Canada based Research In Motion on Wednesday said that it will now be known as Blackberry. The company until now was widely known as RIM and as makers of Blackberry phone. The handset maker also launched two devices under its new operating system Blackberry 10. While the Z10 is an all touch device, the Q10 has QWERTY portrait keyboard

"From today on, we are BlackBerry everywhere in the world." Thorsten Heins, President and CEO, Blackberry said while announcing the company's transformation. Today represents a new day in the history of BlackBerry. Today is not the finish, it is just the starting line." he said.

One of the new features in the new operating systems is the Hub which integrates social network notifications in addition to BBM and email. Contact pages, which are built into the Hub, can show up-to-date social network information and activity, which means with one finger touch, the user can move from one app to the other, right from the Hub.

The keyboard has a unique word prediction feature that lets you "flick" words from the keyboard to the screen. Blackberry executives called it "writing without typing." The keyboard also has built-in multi-language support that's accessible with a gesture. The new OS also has BlackBerry Balance feature. Balance lets users split their phone for both work and personal uses. This will be useful for IT managers of companies who can now allow employees to bring one device for work and personal use. The handset maker has also added video calling on Blackberry Messenger. The other new feature is BBM Screenshare, which lets you share your screen with the person you're calling. This allows user to share pictures, presentations and documents while making the video call. BlackBerry 10 also features Time Shift that takes a series of pictures in one go which allows users to pick the best picture.

They two new phones feature 1.5 Ghz dual core processors with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and an expandable memory card slot. Both feature a micro HDMI out port for presentations, and advanced sensors such NFC (near field communications) to support mobile payments and the exchange of information with a tap of the smartphone. Models of the BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 will be available from carriers to support their respective 4G LTE or HSPA+ networks. The smartphones will also each come in White and Black.

In Canada, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 5th. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but it will retail for around $149.99 on a 3 year contract. In the UAE, the BlackBerry Z10 will be available on February 10th. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but unsubsidised it will retail for AED 2,599. AED 2599 is roughly Rs 38,000. In the U.S. market, BlackBerry Z10 will be available in March. BlackBerry Q10 will be launched in April,.Pricing and availability for India will be announced later,

"We have been on a journey to transform our business, our brand, and how mobile technology transforms communication. We have transformed ourselves in and out, refined our vision," Heins said while launching the new devices.

Blackberry also announced that singer-songwriter Alicia Keys will be its Global Creative Director."

The new operating system — BlackBerry 10 — is not only an attempt by RIM to counter the smartphone market leaders Samsung and Apple but perhaps the last throw of dice in its fight for survival. RIM’s share of the global smartphone market has fallen from a peak of roughly 20 per cent in 2009 to about 6 per cent today.

BB10 launch comes even as Google’s operating system Android and Apple smartphones captured a whopping 92 per cent of global sales in the fourth quarter, giving the two systems an effective duopoly, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

>thomas.thomas@thehindu.co.in

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