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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

RIM gives carriers glimpse of phones

By: David Friend

Posted: 08/24/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Geoff Robins / The Canadian Press RIM vice-president Alec Saunders speaks at a BlackBerry Jam in Waterloo, Ont. (CP)

KITCHENER, Ont. -- Some of Canada's biggest wireless carriers finally got a glimpse of the new BlackBerry smartphones this week, as part of Research In Motion's worldwide effort to drum up enthusiasm for the devices.

A group of RIM executives, including CEO Thorsten Heins, met with carriers in Canada, Mexico and some in the United States, and brought early versions of the new BlackBerrys with them.

The meetings started a process the company hopes will lead to firm commitments from providers as it tries to hype the new BlackBerrys. The phones won't be available to the public until early next year.

"The response that we got back from the executive team at some of the Canadian carriers was tremendous," Andrew McLeod, managing director of RIM's Canadian operations, said in a media briefing near the company's headquarters in Waterloo, Ont., on Thursday.

"They were visibly positive and visibly enthusiastic."

The unveiling of the phones marks a significant step for RIM, which has struggled with numerous delays of its new BlackBerry 10 operating system, and the touchscreen and physical keyboard phones that will hit the market at the same time next year.

While the new BlackBerrys weren't the final version, the shape and size are expected to remain quite similar. The BlackBerry 10 platform is still undergoing development and tests.

RIM is maintaining some secrecy around the devices, declining to say which carriers it met with, though McLeod noted Canada will be a focus during the initial launch.

"Obviously it's very important to us that we demonstrate leadership and strength in our home market."

The country's biggest wireless companies include Rogers Communications and Bell, who were both carriers of BlackBerry products in RIM's early years, as well as Telus.

RIM plans to make stops in Europe, Africa and Asia in coming weeks.

McLeod said the next step is to quickly begin discussions with carriers about the product launch, a process that covers everything from marketing the phones to technological support.

RIM faces intense competition from Apple's iPhone, smartphones using the Android operating system and possibly other rivals.

On Thursday, the company made a stop in its hometown, Waterloo, to meet with local developers, after stops in Toronto and Montreal.

The event, which RIM calls the BlackBerry Jam, is designed to convince programmers its new operating system has staying power and possibilities for innovation. The company hopes to beef up the selection in its BlackBerry App World store to something that rivals Apple's app store.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 24, 2012 ??65530

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