NEW YORK -- Research in Motion unveiled new, versatile BlackBerrys on Wednesday after excruciating delays allowed Apple, Samsung and others to build commanding leads in an industry that is redefining society.
But the first phone won't debut in the U.S. until March, and one with a keyboard will take at least a month longer.The stock fell 12 percent after the kickoff despite mostly positive reviews of the BlackBerry 10 operating system. There's concern that the phone isn't coming out sooner, and there's worry that BlackBerry 10's advances won't be enough to turn the company around.In a move underscoring the stakes for its make-or-break product lineup, Research in Motion used the occasion to announce that it is changing the company's name to BlackBerry. It's a pioneering brand that lost its cachet not long after Apple released the iPhone in 2007, resetting expectations for what a smartphone should do.Pioneered in 1999, BlackBerry made a breakthrough in personal connectedness. It changed the culture by allowing on-the-go businesspeople to access wireless email. President Barack Obama couldn't bear to part with his BlackBerry. Oprah Winfrey declared it one of her "favorite things." It was so addictive that it was nicknamed "the CrackBerry."As the BlackBerry crossed over to consumers, rivals came out with a new generation of phones that could do more than just email and messaging, starting with the iPhone and followed by devices running Google's Android system.Suddenly, the BlackBerry looked ancient.CEO Thorsten Heins, who one year ago replaced longtime executives who had presided over BlackBerry's fall, formally unveiled the much-delayed smartphones and software Wednesday in New York. Simultaneous events were held in Toronto, London, Paris, Dubai, Johannesburg, New Delhi and Jakarta, Indonesia.The first device in the new crop of BlackBerrys will be the Z10 -- pronounced "zee-10" in the U.S. and "zed-10" elsewhere. As Research in Motion previously disclosed, it will have only a touch-screen keypad, like the iPhone and most phones running Android, including Samsung's popular Galaxy line.Although the Z10 will go on sale today in the United Kingdom and Tuesday in Canada, it won't be available in the U.S. until March.The Q10 will follow with a physical keyboard, a feature that has kept BlackBerry users loyal over the years because it makes typing easier.Research in Motion said the Q10 will go on sale on some global carriers in April, but it couldn't say when U.S. carriers will have it. Heins said U.S. carriers need more testing time.All major U.S. carriers plan to sell the BlackBerrys. Verizon Wireless said the Z10 will be available for $200 with a two-year service agreement, in line with what other major smartphones cost.Wednesday's event flopped on Wall Street. RIM's stock fell $1.88 to $13.78.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
