RIM Blackberry 5810 and 5820 Smartphones
hardware: smartphones
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br /><br />In the last decade of the 20th century, rapidly developing wireless communications infrastructure introduced millions of users to wireless data and voice communications using pagers and cellular phones (cellphones). At that time, it was not unusual for a person to simultaneously carry a mobile phone, a pager, and personal digital assistant (PDA). The inconvenience of carrying all such devices to manage information and communication made the convergence of technologies and functionalities represented by these different devices into one communications package inevitable. The IBM Simon Personal Communicator (or IBM Simon) was the first such communications package -- the first "smartphone". Introduced in 1995, Simon handheld was a cellular phone, a pager and a PDA. However, its high price, short battery life, and far from convenient data entry led to poor sales.<br /><br />By the turn of the century, several companies, including Research in Motion (RIM), introduced their first smartphones. The success of these devices spelled the end of pagers ad PDAs in the workplace. <br /><br />The first two smartphones in what would become a long and successful line of RIM smartphones were the BlackBerry 5810 and 5820. The 5810 was introduced in the US on March 4, 2002 during Comdex in Chicago (the smartphone was offered in Canada on Rogers AT&T; Wireless in April 2002). The 5820 was introduced in UK a few months earlier and, eventually, was offered world wide. It was a variant of the 5810 that operated on different frequencies.<br /><br />The 5810 and 5820 smartphones combined wireless phone capabilities with wireless data services offered by RIM's pagers, services such as email and anytime, anywhere access to the Internet. In its March 4, 2002 press release, RIM stressed that its 5810 smartphone "integrates the award-winning features of the secure BlackBerry wireless email solution with the convenience of built-in phone. This breakthrough in wireless convergence delivers email, phone, SMS, browser, and organizer features in a single, sleek handheld that is "Always On, Always Connected"." Both smartphones used the housing designed for the RIM 957 pager. They were equipped with an earpiece and a microphone for hands-free phone calls that allowed the simultaneous use of these devices as PDAs during such calls.<br /><br />Software for all the pagers offered by RIM were written in C++. This changed with the arrival of the 5810 and 5820 smartphones whose software was written in Java. "RIM's decision to implement Java is opening BlackBerry to a community of more than three million application developers worldwide." stated RIM in its March 4, 2002 announcement. "Blackberry 5810 users will enjoy access to a substantially broader variety of applications that can be easily developed, deployed and managed within the [Blackberry] enterprise."<br /><br />Much improved variants of the 58xx series smartphones--the Blackberry 6710 and 6720--were announced in November, 2002.<br /><br /><strong>Technical Specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>processor: ARM 7EJ-S, 32 bit</li>
<li>memory: 1MB SRAM and 8MB flash memory</li>
<li>display: full-graphic LCD (grey/monochrome), 160x160, 13, 16, or 20 line display (user-selectable)</li>
<li>keyboard and controls: 34-key QWERTY-style (backlit), mouse-type scroll wheel</li>
<li>ports: combined data/charging port; RS-232C-compliant serial port</li>
<li>modem: embedded RIM modem</li>
<li>cellular networks: 1900MHz GSM/GPRS (model 5810); 900MHz and 1800MHz GSM/GPRS (model 5820)</li>
<li>SIM card slot: supports 3V/5V SIMs</li>
<li>audio: earpiece and microphone (mono)</li>
<li>battery: internal lithium-ion rechargeable</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>External Design:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>housing: palm-held, ruggedized, plastic</li>
<li>size: 11.7cm(L) x 7.85cm(W) x 1.8cm(H)</li>
<li>weight: 139g</li>
</ul>
<strong>Main Features:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>email integration options: integrates with existing enterprise, ISP, or a new handheld email account</li>
<li>works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server</li>
<li>icon and menu driven interface</li>
<li>security: password protected</li>
<li>wireless email</li>
<li>wireless calendar</li>
<li>wireless Internet</li>
<li>voice and SMS</li>
<li>address book</li>
<li>task list</li>
<li>memo pad</li>
<li>calculator</li>
<li>alarm</li>
<li>notifications: tone, vibrate, on-screen, or LED indicator</li>
