Blackberry Bold Updated, RIM Struggling
On the heels of last week’s warning of declining Blackberry sales and market share, Research in Motion (ticker symbol RIMM) has unveiled an updated Blackberry Bold smartphone which will have a touch screen as well as a keyboard. “The world is changing and we’re doing all we can to prepare RIM for it,” Mike Lazaridis, RIM’s co-chief executive, said at the company’s annual user conference, known as BlackBerry World, which kicked off Monday in Orlando, Fla.
According to a review posted in today’s Wall Street Journal (wsj.com), at 10.5 millimeters, the newest Bold device is the thinnest BlackBerry, though it is slightly thicker than Apple Inc.’s iPhone 4. It is expected to be available this summer, but pricing wasn’t provided. The device will also offer support for near-field communications, which allows consumers to use their smartphones as so-called mobile wallets. RIM said the new Bold will run on the latest version of its BlackBerry operating system, known as BlackBerry 7.0.
RIM, Waterloo, Ontario, has been losing share the past several quarters in North America to the iPhone and devices running on Google Inc.’s Android operating system. The company has continued to increase sales thanks largely to shipments of less expensive models in overseas markets. The stock price is currently trading at $48.23 and struggling below its’ 200 day moving average after selling off hard last week on the announcement of declining North American sales and market share.
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