| Thorsten
Heins, president and CEO at BlackBerry speaks at
Research In Motion's annual conference, Tuesday,
May 14, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. Heins said
Tuesday that the time is right to offer BBM on
rival devices. He says iPhone and Android
versions will be available for free. |
 |
ORLANDO,
Fla. — BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd.
unveiled a lower-cost BlackBerry that is designed to
entice consumers in emerging markets as the company
stepped up efforts to regain market share lost to the
iPhone and Android devices.
CEO
Thorsten Heins said Tuesday that the Q5 device will be
available worldwide this summer. It is RIM's third
smartphone to run the new BlackBerry 10 system. The Q5
will have a physical keyboard, something that sets
RIM's devices apart from Apple's iPhone and most
Android phones.
He
said the "slim, sleek" device will be
available in red, black, white and pink.
"I
know it's going to be a big hit," Heins said.
"''I think you're really gonna like it."
Heins
announced the phone to a packed ballroom to open RIM's
annual three-day conference in Orlando, Fla.
RIM
unveiled new, versatile BlackBerrys this year after
delays allowed Apple and others to dominate.
Heins,
who became RIM's CEO in January 2012, said the company
has made a lot of progress in a short period of time,
by moving in a diverse collection of people into
leadership positions.
He
restated BlackBerry's committed to "mobile
first" and took a subtle jab at industry
predictions that he might not make it to this year's
conference as CEO in such a tough landscape.
"I'm
happy to say they were wrong," Heins said.
"We are not only still here. We are firing on all
cylinders as a company."
The
BlackBerry, pioneered in 1999, had been the dominant
smartphone for on-the-go business people and consumers
before the iPhone debuted in 2007 and showed that
phones can handle much more than email and calls. RIM
faced numerous delays modernizing its operating
system.
RIM
continues to do well in many places overseas.
RIM's
stock fell 30 cents, or 1.9 percent, to $15.58 in
morning trading Tuesday.
Heins
said that RIM is "definitely in the race"
and that he is excited about its outlook, with mobile
being the key cog in their resurgence he said has
brought it to a profitable quarter.
"The
most successful year for BlackBerry is well under
way," he said.
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