<li>configurable options</li>
<li>device lock and keyboard lock</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>BlackBerry OS</li>
<li>Blackberry Desktop Software (v. 3.2 or higher)</li>
<li>The BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE) and simulation tool for building Java 2 Micro Edition applications for Java-based Blackberry handhelds third-party custom applications developed using JDE</li>
</ul>
<br />The museum has a BlackBerry 5820 with <em>BlackBerry Wireless Handheld: Getting Started Guide</em> and <em>BlackBerry Desktop Software</em> v. 3.6.0
Research in Motions
2001-2002
world, 2001 -
Research in Motion Itner@ctive 950 Pager
hardware: two-way pagers
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br /><br />The Inter@ctive Pager 950 announced by Waterloo, Ontario-based Research in Motion Limited (RIM) in August 26, 1998, was a successor to and a major refinement of the Inter@ctive 900 two-way pager introduced by the company in 1996. It was smaller, lighter, and cheaper than the 900. It featured more powerful processor, more memory, improved LCD display, easier-to-use keyboard, menu-driven interface, enhanced messaging applications, and extended battery life. The pager operated on BellSouth Interactive Paging Service in the US and Cantel AT&T in Canada.<br /><br />In May 1999, RIM introduced a variant of its Inter@ctive 950 pager--the Inter@ctive 850--designed for the eLink wireless email service from American Satellite Corp. operating on American Mobile's ARDIS network in the US. In addition to offering advanced two-way messaging services, the eLink wireless email service allowed users with standard POP3 complaint email systems to extend their desktop email to the Inter@ctive Pager 850.<br /><br />RIM advertised its 850 and 950 pagers as "first complete, secure, integrated wireless email solution", as devices that allowed mobile professionals to send and receive email and messages as well as synchronize their schedule, tasks and contacts with their PC. "Now you can communicate with millions of Internet e-mail users worldwide directly from your pager. Plus, you can send custom messages to other Inter@ctive Pagers, fax machines, alphanumeric pagers and telephones via text-to voice service. With custom programming, you can even retrieve data from the Internet and corporate intranets." (RIM, October 1999)<br /><br />The Inter@ctive Pager 950 received Mobility Award in Wireless Hardware category at the <em>Mobile Insights '99 Conference.</em><br /><br /><strong>Technical Specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>processor: Intel 386EX</li>
<li>memory: 4MB flash memory, 512KB SRAM</li>
<li>display: LCD with backlighting, 132 x 65 resolution, selectable 6- or 8-lines</li>
<li>keyboard and controls: 31-key QWERTY-style, mouse-type scroll wheel</li>
<li>ports: RS-232C-compliant serial port</li>
<li>transmitter/receiver: 2W transmitter and high-efficiency receiver</li>
<li>networks: 800MHz DataTAC (Inter@ctive 850) and 900MHz Mobitex (Inter@ctive 950)</li>
<li>battery: single alkaline or rechargeable nickel-metal hydride AA battery (removable)</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>External Design:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>housing: palm-held, ruggedized, plastic</li>
<li>size: 8.9cm(L) x 6.4cm(W) x 2.4cm(H)</li>
<li>weight: 133g (with battery)</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Main Features:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>icon and menu driven interface</li>
<li>sending and receiving emails</li>
<li>paging and faxing</li>
<li>calendar</li>
<li>address book</li>
<li>task list</li>
<li>memo pad</li>
<li>calculator</li>
<li>selectable alerts</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>950 Operating System (with integrated email/organizer software)</li>
<li>950 Backup Restore Utility</li>
<li>Software Developer's Kit for custom application development (SDK)</li>
<li>third-party custom applications developed using SDK</li>
</ul>
Research In Motion Limited
1998
North America, 1998-
BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981
hardware: smartphone
