THE FUTURE FOR BLACKBERRY

 In 2009 Research in Motion (RIM) celebrated 25 years of innovation and 10 years of the BlackBerry.

To date more than 50 million BlackBerry smartphones have been shipped, with the current subscriber base reckoned to be around 32 million. What's more, the devices are in use across 150 countries, spanning some 400-plus networks, according to RIM.

Historically, BlackBerry has been viewed as a too! for business users first and consumers second, but recent device launches have changed this mindset. This is backed up by RIM's 2009 annual report, which shows that show some 60 per cent of subscribers added during the year were non-enterprise customers.

RIM demonstrated significant innovation in the late 1990s and, while early handsets don't look much, they paved the way for RIM's future inventions and set a trend the entire mobile market would, on a number of levels, look to for inspiration.

But RIM has always invested heavily in research and development to ensure the BlackBerry evolves and remains relevant, so what does the future hold for our favorite handset?

GIVING USERS WHAT THEY WANT

It's clear RIM is l?stening to what users want. In addition to an array of form factors, input methods {hard keyboards, touchscreens and slimmed down key-sharing input), camera and connectivity options,


handsets are also available both on contract and in pay-as-you-go (PAYG) format.

2009 saw the launch of the second generations of both the BlackBerry Bold and Storm smartphones, building on the solid foundations that everyone already loved. It's therefore pretty safe to assume that they'll be plenty more devices to come in 2010 and beyond. Indeed, when you consider that the device's humble beginnings were as a two-way, monochrome pager, it's come a long way.

As mobile phones become more and more linked to who we are as individuals, those in the communications industry are evolving to capitalise on this. RIM is no exception and will try to take on Apple, LG and Samsung when it comes to personalisation and customisation features on its handsets, both in terms of hardware and software.

 BlackBerry's App World is one example of how RIM is trying to make the devices more useful to users. In addition to a myriad of bundled applications, users can now download from a wealth of free and paid-for apps spanning a range of subject matter from business and travel to sport, weather and beyond.

"The BlackBerry platform provides a truly unparalleled mobile experience for millions of people and we are thrilled today to enhance that experience with a new app store that helps connect consumers with developers and carriers," said Mike Lazaridis, RIM's president and co-chief executive, in a statement at the launch. "BlackBerry App World aggregates a wide variety of personal and business apps in a way that makes it very easy for consumers to discover and download the apps that suit them while preserving the appropriate IT architecture and controls required by our enterprise customers."

FUTURE NETWORKING

With laptops getting smaller and manufacturers opting to integrate wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi into their new models, the portable computer is fast becoming hot competition for the BlackBerry.

Clearly, RIM won't start bulking up or shrinking its handsets to keep pace, but we can expect to see more add-ons - such as keyboards and presentation gadgets - that will make carrying a laptop and a BlackBerry a thing of the past.

Navigation remains pretty big business for RIM and the GPS capabilities of current BlackBerry devices are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. Similarly, 4G and the uber-speedy net access offered by LTE

which promises to boost download and upload rates over existing 3G networks) are high on the company's agenda.

The future for smartphone looks promising, but, with so much competition, RIM - and other mobile phone manufacturers - must continue to innovate to entice new customers and garner loyalty from their existing user base.

EVOLUTION

RIM has made a lot of improvements to the handset in recent years, including colour screens with bigger displays, more memory and better battery life. BlackBerry users have also been treated to an array of form factors and inclusions, from 3G to Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and beyond.

In October 2009, RIM joined the Open Screen project, an Adobe-led initiative designed to enhance the web browsing experience on mobile devices.

"As part of the Open Screen Project, RIM will be working with Adobe to deliver a great Flash technology experience on BlackBerry smartphones and to enable users to enjoy the exciting content and services that Flash technology developers and content creators are bringing to the web," said Alan Brenner, RIM's senior vice president.

The BlackBerry is a very secure device, but increased security is still top of individual users' and companies' wish lists - and this issue will become increasingly important as mobile security threats continue to evolve.

We are putting more and more sensitive information on our mobile devices, which, in turn, are becoming increasingly key to our identities as individuals and representatives of our businesses.

As users, we need to be mindful of what data we store and how we store it, but we also look to handset manufacturers to do their bit. So RIM and other mobile manufacturers have to pre-empt and respond to the threats of tomorrow, today.

In terms of the evolution of the BlackBerry, not just from a security standpoint, things are likely to continue to be shaped heavily by how users want to consume data and applications and take advantage of their devices as ways of enhancing their lives -whether at work or play.