Remarkably efficient, it could run for an entire day—or more—on a single AA alkaline battery .
The name "BlackBerry" was developed by the marketing firm Lexicon Branding. It was chosen from approximately 40 potential names because the device's unique QWERTY keyboard featured small, round buttons that resembled the drupelets of a blackberry fruit. This design was a radical departure from the standard numeric keypads of the era. Revolutionary Technical Specifications blackberry 850 introduction location munich germany
Munich didn't just host the launch; it became the petri dish for the "CrackBerry" addiction. Remarkably efficient, it could run for an entire
At the time of the 850's introduction, the smartphone market did not exist. RIM marketed the 850 as a "Wireless Handheld" or a sophisticated pager. This design was a radical departure from the
By 1999, Research In Motion (RIM) had already dabbled in pagers. But the 850 was different. It wasn't a phone. It wasn't really an email machine yet. It was a wireless handheld device that looked like a bar of soap that had swallowed a tiny QWERTY keyboard.
The BlackBerry 850 was the antithesis of a beer festival. It was the device that ended the weekend. It was the invention that meant you could never truly "clock out."