<strong>Historical Context:</strong><br />In May 2011, Research in Motion (RIM, Waterloo, Ontario) announced its new Blackberry 9900 Bold smartphone that sported an elegant slim design, enhanced keyboard, high-resolution touch-screen display, and new BlackBerry 7 operating system. Favourable reviews and positive response from users around the world soon followed. <br /><br />Half a year later (October), RIM unveiled yet another smartphone--the Blackberry Porsche Design P'9981--the result of collaboration between RIM and Porsche Design. From the technical specifications point of view, the P'9881 was the BlackBerry 9900 repackaged into a superbly designed and manufactured housing. Both smartphones used the same processor, memory, display, camera, OS and battery. What set these handhelds apart were the industrial design of the housing, target customers, and pricing. <br /><br />The P'9981 was a special edition, luxurious smartphone sold to the business elite. Porsche Design came up with a unique and arresting design implemented using the finest materials available. "It fashioned out a smartphone capable of standing apart from its peers, much in the way cars of its parent company do." wrote Vlad Savov in his 2012 review of the P'9981 smartphone. "The Porsche Design P'9981 smartphone from BlackBerry is instantly identified as a Porsche Design product." reads RIM press release from October 17, 2011. "The exclusive material choices for this unique smartphone include a forged stainless steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover, sculpted QWERTY keyboard, and crystal clear touch display. This customized Porsche Design P'9981 comes with an exclusive Porsche Design UI and a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience. It also includes premium, executive PINs that help easily identify another P'9981 smartphone user."<br /><br />The Porsche Design P'9981 introductory price was $2,300. A limited "gold" edition (only 25 smartphones were produced!!) offered the P'9981 device in a stainless-steel case finished with a 24-carat gold layer. The limited-edition number was etched on solid 24-carat gold plate attached as the camera cover on the backside of the smartphone.<br /><br />The Porsche Design P'9981 was followed by the release of the Porsche Design P'9982 in 2013 and Porsche Design P'9983 in 2014. These new smartphones were premium makeovers of the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 smartphones, respectively, aimed at RIM's elite customers.<br /><br /><strong>Porsche Design P'9981's Specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>Chipset Qualcomm MSM8655 Snapdragon</li>
<li>CPU 1.2GHz</li>
<li>GPU Adreno 205</li>
<li>memory: 768MB RAM, 8GB built-in media storage expandable up to 32GB with a microSD card</li>
<li>display: multi-touch, 640 x 480 pixels, 16M colors</li>
<li>data inputs: QWERTY style keyboard, optical trackpad, navigation keys, touchscreen</li>
<li>camera: 5 megapixel, with flash</li>
<li>video: 720p HD</li>
<li>audio: loudspeaker, headset jack</li>
<li>sensors: accelerometer, magnetometer, and proximity sensor</li>
<li>ports: USB microUSB v2.0</li>
<li>SIM interface: Mini-SIM</li>
<li>networks: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks, 2100/1900/850/800 MHz networks, or 2100/1700/900 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks</li>
<li>Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n</li>
<li>Bluetooth: v2.1, A2DP, EDR</li>
<li>built-in support for GPS (autonomous, assisted, and simultaneous) and Near Field Communications (NFC)</li>
<li>battery: <span>lithium-ion<em>, </em></span>rechargeable</li>
</ul>
<strong>External Design:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>housing: palm-held, stainless steel frame, hand-wrapped leather back cover</li>
<li>size: 11.5cm(L) x 11.3cm(W) x 6.7cm(H) x 1.13cm(D)</li>
<li>weight: 155g</li>
</ul>
<strong>Main Features:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>messaging: SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM</li>
<li>browser: HTML</li>
<li>media player: support for a variety of media file formats</li>
<li>mobile hot spot</li>
<li>personal organizer, tasks, memos, contacts</li>
<li>voice enabled search</li>
<li>social networking and mobile purchasing: BlackBerry App World, Social Feeds, Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones, Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones</li>
<li>media server: wirelessly sharing media files from a smartphone with Universal Plug and Play compatible devices</li>
<li>GPS, Compass, Maps</li>
<li>calculator</li>
<li>notification: vibration, LED light; MP3, WAV ringtones</li>
<li>security: password protection, two-factor authentication, keyboard and screen lock</li>
<li>BlackBerry ID: to provide single sign-in identity across BlackBerry products, sites, services, and apps</li>
<li>customized options</li>
</ul>
<strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>operating system: BlackBerry v.7.0 and 7.1</li>
<li>BlackBerry Desktop Software v.6.1</li>
</ul>
<br />The museum has a Porsche Design P'9981 with <em>Porsche Design Smartphone P'9981 User Guide v 7</em>.
