Research In Motion showed off a new version of its BlackBerry Bold smartphone with an upgraded version of its software on Monday, seeking to regain its stride after a profit warning. RIM also said that it will offer to manage devices using software from Apple Inc and Google Inc's Android on its secure BlackBerry Enterprise Server - an implicit recognition that its grip on the corporate communications market has weakened.
The move is designed to capitalise on RIM's enhanced security features and its established role controlling employee access to corporate data while out of the office. "Device diversity is a reality," Co-chief Executive Jim Balsillie told analysts at a company conference in Orlando, Florida.
RIM stunned investors last week with a fresh profit warning, just weeks after it issued a dismal outlook. Sales of its aging phones have lagged, especially in the vital US market and in Latin America, while Apple and Google have powered on. RIM said the new touchscreen phone it announced on Monday would be its thinnest and its most powerful yet.