RIM, the No. 1 smartphone maker in the United States and No. 4 mobile operating system developer in the world, is focused on advancing the BlackBerry beyond the application that propelled it to the top. Most business users can't survive on e-mail alone.
RIM showed it was serious four months ago when it released Enterprise Server for MDS Applications, software to create, deploy, and manage mobile applications for BlackBerrys. The software, previously packaged with RIM's e-mail server, was launched as a standalone product for customers who want mobile apps but not wireless e-mail.
The BlackBerry OS--currently version 4.1 or 4.2, depending on the smartphone model--supports 1,500 business applications and thousands of life-style apps such as mapping, photo sharing, and reference dictionaries. BlackBerry applications are written in Java, so they can run across models of various form factors and that work over different cell technologies.
RIM gives IT departments control over which third-party applications they support. The operating system also distinguishes between trusted applications--those that can access information from a personal contacts list, for example--and untrusted apps with limited access.
In addition to support for push e-mail and business software, the BlackBerry OS is relatively secure. It uses end-to-end encryption to protect data between smartphones and the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
BlackBerry's strength is also its shortcoming. RIM doesn't license its software to other manufacturers, so it doesn't offer nearly as many devices as most of its hardware competitors. And RIM's approach doesn't encourage device diversity. Through its BlackBerry Connect program, RIM pushes e-mail only to a limited number of non-BlackBerry devices--select models from Nokia, Palm, and Samsung.
RIM's challenge: Out-innovate the competition and expand globally by appealing to a broader range of users.
