| The BlackBerry smartphone has its roots in a | | | | every device, and many models offer |
| two-way messaging device called the "Interactive | | | | consumer-friendly features like WiFi, GPS and |
| Pager" released in 1995 by Research In Motion, a | | | | Bluetooth. |
| small hardware designer based in Waterloo, | | | | The underlying software platform hasn't actually |
| Ontario. Unlike today's BlackBerry devices, the | | | | changed all that much. The earliest devices ran a |
| Interactive Pager did not work on normal cellular | | | | custom operating system written in C++, but RIM |
| data networks, instead using a special-purpose | | | | moved to the Java programming language in 2000 |
| wireless data network known as Mobitex. The | | | | when it released the 957. From that point on, |
| device even looked like a pager, except that it | | | | applications could be written by third parties using |
| included a small keyboard for user input. | | | | RIM's version of the Java Micro Edition (Java ME) |
| The trademark "BlackBerry" first appeared in | | | | platform instead of a custom C++ software |
| 1999 as the name for RIM's end-to-end wireless | | | | development kit. |
| email solution for corporate customers. The term | | | | The move to Java solved two problems for RIM: |
| "Interactive Pager" was dropped and the pager | | | | it let them make changes to the base hardware |
| was rebranded the "RIM 950". The form factor | | | | (such as switching from an Intel 386 architecture |
| remained the same, though, about 3.5 inches wide | | | | to an ARM-based CPU) without disrupting |
| by 2.5 inches tall, and it still worked only on the | | | | software development, and it also allowed them |
| Mobitex network. | | | | to easily certify and sandbox third-party |
| The first handheld device that looked somewhat | | | | applications to keep them from disrupting other |
| like today's BlackBerry smartphones was known | | | | parts of the platform. Moving away from C++ |
| as the RIM 957, introduced in 2000. RIM moved | | | | also made BlackBerry software development |
| away from Mobitex to using conventional GPRS | | | | more approachable. RIM uses Java internally for |
| networks for wireless data access in 2001. Voice | | | | most of its on-device software development: all |
| service -- so you could use a BlackBerry wireless | | | | the standard BlackBerry applications are |
| handheld for phone calls as well as email -- was | | | | themselves written in Java. |
| introduced a year later. | | | | Through all of these changes, however, the |
| The BlackBerry smartphones available today are | | | | BlackBerry handheld has always kept its focus on |
| a far more sophisticated than the earlier models | | | | being the best wireless email device on the |
| from a hardware viewpoint. The trackwheel on | | | | market, and that's unlikely to change anytime |
| the first devices was eventually replaced with a | | | | soon. The fact that you can run great software |
| trackball, which is now being replaced with a | | | | applications on a BlackBerry is just icing on the |
| trackpad or a touch-sensitive screen, depending | | | | cake! |
| on the model. Cameras are now included with | | | | |