Research In Motion (Nasdaq: RIM) said it will showcase the first two of its BlackBerry 10 smartphones on Jan. 30, giving details on the price and the release date of the devices it is counting on to revive its fortunes.
Events will be held in countries around the world on that date, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company said today in a statement.
[RIM maintains a research and development operation in the Triangle.]
With the announcement, RIM moves a step closer to finally introducing the new smartphones after at least two delays put the devices a year behind schedule. The company has said that the phones will offer “true multitasking,” letting them stand out from competitors. RIM needs a hit to help it reverse steady market-share losses over the past two years to Apple Inc.’s iPhone and devices running Google Inc.’s Android software.
RIM’s hopes hang on BlackBerry 10. It’s thoroughly redesigned for the touchscreen, Internet browsing and apps experience that customers now expect.
A full touchscreen device is expected to be released first followed shortly after by a physical keyboard version.
RIM shares rallied after the company said on Oct. 31 that more than 50 carriers have begun lab-testing the phones, a process that typically takes 60 to 90 days. Then on Nov. 8, RIM said BlackBerry 10 had won security certification from the U.S. government, the first time that the company’s handsets have been certified for FIPS, or Federal Information Processing Standards, before their commercial debut.
That will be key to cementing RIM’s reputation as the most secure smartphone on the market, helping reassure the government agencies that are among its biggest customers, said Michael Brown, RIM’s vice president for security product management.
RIM shares rose 4.2 percent to $8.54 in New York on Nov. 9, the most recent trading day. After hitting a nine-year low on Sept. 24, the stock had rallied 35 percent, though it remains more than 90 percent below its 2008 peak.
(Bloomberg and The AP contributed to this report.)
