Realizing that having to use a separate mailbox while out of the office was more than a little inconvenient for many business users, RIM designed BlackBerry[TM] as the first complete, secure and integrated wireless e-mail solution for the mobile professional.

BlackBerry delivers on the promise

Wireless e-mail in your pocket is an extremely powerful concept. Unfortunately, as the developers at Research In Motion (RIM) realized, the mailbox in your pocket may not be the one you need to access. Instead, the mail that you need right now has been delivered to the office and is flashing an alert box on your desktop PC while you're on the road.

Link to desktop e-mail
With the introduction of the Inter@ctive Pager, RIM had already achieved a breakthrough in handheld technology. No larger than most alphanumeric pagers, it delivered groundbreaking advances in portable technology. The RIM Inter@ctive Pager contains a wireless Mobitex modem, an Intel 386 processor, up to 2MB of Intel Flash memory, a useable QWERTY keypad and operates for two weeks or more on a single AA battery making it an extremely powerful device. The BlackBerry handheld is based on the same hardware as the RIM Inter@active Pager 950, but incorporates different software including a personal organizer. BlackBerry also features desktop and server software that integrates the solution with Microsoft Exchange.

For many corporate users, BlackBerry extends the value proposition in two very important respects. Firstly, it provides handheld access to the corporate mailbox, not just a second mailbox used only on the road. Secondly, and even more important for business users, BlackBerry is a secure solution, which uses end-to-end encryption of all messages sent from and received in the field.

BlackBerry provides a wireless link to Microsoft Exchange Server and the user's mailbox on the desktop PC. The principle behind its operation is very simple. BlackBerry relies on a Redirector, which receives notification from Exchange Server whenever e-mail is received. The BlackBerry Redirector is able to instruct Exchange Server to forward a copy of the new mail to the BlackBerry handheld over the Mobitex network. Sending e-mail from the BlackBerry handheld works in a similar manner. The message is first sent over the Mobitex network to the Exchange Server in the office. The message is then placed in the user's outbox and is sent from the office server, just as if the user was sitting at his or her desktop PC.

Although mobile users access and send e-mail using Blackberry handheld, their mailbox back in the office accurately reflects changes made in the field. BlackBerry thus effectively allows remote control of the corporate Inbox. Mobile users can filter messages to reduce the volume of data transferred over the Mobitex network and efficiently manage their e-mail while on the road. Senders and recipients see only the corporate e-mail address and do not realize that the user is out of the office.

The Windows NT and Exchange Server architecture, triple-DES encryption and password protection on the handheld device combine to make BlackBerry an extremely secure solution that satisfies all the requirements of the IT department. Encryption is end-to-end using highly secure 128-bit triple DES encryption. Redirection of e-mail can be configured to either the server, or the desktop PC. BlackBerry also uses an existing connection to the server, thus eliminating the need to install special software on portable PCs. The BlackBerry solution thus provides a secure link between the desktop and the handheld that does not require a special configuration for mobile users or compromise existing firewalls.

Indispensable service
With BlackBerry, RIM is entering a new realm in which the company both resells airtime on the BellSouth Wireless Data's and Rogers AT&T Wireless's networks and provides support for the BlackBerry service. This type of pre-packaged solution is becoming increasingly important as Mobitex applications move from traditional vertical markets into the mainstream.