1. The evolution of the BlackBerry
With the launch this week of the BlackBerry
Z10, Research in Motion (soon to be known
as BlackBerry) launched what it hopes will
be the product to put the one-time
smartphone giant back on the map.
But how did RIM get to the Z10? Today we
trace the evolution of the BlackBerry, from
its humble pager roots, to dominant global
player, to one-time great in need of a
turnaround.
By Jeff Jedras

2. BlackBerry 950
This early model shows RIM’s
transition from pager manufacturer
to mobile e-mail powerhouse, with a
pager-like form factor combined with
the must-have QWERTY keyboard.
In was powered by an Intel 80386
processor and 4MB of flash memory,
which isn’t bad, because back then
there was no Angry Birds.
There were two editions – one for
Exchange email, one for general
Internet-based accounts.

3. BlackBerry 957
Now this is starting to look familiar. In
2000, the BlackBerry 957 was a must-have.
It’s not that dissimilar to the QWERTY
models of today in appearance, and the
scroll wheel on the side would be a
BlackBerry staple for years, until the first
Curve’s poorly designed trackball.
This model also had a 80386 processor, but
upped the RAM by 1MB and introduced a
rechargeable lithium battery – no more
raiding the remote control.

4. BlackBerry 5810
An early attempt by RIM to jump from
e-mail device to what we would today
consider a smartphone, the BlackBerry
5810 added phone capability, but with
one caveat – there was no built-in
microphone or speaker, forcing you to
fumble for your headset when the
phone rings.
It was also one of the early devices to
introduce SMS messaging to North
America – no headset requires for
texting.

5. BlackBerry 7250
Colour!
In 2005, the BlackBerry 7250’s display was
still pretty basic, but at least it was colourful.
In addition to being able to make phone calls
without a separate headset, it introduced
Bluetooth connectivity for supported
peripherals and now boasted 32MB of flash
memory. However its rated 3.3 hours of talk
time and eight days of standby time on a
charge disappointed some.
Oh, if they could only see us now.

6. BlackBerry Pearl 8100
The Pearl was an early attempt by RIM
beginning in 2006 to break into the
consumer market.
In addition to colour choice, it was the
first BlackBerry to feature a camera and
a media player, and a much more
phone-like form factor.
The model was discontinued four years
later, having not found much love with
either BlackBerry purists or traditional
mobile consumers.

7. BlackBerry Bold 9700
Later in the decade, RIM would have two
primary BlackBerry lines: the budget-
friendly Curve and more powerful Bold.
Launched late in 2009, the BlackBerry
Bold 9700 boasted Wi-Fi calling and a
browser with HTML viewing – which may
not sound like much now, but at the time,
for BlackBerry users, it was a nice
advance.
Still, weak browsers would remain a
BlackBerry deficiency.