BlackBerry

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What Does BlackBerry Mean?

The BlackBerry is a line of smartphones that are optimized for e-mail and collaboration. BlackBerries are best known for their e-mail and collaboration capabilities when paired with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). BES serves as a link between BlackBerry devices and enterprise messaging and collaboration software like Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino and Novell Groupwise. It consequently enables BlackBerry users to access calendar, scheduling and contacts apps of these collaboration software even when on the go.

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BlackBerry is produced by Research In Motion (RIM), a Canadian company.

Techopedia Explains BlackBerry

Almost all BlackBerry phones have QWERTY keypads that are designed for thumbing (typing using only one’s thumbs). The BlackBerry smartphone lineup includes the Torch, Style, Pearl, Curve, Bold, Tour and Storm phones (some of which have touch screen displays).

Applications are typically installed on the phone through the BlackBerry App World, OTA (over-the-air) through the built-in browser or through the BlackBerry Desktop Software. Interested developers can write applications using the Java programming language through the BlackBerry Java Development Environment, which already functions as an IDE and simulation tool. Programmers need to be familiar with the Java MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile).

The Blackberry became well known for its instantaneous “pushing” of messages, vs. the standard method of synchronizing and sending messages at intervals. This was probably the biggest factor in the spread of the Blackberry among corporate users.

BlackBerry devices are also known by a variety of terms worldwide, including CrackBerry, berry, BB, and Bramble (Great Britain).

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.