BlackBerry 950 (introduced as "Inter@ctive Pager 950", development name "Leapfrog") is an early BlackBerry model, introduced in 1998 by Canadian smartphone manufacturer Research in Motion. [1] There were two editions, the Exchange Edition and the Internet Edition, both identical in hardware and differing only in the provided software; the Exchange Edition could connect to corporate email mailboxes running on Microsoft Exchange, while the Internet Edition could access general internet mailboxes only. [2]
BlackBerry 850 was a different version of this pager, released at later time, which, instead of 900 MHz modem, had an 800 MHz modem that allowed connectivity with the DataTAC network.
RIM OS, the operating system designed for those devices, was a cooperative multitasking system with message passing infrastructure that depended on the applications to use message loop for processing events from the user interface, in a fashion similar to that of Microsoft Windows.
RIM OS used memory protection provided by the MMU of the 80386EX. Applications were written in C++ and compiled into files that followed the PE file format originally used on Microsoft Windows, which itself was based on Common Object File Format that first appeared on Unix. Those files, that were given the .dll
extension, could be inspected with tools that were meant for handling Microsoft Windows executables. Applications, upon being sideloaded with BlackBerry Desktop Manager, would be stripped of all the unnecessary data that was included in the .dll
files, and would be linked with the rest of the code on the device allowing them execute in place from the flash memory. The operating system was aware of the layout of the memory, and preserved the names of the files from which applications were loaded, allowing their removal and updating.
RIM, like Palm, would provide strategies to the developers of the applications that would help conserve the scarce resources of the device. [5]
A personal digital assistant (PDA) is a multi-purpose mobile device which functions as a personal information manager. Following a boom in the 1990s and 2000s, PDA's were mostly displaced by the widespread adoption of more highly capable smartphones, in particular those based on iOS and Android in the late 2000's, and thus saw a rapid decline.
In computing, DLL hell is a term for the complications that arise when one works with dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) used with Microsoft Windows operating systems, particularly legacy 16-bit editions, which all run in a single memory space.
BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of smartphones and other related mobile services and devices. The line was originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company BlackBerry Limited from 1999 to 2016, after which it was licensed to various companies.
The Windows API, informally WinAPI, is the foundational application programming interface (API) that allows a computer program to access the features of the Microsoft Windows operating system in which the program is running.
BlackBerry Limited is a Canadian software company specializing in cybersecurity. Founded in 1984, it developed the BlackBerry brand of interactive pagers, smartphones, and tablets. The company transitioned to providing software and services and holds critical software application patents.
Microsoft Mail was the name given to several early Microsoft e-mail products for local area networks, primarily two architectures: one for Macintosh networks, and one for PC architecture-based LANs. All were eventually replaced by the Exchange and Outlook product lines.
Documents To Go is BlackBerry's cross-platform office suite for Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Maemo, BlackBerry OS, Symbian, Android, and iOS. Also, a larger-screen version would have been included with the Palm Foleo, but Palm, Inc. cancelled the device before its release.
Intellisync Corporation was a provider of data synchronization software for mobile devices, such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The company was acquired in 2006 by Nokia.
Push email is an email system that provides an always-on capability, in which when new email arrives at the mail delivery agent (MDA), it is immediately, actively transferred (pushed) by the MDA to the mail user agent (MUA), also called the email client, so that the end-user can see incoming email immediately. This is in contrast with systems that check for new incoming mail every so often, on a schedule. Email clients include smartphones and, less strictly, IMAP personal computer mail applications.
Sassan Sanei is a Canadian engineer.
The RIM-900 was one of the first wireless data devices, marketed as a two-way pager. It operated on the Mobitex network. It was a clam shell device that could fit on a belt. It had a small QWERTY keyboard for sending and receiving email and interactive messages.
The Inter@ctive Pager is a discontinued two-way pager released in 1996 by Research In Motion that allowed users to receive and send messages via the Mobitex wireless network. The US operator of Mobitex, RAM Mobile Data, introduced the Inter@ctive Pager service as RAMfirst Interactive Paging. The device was named '1997 Top Product' by the magazine Wireless for the Corporate User. It is also known as the RIM-900.
The Motorola Q is a Windows Mobile smartphone designed and manufactured by Motorola. It was first announced in the summer of 2005 as a thin device with a similar design to the Motorola Razr. The Motorola Q was first released in the United States on May 31, 2006, initially on the Verizon Wireless network, followed by Sprint in early January 2007 and Amp'd Mobile in April 2007.
BlackBerry Enterprise Server designates the middleware software package that is part of the BlackBerry wireless platform supplied by BlackBerry Limited. The software plus service connects to messaging and collaboration software on enterprise networks to redirect emails and synchronize contacts and calendaring information between servers, desktop workstations, as well as mobile devices. Some third-party connectors exist, including Scalix, Zarafa, Zimbra, and the Google Apps BES Connector, although these are not supported by BlackBerry Limited. As of June 2018, BlackBerry Enterprise Server has been renamed to BlackBerry Unified Endpoint Manager (UEM).
Direct Push is Microsoft's technology for receiving e-mail instantly on Windows Mobile 5.0, 6.0 and 6.1 enabled devices, from Microsoft Exchange Servers, Kerio Connect and Zarafa. This service was launched primarily for business users and was supported around 2006 by about 100 operators.
The BlackBerry Storm is a touchscreen smartphone developed by Research In Motion. A part of the BlackBerry 9500 series of phones, it was RIM's first touchscreen device, and its first without a physical keyboard. It featured a touchscreen that responded like a button via SurePress, Research In Motion's haptic feedback technology. Its competitors included Apple's iPhone, the Palm Pre, the T-Mobile G1 by HTC and the HTC Touch family.
In computing on Microsoft platforms, WoW64 is a subsystem of the Windows operating system capable of running 32-bit applications on 64-bit Windows. It is included in all 64-bit versions of Windows, except in Windows Server Server Core where it is an optional component, and Windows Nano Server where it is not included. WoW64 aims to take care of many of the differences between 32-bit Windows and 64-bit Windows, particularly involving structural changes to Windows itself.
Exchange ActiveSync is a proprietary protocol designed for the synchronization of email, contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes from a messaging server to a smartphone or other mobile devices. The protocol also provides mobile device management and policy controls. The protocol is based on XML. The mobile device communicates over HTTP or HTTPS.
A list of BlackBerry-related topics