RIM Introduces Thinnest, Most Powerful BlackBerrys Yet with OS 7

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Though Research and Motion saw its shares slide as it struggles to compete against Android and iOS, the company announced two new additions to the BlackBerry family this morning, with a fancy new OS update to boot.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 both sport full VGA (640×480) capacitive touchscreens in addition to the full on QWERTY keyboards that Blackberry users typically swear by. They’re the thinnest BlackBerries ever at 10.5 mm, or a shade thicker than the black (and now white!) iPhone’s svelt 9.4 mm.

Inside, they’ll have 1.2 GHz Snapdragon processors with HSPA+ support for 4G networks, though there’s no word if the new, faster innards will diminish the phones’ battery life. The new OS 7 will also feature faster JavaScript and HTML 5 support in addition to all the functionality that came with OS 6’s update to WebKit.

One key feature will be the addition of BlackBerry Balance: software that allows for a separation between personal and corporate data (meaning, yes, you can tweet and Facebook in relative peace). This feature points to a smart move on RIM’s end in catering towards more corporate-oriented clientele. This software inclusion might help the ailing company score a few bonus points when trying to nab contracts from companies that issue smartphones to their workers.

But, unless you’ve been living under a rock, BlackBerry’s desirability has been on the decline recently. Recent Nielson data suggests that RIM’s smartphone marketshare has dipped to a considerably low 15%, or well under the iPhone (25%) and Android (50%).

(via Ars Technica)

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