RIM is now BlackBerry
The once-dominant smartphone maker has changed its name to coincide with the release of its new phone and its new OS:
There is a new smartphone coming to market, running on a new operating system. It’s an all-touch device—with no physical navigation controls and no physical keyboard—and serves as a platform for third-party apps. It’s meant to compete in a world defined by Apple’s AAPL +0.11% iPhone and Google’s GOOG +0.38% Android phones. It’s a BlackBerry, reinvented from the ground up.
This model, called the Z10, and its operating system, called BB10, are bet-the-company moves by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion RIMM -6.07% . RIM has seen its once-dominant position in the market shrivel away, especially in the U.S., since the iPhone appeared in 2007.
I appreciate an all-in move like the one RIM — er, BlackBerry — is making here. But even Microsoft, with its deep pockets, has been unable to buy itself more than a small sliver of the smartphone market. After four years of being perpetually behind the market, BlackBerry doesn’t have many resources left, other than its plucky new me-too phone and its plucky new me-too OS.
With the new name, I can’t keep using my “Fill it to the RIM — With Fail” headline. But I’m pretty sure that’s still going to be the final result.
Oh, come on, Stephen. You just know that the only thing holding RIM back was the name …
On the plus side, I hear the new OS is multi-tasking, you can sweep from one app to another without quitting to the home screen.
Don’t sell it short yet; it supports Flash! :-/
Walt Mossberg noted that even with Flash disabled, the battery didn’t last very long — and web pages didn’t render very quickly.
From the reviews I’ve read, it’s a swing and a (near) miss.
So…any guesses on how much RIM’s patent portfolio is worth?