Research in Motion (RIM)
2011
donated by Abdulaziz Almowanes
M01
world, 2011--
The Blackberry 7200-series smartphones
hardware: smartphone
Between 1996 and 2004, Research in Motion (RIM, Waterloo, Ontario) released several generations of wireless communications devices: the Inter@ctive 800, 900, 850, and 950 two-way pagers, the RIM Wireless Handsets 857 and 957 as well as the BlackBerry 5000- and 6000-series smartphones. By 2004, RIM was a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. By the end of that year, the Blackberry wireless platform (the Blackberry Enterprise Solution that featured integrated hardware, software, and service) was adopted by thousands of corporations and the company reported over two million subscribers worldwide. <br /><br />The continuously intensifying competition in the smartphone market (from companies such as HP, Nokia, Palm, Samsung, and Sony-Ericcson) resulted in RIM's new lines of smartphones that incorporated more technically sophisticated solutions and offered more attractive industrial designs. Within a short period of time, starting from the mild-2003, RIM introduced the 7200-series and the 7100-series of smartphones, the latter featuring new sleek and stylish designs matching the ones offered by RIM's competitors.<br /><br />The 7200-series of smartphones was initiated by the introduction of the Blackberry 7210 in the mid-2003. It delivered the same popular communications experience as the previous 6200 models with the added benefit of a high resolution color display. The 7210 was followed by the 7230, 7280, and 7290 smartphones. From the hardware and software point of view, they were mostly identical, but supported different connectivity bands (see Supported GSM/GPRS Networks and Coverage table below).<br /><br />While the 7210 was supporting only two frequencies and single markets, the 7230 and 7280 were tri-band handhelds, and the 7290 was a quad-band phone designed for business customers who want to stay connected while travelling internationally enabling both domestic and international roaming in the majority of GSM markets worldwide.<br /><br />Finally, in 2005, the 7200 family was further expanded with the introduction of the Blackberry 7250 for dual-band 800/1900 MHz CDMA2000 1X and cdmaOne networks, and the Blackberry 7270 for secure enterprise communication over a wireless local area network (WLAN).<br /><br /><strong>Technical Specifications for the Blackberry 7210, 7230, 7280, and 7290:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>processor: ARM 9EJ-S Core, 32 bit</li>
<li>memory: 16 MB flash and 2MB SRAM (32MB flash and 4MB SRAM in model 7290)</li>
<li>display: high-resolution full-color display, 240x160 pixels, 65,000 colors</li>
<li>keyboard and controls: 33-key QWERTY-style (backlit), mouse-type scroll wheel</li>
<li>ports: USB</li>
<li>SIM interface: support for 3V SIM cards</li>
<li>modem: embedded RIM modem</li>
<li>networks: see table below</li>
<li>battery: lithium ion, removable, rechargeable</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>External Design:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>housing: palm-held, plastic</li>
<li>size: 11.3cm(L)x7.4cm(W)x2cm(D)</li>
<li>weight: 136g (139g for the 7290 model)</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Main Features:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>phone, email, SMS, browser, attachment viewer, and organizer applications</li>
<li>email account compatibility: integration with existing enterprise email account or up to 10 personal/business email accounts</li>
<li>designed to work with BlackBerry Enterprise Server supported by: v. 2.1 or higher for Microsoft Exchange, and v. 2.0 with Service Pack 2 or higher from IBM Lotus Domino</li>
<li>user interface: icon and menu driven</li>
<li>notifications: tone, vibrate, on-screen, or LED indicator (user-configured)</li>
<li>configurable options</li>
<li>handheld security: password protection and keyboard lock</li>
</ul>
<strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>RIM BlackBerry OS, v. 4.0</li>
<li>RIM Blackberry Desktop Software 3.6 or higher</li>
<li>The BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE)</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Supported GSM/GPRS Networks and Coverage:</strong><br /><br />
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th></th>
<th>7210</th>
<th>7230</th>
<th>7280</th>
<th>7290</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>850 MHz, Canada and US</td>
<td></td>
<td></td>
<td>X</td>
<td>X</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>900 MHz, Europe\Asia Pacific</td>
<td>X</td>
<td>X</td>
<td></td>
<td>X</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1800 MHz, Europe\Asia Pacific</td>
<td></td>
<td>X</td>
<td>X</td>
<td>X</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>1900 MHz, Canada and US</td>
<td>X</td>
<td>X</td>
<td>X</td>
<td>X</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The museum has a Blackberry 7230 and 7290 with manuals and Desktop Software.
