Research In Motion (RIM) has launched its latest BlackBerry smartphone - and a new OS to run it - as it attempts to stave off market share erosion and distract attention from its troubles in the Gulf.
The company yesterday unveiled the BlackBerry Torch handset, and the BlackBerry 6 OS.
The BlackBerry Torch is a touch-screen smartphone, but also includes a physical keyboard.
The handset is RIM's first with integrated support for BlackBerry App World, and also comes pre-loaded with a number of social networking and entertainment applications such Facebook, Twitter and sports channel ESPN.
The handset will launch on August 12 in the US, exclusive to AT&T. It will be sold only in the US for six months, Wall Street Journalsaid.
This is a stark contrast to Apple's iPhone 4 launch, which hit five countries simultaneously in June and has since launched in 17 more.
BlackBerry 6 has a redesigned interface, RIM said, offering context-sensitive menus and a universal search bar capable of simultaneously searching the phone, the web and the BlackBerry App World store.
The phone supports internet access with an integrated WebKit-based browser with tabbed browsing.
Currently the BlackBerry Torch is the only phone to support the new OS, but RIM said it planned to roll out BlackBerry 6 to existing smartphones BlackBerry Pearl and BlackBerry Bold 9700 and 9650 - if they meet carrier certifications.
A Gizmodo reviewer said the Torch and the new OS “take what BlackBerry's already doing and move it forward slightly – they're not reinventing, overturning, or blowing up things.”
RIM stock on the Nasdaq fell 2.5% in after hours trading yesterday, suggesting that the announcement was not enough to quell investor fears over bans on BlackBerry in the Middle East.
RIM’s worldwide handset market share fell to 3.5% from 3.6% in Q2, according to IDC.
In its core North American smartphone market, its share has fallen to 43% to 49.2%, Canalys said.
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