date=September 2019}} |- |18,000,000 |September 2016<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blackberry.com/content/dam/blackberry-com/Documents/pdf/financial-reports/2017/q2fy2017/Q2FY17_Financial_Information.pdf |title=Q2 Fiscal 2017 Results Announcement |date=September 28, 2016 |work=BlackBerry}}</ref>{{verify source |date=September 2019|reason=URL did not match title.}} |- |16,000,000 |December 2016<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/content/dam/bbCompany/Desktop/Global/PDF/Investors/Documents/2017/q3fy2017/Q3-FY17-Financial-Information.pdf |title=Q3 Fiscal 2017 Results Announcement |date=December 20, 2016 |work=BlackBerry}}</ref>{{verify source |date=September 2019|reason=URL did not match title.}} |- |14,000,000 |March 2017 |- |11,000,000 |May 2017 |}

== Security agencies access == Research in Motion agreed to give access to private communications to the governments of United Arab Emirates<ref>{{cite web |title=RIM averts BlackBerry ban in UAE |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/rim-averts-blackberry-ban-in-uae/ |access-date=September 3, 2015 |date=October 8, 2010 |website=CNET |last=Whitney |first=Lance}}</ref> and Saudi Arabia<ref>{{Cite news |title=RIM reaches deal with Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2010/08/10/rim_reaches_deal_with_saudi_arabia.html |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=August 10, 2010 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |issn=0319-0781 |first=Madhavi Acharya-Tom |last=Yew}}</ref> in 2010, and India in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |title=RIM gives India access to BlackBerry messages |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2012/04/07/rim_gives_india_access_to_blackberry_messages.html |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=April 7, 2012 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |issn=0319-0781 |first=Josh |last=Rubin}}</ref> The Saudi and UAE governments had threatened to ban certain services because their law enforcement agencies could not decrypt messages between people of interest.<ref>{{cite news |title=Two Gulf states to ban some Blackberry functions |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-10830485 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |date=August 1, 2010 |work=BBC News}}</ref>

It was revealed as a part of the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures that the American and British intelligence agencies, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) respectively, had access to the user data on BlackBerry devices. The agencies were able to read almost all smartphone information, including SMS, location, e-mails, and notes through BlackBerry Internet Service, which operated outside corporate networks, and which, in contrast to the data passing through internal BlackBerry services (BES), only compressed but did not encrypt data.<ref name=spiegel20130907>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/how-the-nsa-spies-on-smartphones-including-the-blackberry-a-921161.html |title=Privacy Scandal: NSA Can Spy on Smart Phone Data |date=September 7, 2013 |access-date=September 7, 2013 |work=Der Spiegel}}</ref>

Documents stated that the NSA was able to access the BlackBerry e-mail system and that they could "see and read SMS traffic".<ref name=spiegel20130907/> There was a brief period in 2009 when the NSA was unable to access BlackBerry devices, after BlackBerry changed the way they compressed their data. Access to the devices was re-established by GCHQ.<ref name=spiegel20130907/> GCHQ had a tool named SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE, with the capability of "Perfect spoofing of emails from BlackBerry targets".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://firstlook.org/theintercept/document/2014/07/14/jtrig-tools-techniques/ |title=JTRIG Tools and Techniques |website=The Intercept |date=July 14, 2014 |access-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224430/https://firstlook.org/theintercept/document/2014/07/14/jtrig-tools-techniques/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=JTRIG Tools and Techniques |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1217406-jtrigall.html#document/p4 |website=Documentcloud.org |access-date=September 3, 2015}}</ref>

In response to the revelations BlackBerry officials stated that "It is not for us to comment on media reports regarding alleged government surveillance of telecommunications traffic" and added that a "back door pipeline" to their platform had not been established and did not exist.<ref name=spiegel20130907/>

Similar access by the intelligence agencies to many other mobile devices exists, using similar techniques to hack into them.<ref name=spiegel20130907/>