Research in Motion
2003--2005
world, 2003-
RIM 857 and RIM 957 Wireless Handsets
hardware: pager
<strong>Historical Context</strong> <br /><br />By 2000, Research in Motion (RIM, Waterloo, Ontario) became a world leader in the mobile communications market. RIM Wireless Handhelds--the Inter@ctive 800, 900, 850, and 950--were widely deployed and distributed through leading solution providers including Aether Systems, BellSouth Wireless Data, Compaq Computer, Dell Computer, GoAmerica, Motient, PageNet, Rogers AT&T;Wireless, SkyTel as well as various leading Internet Service Providers. To strengthen its position in the mobile communications market, RIM introduced its third generation of data-only wireless handhelds--the RIM 857 and RIM 957--in 2000.<br /><br />The RIM 957 (code name RIM Proton) was announced on April 11, 2000 as "a new advanced, palm-sized wireless handheld with integrated support for wireless email, Internet, paging and organizer features. The highly-anticipated RIM 957 Wireless Handheld is optimized for mobile users and incorporates a large high-quality screen, 32-bit Intel 386 processor, 5MB flash memory, easy-to use keyboard, embedded wireless modem, integrated organizer and full support for the award-winning BlackBerry wireless email solution." (RIM press release, April 11, 2000). <br /><br />The RIM 857 was announced in October 2000. It was a variant of the 957 and offered on Motient Corporation's wireless network in the United States and on Bell Mobility's ARDIS wireless network in Canada. <br /><br />Both devices were housed in a palm-sized enclosure that made the devices' operation much more convenient than the previous RIM handhelds. Although the devices offered much more refined mobile tools to deal with users' mobile communication needs, the world of wireless communication was already transitioning into a new integration level combining data and voice in a single hand-held device -- the smartphone. Just a few months after the introduction of the RIM 857 and 957, RIM announced its first smartphone -- the Blackberry 5820.<br /><br /><strong>RIM 857 and 957 Technical Specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>processor: Intel 386EX, 32 bit</li>
<li>memory: 512KB SRAM and 5MB flash memory</li>
<li>display: full-graphic LCD (grey/monochrome, backlit), 160x160 pixel viewing area, 16 or 20 line display (user-selectable)</li>
<li>keyboard and controls: 34-key QWERTY-style (backlit), mouse-type scroll wheel ports: RS-232C-compliant serial port</li>
<li>modem: embedded RIM modem</li>
<li>networks: 800MHz DataTAC (RIM 857); 900MHz Mobitex (RIM 957)</li>
<li>battery: internal lithium-ion rechargeable</li>
</ul>
<strong>External Design:</strong> <br />
<ul>
<li>housing: palm-held, ruggedized, plastic</li>
<li>size: 11.7cm(L) x 7.85cm(W) x 1.8cm(H)</li>
<li>weight: 136g</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Main Features:</strong> <br />
<ul>
<li>works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server</li>
<li>emails/messages: receiving, sending, forwarding, and replying to emails and messages</li>
<li>folder management: composing, saving, searching for, and deleting emails and messages</li>
<li>icon and menu driven interface</li>
<li>calendar</li>
<li>address book</li>
<li>task list</li>
<li>memo pad</li>
<li>calculator</li>
<li>alarm notifications: tone, vibrate, on-screen, or LED indicator configurable options</li>
<li>password protected device lock</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Software:</strong> <br />
<ul>
<li>BlackBerry OS, v. 2.0 Blackberry Desktop Software v. 2.0 Software Developer's Kit (SDK)</li>
<li>third-party custom applications developed using SDK</li>
</ul>
The museum has a RIM 957 Wireless Handheld and the <em>Installation and User's Guide</em>.
