RIM is eager to make a comeback with its new line of BlackBerry 10 smartphones, which seems to offer the best chance to return to its former splendor. The January 30 launch perhaps unfolds a decisive moment for RIM, which lost ground to the iPhone and Android-based smartphones.
And, there is something innovative behind all this expectation. RIM calls it the BlackBerry Enterprise 10, a device management system built into BlackBerry 10. The system is designed to manage BlackBerry, Android and iOS devices on one platform, and provides support for corporate as well as employee-owned handsets.
BES 10 features the ‘BlackBerry Balance’, a technology that lets users separate corporate applications from personal content. It is considered to be a welcome feature for IT departments as they can handle corporate data without interfering with personal data. In other words, the corporate data can be disabled without disturbing personal data such as music and photos.
RIM expects its new system to bring about a key change in smartphone technology. Over 150 carriers have been experimenting on the new mobile platform. It is said that RIM has given over 8,000 prototypes to developers.
Another interesting option is the availability of a touch-screen version in addition to the physical-keyboard version. BlackBerry already has a reputation for its strong security features, something that has caused customers to stick to it. RIM believes that its innovation will play big in turning enterprise customers to the new BlackBerry 10. Its new system is available to both corporate customers and government agencies.
RIM has planned a global launch for BlackBerry 10, with events in New York and five other cities across the globe. With all that, will BlackBerry get back its dominant role in the competitive smartphone sector that is being flocked by new entrants?