RIM Renames Itself BlackBerry

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The Canadian smartphone maker that was formerly known as Research In Motion, or RIM, will now be known as BlackBerry. The company made the announcement during the kickoff event for the new BlackBerry 10 operating system.

All Things D’s John Paczkowski reported, “At its BlackBerry 10 launch event Wednesday morning Research in Motion unveiled not just the new operating system and devices with which it hopes to reinvent itself, but a rebranding on the company itself. RIM is taking the name of its marquee product: It will be known as BlackBerry and will trade under the BBRY ticker on NASDAQ, and BB on TSX.”

ZDNet’s Zack Whittaker added, “Today, BlackBerry chief executive Thorsten Heins said, ‘Finally, here we are.’ He noted that today was not the end point of more than two years work, it was the ‘starting line’ for a new wave of BlackBerry products. And then Heins dropped a surprise bomb on the audience by announcing that ‘Research in Motion’ would become ‘one consistent brand that is recognized around the world.’ RIM will therefore become ‘BlackBerry,’ combining the name of the company and the platform together. ‘One brand, one promise,’ Heins said.”

Bloomberg quoted RIM Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben, who said in an interview, “What’s very important as we start the marketing of BlackBerry 10 in the U.S. is to signal that it’s a new start, that we’ve made a number of radical changes. We’re coming back with something truly different.”

Euan Rocha with Reuters observed, “The switch underscores the close attention the company is paying to marketing as it launches a product considered crucial to its survival. In the past, it was roundly criticized for botching the launch of the PlayBook tablet and other devices. RIM’s aging line-up of devices has competed poorly in recent years against the likes of Apple Inc’s iPhone and Samsung’s wide array of Galaxy devices. As the company counters with its new line, the name change will allow it to leverage the value of the BlackBerry brand – still a powerful asset in spite of RIM’s fall from grace.”