Research in Motion
donated by Z. Stachniak
2000
North America, 2000-
RIM Blackberry 5790
hardware: mobile communication device
<strong>Historical Context:</strong><br /><br />Between 1996 and 2004, Research in Motion (RIM, Waterloo, Ontario) released several generations of wireless communications devices: the Inter@ctive 800, 900, 850, and 950 two-way pagers, the RIM Wireless Handsets 857 and 957 as well as the BlackBerry 5000-, 6000-, and 7000-series smartphones. By 2004, RIM was a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. By the end of that year, the Blackberry wireless platform (the Blackberry Enterprise Solution that featured integrated hardware, software, and service) was adopted by thousands of corporations and the company reported over two million subscribers worldwide. Although smartphones represented the main line of RIM's wireless handsets, wireless data-only devices, such as the 957 Wireless Handset, were still being sold to government and large enterprise customers to support secure data-only communications (such as emails and messages). For those customers, RIM upgraded its 957 handset and released it as the Blackberry 5790 in the mid 2004. <br /><br />According to RIM's October 26, 2004 press release, the Blackberry 5790 "integrates email and data access to allow users to manage all of their information and data communications with a single device. It is specifically designed for business and government customers that require a specialized data-only handheld with secure communications. The BlackBerry 5790 includes fully validated FIPS 140-2 embedded encryption technology to meet government security requirements."<br /><br />The 5790 was housed in the same enclosure as the 957 handset but was packed with updated hardware and Java-based software. The 5790 operated, for instance, on Velocita Wireless' Mobitex network and was offered in both the United States and Canada.<br /><br /><strong>Technical Specifications:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>processor: 32-bit</li>
<li>memory: 16 MB flash and 2 MB SRAM</li>
<li>display: full-graphic LCD (grey/monochrome, backlit), 160x160 pixel viewing area, 16 or 20 line display (user-selectable)</li>
<li>keyboard and controls: 34-key QWERTY-style (backlit), mouse-type scroll wheel</li>
<li>ports: RS-232C-compliant serial port</li>
<li>modem: embedded RIM modem</li>
<li>networks: 900MHz Mobitex</li>
<li>battery: internal lithium-ion rechargeable</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>External Design:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>housing: palm-held, ruggedized, plastic</li>
<li>size: 11.7cm(L) x 7.85cm(W) x 1.8cm(H)</li>
<li>weight: 138g</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Main Features:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>email: integration with an existing enterprise email account or up to 10 personal/business email accounts (including Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes, MSN, Hotmail, AOL as well as POP3/Internet Service Provider email accounts)</li>
<li>attachment service</li>
<li>Web services: a variety of optional Web services that allowed mobile access to information including news, travel, business, and entertainment updates</li>
<li>designed to work with BlackBerry Enterprise Server supported by:</li>
</ul>
v. 2.1 or higher for Microsoft Exchange<br /> v. 2.0 with Service Pack 2 or higher from IBM Lotus Domino<br /> v. 4.0 or higher for Novell GroupWise<br />
<ul>
<li>icon and menu driven interface</li>
<li>wireless calendar</li>
<li>address book</li>
<li>task list</li>
<li>memo pad</li>
<li>calculator</li>
<li>alarm</li>
<li>notifications: tone, vibrate, on-screen, or LED indicator</li>
<li>configurable options</li>
<li>password protected device lock</li>
</ul>
<br /><strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>BlackBerry OS, v. 3.x</li>
<li>Blackberry Desktop Software v. 1.6 or higher</li>
<li>The BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE)</li>
</ul>
Research in Motion (RIM)
2004
Research in Motion Inter@ctive Pager 900
hardware: mobile communications device
