A Blackberry is a personal
communications device developed, distributed, and serviced by Research in
Motion(RIM), a Canadian company headquartered in Waterloo, OntarioA .Blackberry
can provide email, text messaging, web browsing, and telephone service. It is
an example of a convergent device.
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| The basic steps in receiving an email on a blackberry device |
A BlackBerry is an end-to-end
wireless email solution that allows access to your Outlook Inbox, Calendar,
Contacts, and Tasks with full wireless synchronization. The BlackBerry Server
constantly communicates with the campus Exchange server (that talks to Outlook, among other email
clients).As soon as something comes into your Outlook for Exchange email, the
BlackBerry server gets a copy and sends it to your device through the Internet.
Your device receives that information through the Internet using your carrier's
preferred network. The process works in reverse when you make changes on your
BlackBerry device that need to be copied into your Outlook account, e.g., if
you send a message that needs to be copied to your Sent items, or if you add a
contact to your Contacts list. The Blackberry can be set up and operated
wirelessly without ever being connected physically to a computer. RIM currently
offers BlackBerry e-mail service to non-BlackBerry devices, such as the Palm
Treo, through the BlackBerry Connect software. The original BlackBerry device
had a monochrome display, but all current models have color displays .
Research in Motion provides the
native email system for the Blackberry. However, RIM has cooperated with
Microsoft, IBM, and Novell to provide full two-way email integration with
Outlook, Notes, and GroupWise, respectively. Standard features on a Blackberry
include calendar, tasks, notes, alarm clock, calculator, and some games. Third
party applications can be downloaded to extend its capability. Some models
available from Nextel, Sprint, and maybe other carriers, provide GPS and
cellular “walkie-talkie” service as well. Most Blackberry are Bluetooth
capable, allowing for the use of wireless Bluetooth headsets to handle
telephone calls. Because the Blackberry relies on the cellular telephone
network, it is only available through cell phone carriers .And, like cell
phones, each carrier has its own unique models. The typical cost of a
Blackberry is $250-$300.
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