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RIM introduces two new BlackBerry smartphones, 9900 and 9930

Published: 15:38 02 May 2011 BST

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As it strives to keep pace with its competitors, RIM (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSE:RIM) has today announced two new BlackBerry Bold smartphones, its thinnest ones yet, along with some new software tools.

The news comes after the iconic smartphone maker slashed its first quarter outlook on Friday on lower-than-expected shipments, seeing its shares defeated. The company has also recently seen a wave of criticism from analysts, as RIM has failed to adequately compete with the likes of Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and many are concerned it is losing momentum.

The Waterloo-based tech company launched its tablet computer PlayBook last month, a launch that paled in comparison to the introduction of Apple's iPad 2, which saw hoards of people line up for the device.

Therefore, the launch of the two new BlackBerrys is of critical importance to the company and is being eagerly watched by the market, with the two handsets expected to be available by the summer. The phones are among the last RIM will release that run on traditional BlackBerry operating systems (though a newer version) before it shifts to an entirely new one next year.

The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, which will be built to support high speed 4G networks, will have high resolution touch screens and a physical keyboard, built on the company's new BlackBerry 7 operating system.

They will also be the thinnest BlackBerrys yet, at only 10.5mm, and support up to 720p HD video recording and playback.

"These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience," said president and co-CEO, Mike Lazaridis, in a statement Monday.

The new smartphones will also feature the new Blackberry Balance program, which works to provide unique IT policy controls that separate personal and corporate profiles, allowing users to wipe only corporate data from the handset, or block work-related content from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts. It will also enable users to access web-based email on their personal profiles.

The company also announced today that it plans to introduce a new system for corporate IT departments to manage smartphones and tablet computers, which will be capable of handling BlackBerrys, as well as devices on Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android system and Apple's iOS.

The software will allow IT staff to manage multiple devices remotely, having the ability to install software or wipe data.

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