<strong>Historical Context</strong><br /><br />The Inter@ctive Pager (models 800 and 900) was the first hand-held communications device designed and built by Research In Motion Limited (RIM, now Blackberry), a Canadian company founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario. The Inter@ctive was announced in September 1996 during the Personal Communications Services conference (PCS'96) in San Francisco. The pager was the forerunner of RIM's successful line of BlackBerry smartphones.<br /><br />In the 1990s, pagers (small, portable, wireless communications devices) were used to display simple messages or alert users to messages and events. The first and, in 1995, the only two-way pager--the Motorola Tango--also allowed users to reply to messages with a limited number of canned responses. <br /><br />Taking advantage of rapidly expanding wireless telecommunications infrastructure, the Inter@ctive represented a new generation of "interactive" pagers by incorporating the benefits of email, paging, fax, and the Internet into one device. As a two-way pager, it was designed to receive and send messages. Furthermore, it offered a calendar, address book, task manager, real time clock, and an alarm function. <br /><br />Nicknamed "Bullfrog" (due to its rather bulky design), the Inter@ctive was a data-only device (no voice support) that run on the Ericsson's Mobitex and DataTAC networks in North America. The device featured a scroll wheel, a small QWERTY-style keyboard, and an LCD display for easier messaging as well as for entry and organization of data. It was provided with enough storage space for saving hundreds of names, e-mail addresses, fax numbers, incoming and outgoing messages in its calendar, address book, and task manager.<br /><br />At the time of its introduction, the Inter@ctive Pager was viewed as delivering the complete wireless communications solution, as an "e-mail on your belt", a device always on and always connected. It was named Top Product for 1997 in the category of "Innovative Devices: Voice and/or Data" by <em>Wireless for Corporate User</em> magazine. By early 1998, the company had signed a contract to supply IBM with Inter@ctive pagers for use by its field service representatives. Other notable customers included Panasonic Corp., Mobile Integrated Technologies, and Telxon Corp. The Inter@ctive Pager was followed by RIM's Inter@ctive 850 (or 950, depending on network) pager announced in July 1999, by the Wireless Handheld 857 (or 957, depending on network) introduced in April 2000, and finally by RIM's first smartphone--the Blackberry 5810--unveiled in March 2002.<br /><br /><strong>Technical Specifications:</strong> <br />
<ul>
<li>processor: Intel 80186 EB</li>
<li>memory: 650KB Flash ROM, 128KB Static RAM</li>
<li>message storage: 100KB received messages, 5KB canned responses</li>
<li>ports and connectors: RS-232C-compliant serial port, specialty mobile phone connector, interface adapter for cable</li>
<li>display: LCD, monochrome, 4 line by 30 character text</li>
<li>controls: keypad with cursor buttons, function buttons, and QWERTY-style keyboard with embedded numeric keypad</li>
<li>networks: DataTAC and Mobitex</li>
<li>Interface protocol: support for Native Control Language 1.2, MASC, and RIM's Radio Access Protocol</li>
<li>power: 2 x AA removable batteries</li>
</ul>
<strong>External Design:</strong> <br />
<ul>
<li>housing: clamshell, ruggedized, plastic housing</li>
<li>dimensions: 76mm(L) x 99mm(W) x 35mm(H)</li>
<li>weight: 277 grams (without batteries)</li>
</ul>
<strong>Main Features:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>sending and receiving Internet e-mails,</li>
<li>sending and receiving pager messages</li>
<li>sending FAX transmissions from the pager to any FAX machine</li>
<li>sending text to speech messages to a telephone</li>
<li>data transfer to and from an external computer through data port</li>
<li>configurable message notification: audible beeper and mechanical vibrator</li>
<li>real time clock</li>
</ul>
<strong>Software:</strong><br />
<ul>
<li>communication software to enable device configuration and data transfer through serial port</li>
<li>third-party custom applications developed using RIM's Software Developer's Kit (SDK)</li>
</ul>
<br />The museum has Inter@ctive models 800 and 900 as well as <em>Inter@ctive Pager User's Guide</em>, Research in Motion, 1997.
Research in Motion
1996-
North America, 2nd half of the 1990s