The BlackBerry software includes support for the Dual EC DRBG CSPRNG algorithm which, due to being probably backdoored by the NSA, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology "strongly recommends" no longer be used. BlackBerry had however not issued an advisory to its customers, because they did not consider the probable backdoor a vulnerability. BlackBerry Ltd. also owns US patent 2007189527, which covers the technical design of the backdoor.<ref>{{cite web |first=Jeffrey |last=Carr |url=http://jeffreycarr.blogspot.dk/2014/01/blackberry-ltd-nsa-and-encryption.html |title=BlackBerry Ltd, the NSA, and The Encryption Algorithm that NIST Warned You Not To Use |work=Digital Dao |date=January 24, 2014 |access-date=January 27, 2014}}</ref>

== Usage == thumb|right|upright=1.5|President Obama with his BlackBerry in its holster on a flight to Caen, Normandy, France, June 5, 2009. Initially the BlackBerry was mostly popular by corporate and business users. By the late 2000s however, a growing number of other consumers were using it.<ref name=":6" />

The (formerly) advanced encryption capabilities of the BlackBerry made it eligible for use by government agencies and state forces.

=== Barack Obama === Former United States president Barack Obama became known for his dependence on a BlackBerry device for communication during his 2008 presidential campaign. Despite the security issues, he insisted on using it even after inauguration.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Obama Keeps His BlackBerry in a Hard-Fought E-Victory |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/us/politics/23berry.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 22, 2009 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Jeff |last=Zeleny}}</ref> This was seen by some as akin to a "celebrity endorsement", which marketing experts have estimated to be worth between $25 million and $50 million.<ref name=NYT01229 >{{Cite news |title=For BlackBerry, Obama's Devotion Is Priceless |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/business/media/09blackberry.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 8, 2009 |access-date=September 3, 2015 |issn=0362-4331 |first=Stephanie |last=Clifford}}</ref> His usage of BlackBerry continued until around the end of his presidency.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/tech/obama-finally-ditched-blackberry-replacement-040157947.html |title=Obama has finally ditched his BlackBerry, but its replacement will surprise you |first=Trevor |last=Mogg |date=June 12, 2016 |website=Yahoo! Finance |access-date=June 13, 2016 |archive-date=June 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160613114118/https://www.yahoo.com/tech/obama-finally-ditched-blackberry-replacement-040157947.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Hillary Clinton === The Hillary Clinton email controversy is associated with Hillary Clinton continuing to use her black-colored BlackBerry after assuming the office of Secretary of State.<ref name="WP032716">{{cite news |first=Robert |last=O'Harrow Jr. |title=How Clinton's email scandal took root |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/how-clintons-email-scandal-took-root/2016/03/27/ee301168-e162-11e5-846c-10191d1fc4ec_story.html |access-date=March 28, 2016 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 27, 2016 |quote="The issue here is one of personal comfort," one of the participants in that meeting, Donald Reid, the department's senior coordinator for security infrastructure, wrote afterward in an email that described Clinton's inner circle of advisers as "dedicated [BlackBerry] addicts."}}</ref>

=== Use by government forces === An example is the West Yorkshire Police, which allowed the increase in the presence of police officers along the streets and a reduction in public spending, given that each officer could perform desk work directly via the mobile device,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackberry.com/products/pdfs/WYP_CS.pdf |title=West Yorkshire Police Increase Visibility and Productivity with BlackBerry |website=BlackBerry |access-date=August 24, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927060842/http://www.blackberry.com/products/pdfs/WYP_CS.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> as well as in several other areas and situations.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://us.blackberry.com/newsroom/success/ |title=BlackBerry Customer Success |website=BlackBerry |access-date=November 5, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623013846/http://us.blackberry.com/newsroom/success/ |archive-date=June 23, 2012}}</ref> The US Federal Government was slow to move away from the BlackBerry platform, a State Department spokesperson saying in 2013 that BlackBerry devices were still the only mobile devices approved for U.S. missions abroad by the State Department.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/blackberrys-hope-lies-in-slow-poke-federal-washington/2013/09/25/61b304ee-2610-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_story.html |title=BlackBerry still reigns in Washington, slow-poke capital of the world |last=Kang |first=Cecilia |date=2013-09-25 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=2018-05-08 |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The high encryption standard that made BlackBerry smartphones and the PlayBook tablet unique, have since been implemented in other devices,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Validated 140-1 and 140-2 Cryptographic Modules |url=http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/140val-all.htm |website=Computer Security Resource Center |access-date=September 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226152243/http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/140val-all.htm |archive-date=December 26, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> including most Apple devices released after the iPhone 4. The Bangalore City Police was one of the few police departments in India along with the Pune Police and Kochi Police to use BlackBerry devices.<ref name="blorebb">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/18/stories/2008031861030300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324005805/http://www.hindu.com/2008/03/18/stories/2008031861030300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 24, 2008 |title=Use of BlackBerry devices by traffic police in city not to be affected |date=March 18, 2008 |newspaper=The Hindu |access-date=July 5, 2009}}</ref><ref name="iekochibb">{{cite news |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/kochi-traffic-police-go-blackberry/416576/ |title=Kochi traffic police go Blackberry |date=January 29, 2009 |newspaper=The Indian Express |access-date=May 6, 2015}}</ref>

