RIM changes name to BlackBerry as BB10 launches

Research In Motion launched two BlackBerry 10 smartphones Wednesday, the hotly anticipated line of devices with the potential to make or break the company.

CEO Thorsten Heins kicked off simultaneous live events in New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Dubai, Johannesburg, Jakarta and Delhi, with the announcement that the company and its ubiquitous product were becoming one and the same — the company has renamed itself BlackBerry.

Heins unveiled a line of new smartphones the company says will help it win back market share in the competitive mobile space.

RIM launched two versions of the phone on Wednesday, the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10. The former is a touchscreen device, the latter has a full Qwerty keyboard.

"We know there are a lot of keyboard lovers out there," Heins said. "We heard you loud and clear."

In Canada, the touchscreen BlackBerry Z10 will be available on Feb. 5. Pricing will vary by carrier partner, but it will retail for around $149.99 on a three-year contract, BlackBerry announced Wednesday.

The Q10 will be available some time after that, but further information on that keyboard version wasn't immediately provided at the launch event Wednesday.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/01/29/business-rim-blackberry.html