Research In Motion should not be forgotten. In the second-quarter, the BlackBerry-maker shipped 11.2 million devices, up 40 percent from a year earlier, to make it the fastest growing handset vendor among the top five global players, according to a report by Strategy Analytics. However, while the the popular Curve and Bold sell well, they are looking mighty tired compared to next-generation platforms from companies, like Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and Google (NSDQ: GOOG), which are emerging as the heavy innovators in the space. But if the small run-up for the stock is any indication, investors believe the company has what it takes in its pipeline to compete. So, what’s next?
On Tuesday, everyone will be watching as the company hosts a joint press conference with AT&T (NYSE: T) in New York, where they are believed to be unveiling the new BlackBerry Bold. The device, which is rumored to feature a slide out keyboard and a touchscreen, is expected to be running the company’s latest version of its operating system.
Up until now, RIM (NSDQ: RIMM) has been providing brief glimpses of what the new phones will look like, and early opinions are calling it evolutionary, not revolutionary. To be sure, the OS is expected to be more touchscreen friendly. In demonstrations, they show how easy it was to tap the screen to select and then swipe to get to the next application or program. The principles RIM kept in mind while the OS was under development is that it had to be easy to use, but powerful; fun, but approachable; fresh but familiar.
Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis told Newsweek, the steps they’ve taken is about making BlackBerry better.

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