=== Use by transportation staff === In the United Kingdom, South West Trains and Northern Rail issued BlackBerry devices to guards in order to improve the communication between control, guards and passengers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/smart%20phones%20issued%20to%20850%20south%20west%20trains%20guards.aspx |title=Smartphones issued to 850 South West Trains Guards in drive to improve passenger communication |website=South West Trains |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227081310/http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/smart%20phones%20issued%20to%20850%20south%20west%20trains%20guards.aspx |archive-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://uk.blackberry.com/newsroom/success/northernrail.jsp |title=Northern Rail – Case Study |website=BlackBerry UK |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216023754/http://uk.blackberry.com/newsroom/success/northernrail.jsp |archive-date=February 16, 2012}}</ref>

In Canada, Toronto and many other municipalities within Canada issued BlackBerry devices to most of its employees including but not limited to transportation, technical, water and operations inspection staff and all management staff in order to improve the communication between contracted construction companies, its winter maintenance operations and to assist and successfully organize multimillion-dollar contracts. The devices were the standard mobile device to receive e-mail redirected from GroupWise.

As part of their Internet of Things endeavours, the company announced plans of moving into the shipping industry by adapting the smartphones devices to the communication necessities of freight containers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/article/blackberry-going-after-shipping-industry-with-cloud-management-platform/ |title=BlackBerry going after shipping industry with cloud management platform |website=CTV News |date=January 7, 2015 |access-date=January 12, 2015}}</ref>

=== Other notable users ===

As of 2024, Eminem uses a BlackBerry OS phone.<ref>{{cite web |last=Mahadevan |first=Tara |url=https://complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/eminem-still-uses-a-blackberry |title=Why Eminem still uses a Blackberry in 2024 |website=Complex |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=February 26, 2025}}</ref>

Kim Kardashian was also a BlackBerry user. In 2014, she reportedly said at the Code/Mobile conference that "BlackBerry has my heart and soul. I love it. I'll never get rid of it" and "I have anxiety that I will run out and I won't be able to have a BlackBerry. I'm afraid it will go extinct." Kardashian also admitted to keeping a supply of BlackBerry phones with her because she was loyal to the BlackBerry Bold model. She has since been spotted using an iPhone instead.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Deschamps|first=Tara|date=2022-01-03|title=Many BlackBerry phones to stop working|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/article/many-blackberry-phones-to-stop-working/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-03|website=CTV News|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103180419/https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/many-blackberry-phones-to-stop-working-1.5726127|archive-date=January 3, 2022}}</ref>

Katy Perry was also a BlackBerry user. She used the 8800 in her "Part of Me" music video, used the Bold 9780, Torch and other models in the documentary concert film ''Katy Perry: Part of Me'', was seen using the Curve 8900 and Bold 9900<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bbvietnam.com/threads/katy-perry-va-blackberry.6639 |title=Katy Perry và BlackBerry |website=BBVietnam |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=July 2, 2012 |archive-date=April 27, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427153635/https://bbvietnam.com/threads/katy-perry-va-blackberry.6639/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and attended the launch of the Pearl Flip.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://katyperrycn.net/photo/pnaWQ9MzIzNiZjYXRpZD00MSZwbj0x |title=Z100 & Blackberry All Access Lounge |website=KatyPerryChina |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=December 12, 2008}}</ref> In 2012, she switched to the iPhone 4s for two weeks and switched back to BlackBerry, tweeting that she missed the keyboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blackberryvzla.com/2011/12/la-estrella-katy-perry-probo-un-iphone.html |title=La estrella Katy Perry probo un iPhone 4S no le gusto y regreso a su BlackBerry |website=BlackberryVzla |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=2012}}</ref> She has since been spotted using an iPhone instead.

