BlackBerry shows their 3G challenge to iPhone

The BlackBerry Bold will allow users to talk on the phone while sending emailsand accessing the internet. The device also features a 2-megapixel camerawith video recording capability, a gigabyte of memory, and a media playerfor watching movies and managing music collections.
Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of advertising giant WPP is oneexecutive rarely seen without his Blackberry, nicknamed a CrackBerry in theCity. Easy Group founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou is rumoured to use hisBlackBerry to check his emails before he gets out of bed.
However, some analysts have expressed concern in recent months that corporateusers could cut back on spending on such items in the current challengingmarket environment.

Research in Motion (RIM), the creator of the BlackBerry, yesterday announcedthe launch of an updated version - the BlackBerry Bold - in an apparentattempt to compete with Apple, which is tipped to launch a third generation(3G) version of its iPhone next month.
RIM promises that added processing power will "make short work of downloadingemail attachments, streaming video or rendering web pages."
In what appears a direct move on Apple's potential customer base, RIM saidmusic is now more easily downloaded and a new application provides "a simpleway to sync iTunes digital music collections with the smartphone".


There are also industry concerns that Apple will beat RIM to the market inJune with its hotly anticipated 3G iPhone as the Bold is not expected tocome to the market until late August.
The BlackBerry Bold rolls out globally this summer and is expected to costbetween $300 and $400 (£153 to £206). While corporate users are its maintarget, it is expected that the new device will be picked up by a widermarket.
RIM has been aggressively working at diversifying its client base in pursuitof non-business users and has placed a greater emphasis on appearance in thecreation of the new device. The Bold has a sleek silver rim, a large glassdisplay area and its removable back is covered in black leatherette. Usersare able to personalise their BlackBerry by buying replacement backs in avariety of colours.
BlackBerry has seen its subscriber base nearly double each year for the pastthree years and the device has 14 million users in 135 countries. More thana third of its customers are now classified as non-government andnon-corporate users.
RIM separately announced yesterday that it would join forces with ThomsonReuters, the international media company and several private Canadianinvestors, to form a $150 million venture capital fund that will invest inthe best emerging mobile applications and services. The move is similar toa $100 million venture capital effort announced in March to develop softwarefor Apple’s iPhone.
Earlier this month, RIM announced quarterly results which beat analysts'expectations and bucked the downturn. RIM's net profit for the quarter stoodat $412.5 million (£206.9 million), up from $187.4 million a year earlier.The Canadian firm saw revenue soar 102 per cent to $1.88 billion (£950million) in the same period compared with $930.4 million last year.