ENGINEERING THE BLACKBERRY
Designing the BlackBerry initially doesn't seem like such an enormous task. Yet it takes lots of hardware, software, servers, and wireless networks working in concert to make the magic happen. Back at RIM, hundreds of engineers are involved with BlackBerry development.
I asked Mike Lazaridis, president and co-CEO of RIM, what has turned the BlackBerry into such a success. He says that in addition to the innovative concept, lots of IP, and dozens of patents, the primary factor is attention to detail. As engineers, we already know the devil is in the details. Nevertheless, it's easy to forget that the coming together of each nitty-gritty piece of design makes a large complex system seem to work seamlessly.
Figure 4 shows a general block diagram of a generic BlackBerry handheld. What it doesn't show is some of the key challenges that were conquered by the engineers, namely power consumption and security. To handle the computing, RIM went to Intel for a special low-power version of the 386 processor. It features all of the needed computing horsepower, but a severe power reduction was required.
So, RIM found displays that don't need backlighting. If you have ever designed with LCDs, you know that the backlighting eats more power than anything else in the product. Getting rid of that gave the BlackBerry its long battery life—nearly three weeks of standby operation.
As for the cell-phone element, you can get models that use GSM/GPRS, CDMA2000, or iDEN. RIM uses Analog Devices' GSM/GPRS chip set, which was optimized for low-power operation. For the CDMA models, RIM went with the Qualcomm chip set. And, Motorola supplies the iDEN chip sets that work with Nextel systems.
Another key success strategy was security. It remains a widespread issue for cell phones and Wi-Fi wireless local-area networks (LANs) when it comes to e-mail. Companies still avoid the topic and continue to contemplate how to do it safely, or they're trying to figure out how to get users to simply commit. The number of options has become overwhelming.
Despite all of the concerns for privacy, security measures have yet to find wide usage. In the BlackBerry, security was built in from the beginning and is not even an issue. It just exists, in the form of the long-proven 3DES system invented for the U.S. government (see "What's 3DES?" above). Every message is automatically encrypted and decrypted as it's sent or received.
WHAT'S COMING?
RIM continues to revise and update its current BlackBerry line to fit wireless carriers' needs. Plus, it continues to focus on how to improve the system for corporate and government users. In the future, you'll no doubt find models that use the higher data-rate wireless systems like EDGE for GSM/GPRS or CDMA. Eventually, WCDMA 3G models will be in the works. On top of that, expect to see a model that works with the thousands of 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless LAN hot spots that now exist.
The question you have to ask is why there hasn't been any serious competition if the BlackBerry is so successful. Well, competition exists. Good Link offers a similar product and system, but it's not nearly as successful as the BlackBerry. Other companies like Palm and Dell are seriously considering a run at RIM. When you're number one, you're going to feel the heat.
Meanwhile, RIM's most recent effort is to license its technology so that others can make compatible but competing products. It has already inked deals with Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, hp Compaq iPaq, and Taiwan's High Tech Computer Corp. We may see some BlackBerry clones this year, underscoring the BlackBerry's success.