E. L. James wrote ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' on her BlackBerry.<ref>{{cite web |last=Acuna |first=Kirsten |url=https://businessinsider.com/fifty-shades-of-grey-written-on-blackberry-2015-2 |title='Fifty Shades of Grey': Author Wrote Much of Book on Blackberry - Business Insider |website=Business Insider |access-date=February 27, 2025 |date=February 17, 2015}}</ref>

Nigerian author Stephen Buoro wrote the first draft of his debut novel on his BlackBerry.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Stephen Buoro Brings to Life "HXVX," a Loveable Teen Protagonist, and Modern Nigeria in All its Beauty, Contradictions, and Permutations |journal=Chicago Review of Books |url=https://chireviewofbooks.com/2023/05/08/the-five-sorrowful-mysteries-of-andy-africa/ |last=Riehl |first=Peter |date=2023-05-08}}</ref>

Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google from 2001 to 2011, was a longtime BlackBerry user. Although smartphones running Google's Android mobile operating system competed with BlackBerry, Schmidt said in a 2013 interview that he used a BlackBerry because he preferred its keyboard.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Surprise! Google chairman Eric Schmidt uses.. a BlackBerry |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/mar/21/eric-schmidt-blackberry-user |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=September 3, 2015 |first=Charles |last=Arthur |date=March 21, 2013}}</ref>

The Italian criminal group known as the 'Ndrangheta was reported in February 2009 to have communicated overseas with the Gulf Cartel, a Mexican drug cartel, through the use of the BlackBerry Messenger, since the BBM Texts are "very difficult to intercept".<ref>{{cite news |title=Narco-mafia se comunican por Blackberry |url=http://www.cnnexpansion.com/actualidad/2009/02/19/mafia-italiana-en-contacto-con-narcos |access-date=January 20, 2012 |website=CNN Expansión |date=February 19, 2009 |language=es |archive-date=December 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121226090127/http://www.cnnexpansion.com/actualidad/2009/02/19/mafia-italiana-en-contacto-con-narcos |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

=== In popular culture ===

''Blackberry'', a 2023 film directed by Matt Johnson, is a dramatized account of the history of the brand, 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''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BlackBerry About the Show |url=https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/program/blackberry |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=CBC Media Centre}}</ref>

== Marketing ==

BlackBerry paid these celebrities to promote its devices:

* Alicia Keys<ref>{{cite web |url=https://blackberry.com/us/en/company/newsroom/press-releases/2013/alicia-keys-joins-blackberry-as-global-creative-director |title=Alicia Keys Joins BlackBerry as Global Creative Director |website=BlackBerry |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=January 30, 2013}}</ref> * Beyoncé<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beyoncetribe.it/gallery/go-bold-with-beyonce-blackberry-australia-ad-2009/go-bold-with-beyonce-blackberry-australia-ad-2009 |title=Go Bold with Beyonce - BlackBerry Australia AD 2009 |website=Beyonce Tribe |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=2009}}</ref> * Black Eyed Peas<ref>{{cite web |last=Molina |first=Sonia |url=https://brightbull.co.uk/blog/bid/207531/blackberry-s-innovative-sponsorship-of-black-eyed-peas-tour |title=Alicia Keys Joins BlackBerry as Global Creative Director |website=BrightBull |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=May 7, 2010}}</ref> * Diplo<ref>{{cite news |last=Ganz |first=Jacob |url=https://npr.org/sections/therecord/2010/10/19/130667258/diplo-vs-blackberry |title=Music In Advertising: Diplo Vs. BlackBerry |work=NPR |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=October 19, 2010}}</ref> * Indiana Jones<ref>{{cite web |last=Mederos |first=Jennifer |url=https://www.coroflot.com/jennifer_mederos/indiana-jones-blackberry-promotion |title=Indiana Jones BlackBerry Promotion by Jennifer Mederos |website=Coroflot |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=2008}}</ref> * Jessie J<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17606820 |title=Jessie J BlackBerry event stabbing: Man in hospital |work=BBC News |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=April 4, 2012}}</ref> * John Mayer<ref>{{cite web |last=Murph |first=Darren |url=https://engadget.com/2008-05-16-john-mayer-gets-lucky-hands-around-a-blackberry-bold.html |title=John Mayer secures a BlackBerry Bold, makes world envious |website=Engadget |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=May 16, 2008}}</ref> * Martin Eberhard, founder of Tesla Motors<ref>{{cite web |url=https://x.com/Tweetermeyer/status/1547316678081404930 |title=E.W. Niedermeyer on X: "The exact moment @elonmusk decided to push Martin Eberhard out of Tesla and rebuild the company's mythology around himself (2006, color)" / X |website=X (Twitter) |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=July 13, 2022}}</ref> * Pixie Lott<ref>{{cite web |last=Farrah |first=Leah |url=https://glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/interview-pixie-lott-blackberry-new-album |title=Pixie Lott Interview BlackBerry Z10 |website=Glamour |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=January 31, 2013}}</ref> * Tara Reid<ref>{{cite web |last=Lui |first=Elaine |url=https://laineygossip.com/Tara-Reid-promotes-Blackberry-in-Germany/14911 |title=Tara Reid promotes BlackBerry in Germany |website=Lainey Gossip |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=October 23, 2009}}</ref> * U2<ref>{{cite web |last=Manjoo |first=Farhad |url=https://slate.com/technology/2009/03/why-is-u2-endorsing-the-blackberry.html |title=Why is U2 endorsing the BlackBerry? |website=Slate |access-date=March 1, 2025 |date=March 12, 2009}}</ref>

