RIM has added a new handheld to its BlackBerry line. More importantly, though, they've added support for 3rd party devices on their BlackBerry Enterprise Server e-mail system.
Research In Motion (RIM) has been active today, with a new BlackBerry device announced and several new partnerships designed to bring RIM's back-end services to more devices.
 | The 6210 is a moderate improvement on previous models
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The BlackBerry 6210, like its predecessors, is a tablet mode dual-band GSM/GPRS data-centric handheld operating at 1900 MHz or 900 Mhz. It features a low-res grayscale display at 8, 10, 12 or 15 lines. Input is via a QWERTY thumbboard and scroll wheel. Applications are stored in 16 MB of Flash ROM, with an additional 2 MB of RAM. The removeable and rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery is rated at 5 hours of talk time or 12 days standby time. As with all of RIM's devices, of course, it's compatible with RIM's backend BlackBerry Enterprise Server for corporate e-mail synchronization. The 6210 includes a number of improvements to the built-in e-mail system, such as full wireless synchronization and attachments. It also supports J2ME Java applications. It is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2003, and the price will depend on the carrier.
RIM also signed up its first partner for its new BlackBerry Connect program. The BlackBerry Connect licensing program allows mobile device manufacturers to equip their handhelds with RIM's push-based e-mail system. The first licensee is HTC, which makes wireless devices based on Windows CE. The arrangement allows HTC to build compatibility with RIM's BlackBerry Enterprise Server into their devices. That gives corporate buyers the flexibility to pick from various handheld devices while maintaining compatibility with a single back-end e-mail proxy manager, RIM's server systems.
RIM also announced plans to offer compatibility with their server systems to Symbian OS-based devices. Symbian is rapidly growing in popularity with mobile phone manufacturers, and in 2002, Symbian OS licensees accounted for more than 75% of mobile phones shipped worldwide. RIM has joined Symbian's Platinum Partner Program, with the end goal of allowing all Symbian OS devices to connect to RIM's BlackBerry servers.
It appears that RIM is looking to transition itself from a complete end-to-end system into primarily a service and server system provider, with support for a heterogeneous set of handhelds. Notably absent from RIM's starting set of partners is any of the growing number of wireless Palm OS devices. That is not surprising, however, as Palm has its own corporate e-mail system, the Tungsten Mobile Information Management Server, and Handspring has always focused more on the end-user market than on corporate markets. While a partnership with Palm appears unlikely, that does not rule out other wireless Palm OS licensees, such as Kyocera or Samsung, joining the BlackBerry Connect program at a later date.
A high-resolution image of the BlackBerry 6210 is available on the following page.
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