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The BlackBerry
is a wireless handheld device introduced in 1999
which supports push e-mail, mobile
telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing
and other wireless information services.
Developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion
(RIM), it delivers information over the wireless
data networks of mobile phone service companies.
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BlackBerry first made headway in the marketplace by concentrating on e-mail. RIM currently offers
BlackBerry e-mail service to non-BlackBerry devices, such as the Palm Treo, through the BlackBerry
Connect software. The original BlackBerry device had a monochrome display, but all current models
have color displays.
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While including the usual PDA applications (address book, calendar, to-do lists, etc.) as well as telephone
capabilities on newer models, the BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive e-mail
wherever it can access an appropriate wireless network of certain cellular phone carriers.
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It has a built-in keyboard, optimized for "thumbing", the use of only the thumbs to type. System navigation is
primarily accomplished by the trackwheel (or "thumbwheel"), a scrolling wheel with a "click" function, located
on the right side of the device. Some models (currently, those manufactured for use with Nextel, TELUS, and
other iDEN networks) also incorporate a two-way radio. Some BlackBerry devices don't depend on mobile
phone service coverage and are Wi-Fi compatible like similar handheld devices that are on the marketplace.
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The devices are very popular with some businesses, where they are primarily used to provide e-mail access
to roaming employees. To fully integrate the BlackBerry into a company's systems, the installation of
BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is required.
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In November 2004, RIM announced that the number of subscribers to the BlackBerry service had reached
two million, having doubled within ten months.[1] Continuing their growth, RIM announced an additional
one million subscribers in May, 2005, only six months after reaching two million.[2] On December 21, 2005,
RIM announced that their subscriber base reached 4.3 million subscribers [3] and has surpassed 5 million
by March 2006, despite slowing sales [4]. In October 2006, RIM announced that the number of subscribers
had reached 6.2 million.
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| BlackBerry handheld integration into an organization's e-mail system is provided through a software
package called "BlackBerry Enterprise Server" (BES). Versions of BES are available for Microsoft Exchange,
Lotus Domino and Novell GroupWise.
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| RIM provides a proprietary multi-tasking operating system (OS) for the BlackBerry, which makes heavy use
of the device's specialized input devices, particularly the thumbwheel. The OS provides support for MIDP 1.0
and WAP 1.2. Previous versions allowed wireless synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Server's e-mail
and calendar, as well as with Lotus Domino's e-mail. The current OS 4 provides a subset of MIDP 2.0, and
allows complete wireless activation and synchronization with Exchange's e-mail, calendar, tasks, notes and
contacts, and adds support for Novell GroupWise and Lotus Notes.
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