== See also == {{Portal|Telephones}} * BlackBerry Limited (formerly Research in Motion) * BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) * BlackBerry Mobile * Index of articles related to BlackBerry OS * List of BlackBerry products * QWERTY * Science and technology in Canada * T9 (predictive text) * Ichia Technologies

== References == {{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography === * {{Cite book |last1=Cunningham |first1=Stuart |last2=Turner |first2=Graeme |year=2006 |title=Media and Communications in Australia |publisher=Southwood Press Pty Ltd |pages=259–278}} * {{Cite web |author=HTStaff |date=26 November 2018 |title=BlackBerry to acquire cybersecurity firm Cylance for $1.4 billion |url=http://hashtribe.com/blackberry-to-acquire-cybersecurity-firm-cylance-for-1-4-billion/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181127110550/http://hashtribe.com/blackberry-to-acquire-cybersecurity-firm-cylance-for-1-4-billion/ |archive-date=November 27, 2018 |website=Hashtribe |access-date=28 April 2020}} * {{Cite book |last1=Levinson |first1=P. |year=2004 |title=Cellphone |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |pages=15–33}} * {{cite book |last1=McNish |first1=Jacqui | last2=Silcoff | first2=Sean | title=Losing the Signal. The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry |date=2015 |publisher=Random House Business |isbn=9781847941725}} * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060118115604/http://www.rim.com/news/press/2005/pr-05_04_2005-01.shtml Research In Motion Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End Results for Fiscal 2005]}} * [https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReportArchive/B/TSX_BB_2005.pdf Research In Motion 2005 Annual Report] * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070528122834/http://www.rim.com/news/press/2007/pr-02_04_2007-01.shtml Research In Motion Fourth Quarter and 2007 Fiscal Year End Results]}} * {{Cite book |last1=Rheingold |first1=H. |year=2002 |title=Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=Perseus Pub. |pages=xi–xxii, 157–182 |isbn=978-0738206080 |oclc=904554660}} * {{Cite book |last=Sweeny |first=Alastair |year=2009 |title=BlackBerry Planet: The Story of Research in Motion and the Little Device That Took the World by Storm |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KGrtBbPlR7EC&q=Research%20In%20Motion&pg=PP1 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons Canada |isbn=978-0-470-15940-8}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{Official website|http://www.blackberrymobile.com/}}

Category:BlackBerry Category:BlackBerry Limited smartphones Category:Software programmed in C++ Category:Canadian brands Category:Computer-related introductions in 1999 Category:Goods manufactured in Canada Category:Information appliances Category:Pager companies Category:Personal digital assistants Category:Science and technology in Canada