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Research in Motion (RIM) attained market dominance with its BlackBerry PDA/mobile handset and continues to be very effective in innovating ahead of its competitors. Currently, the company boasts 5.5 million subscribers and adds about 700,000 new subscribers each quarter. An incredible feat by any standard, it's particularly impressive that RIM avoided being distracted by its high profile legal woes with NTP.
After a five-year legal battle over alleged infringement concerning wireless e-mail patents, RIM hastily settled with NTP this past March for $612.5 million on the eve of a court ruling that threatened to shut down the BlackBerry wireless e-mail service in the US. If granted, such an injunction would have shut down 70% of RIM's business. Leading up to this point, the Supreme Court had repeatedly declined to intervene and RIM was starting to lose market share to rivals like Palm, Samsung, and Nokia due to uncertainty over continuity of the BlackBerry service among the general public.
Ironically, a few months later the Supreme Court surprised many people when it overruled the Federal Circuit's decision in another technology landmark case, MercExchange verses eBay. The high court rescinded an injunction against eBay and sent the case back to the trial court for reconsideration. In two concurring judgments, the Justices agreed that trial judges should have greater discretion in deciding whether or not to grant permanent injunctions.
RIM isn't looking back though. Since the settlement with NTP, the company has emerged stronger and better than ever—subscribers are up 85% year-on-year, 20 new product launches are planned for this year, and RIM beat analyst expectations by a sizeable margin with its first quarter results.
BlackBerrys have come a long way since RIM first introduced them in 1998 with the BlackBerry 950 wireless handheld. The 950 was a data only mobile device running on a 900-MHz network. A 32-bit processor interfaced with 4 Mbytes of flash memory. It operated on a single AA battery that lasted for an estimated 3 weeks of data and e-mail use. There was a choice of either a six- or eight-line monochrome display.
The next evolution was to add voice functionality on top of the e-mail (Table 1). The BlackBerry 6750, introduced in 2002, operated on 850/1900 MHz CDMA wireless networks. The memory was increased to 10 Mbytes. RIM switched to a LiIon battery, but adding new functionality, specifically voice, drastically reduced the battery life. The number of lines on the screen increased from 13 to 20, allowing for easier text reading. Next came color displays, and more recently, 3G compatibility with the 8707v model.
Looking back at the history of the BlackBerry, and then focusing on the BlackBerry 8700c, we can see a number of developments (Fig. 1). The 8700c operates on GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and EDGE networks.
1. The RIM BlackBerry 8700c exhibits some high-end functionality.
An expanded 64 Mbytes of flash memory, combined with 16 Mbytes of SDRAM, allows users to save more data, and even view e-mail attachments created using common software . Taking advantage of more advanced technology and design techniques compared to previous models has extended the battery life. Also, the removable battery lets users insert a fresh battery when necessary, which is a definite advantage for traveling users. The color display shows 320 by 240 pixels, with light-sensing technology to adjust lighting levels, based on the amount of ambient light.
2. The 8700c is built with an Intel Hermon processor as well as a CSR Bluetooth 2.0 radio.
Aside from upgrades to previous systems, the 8700c also implements some new features. Bluetooth 2.0 has been added to support hands-free headsets and car kits, as well as a speakerphone. To increase receiving call capabilities, RIM included polyphonic and MP3 ring tones.
The Intel "Hermon" is a baseband and applications processor. This is Intel's second foray into the mobile baseband and applications market, after the Manitoba, which was released in 2004. The processor supports the GSM/GPRS and EDGE networks. It also supports UMTS/WCDMA 3G networks and is capable of processing up to a 2-Mpixel digital image, but the 8700c doesn't take advantage of these features. The Hermon reuses the XScale processor core that was implemented in Intel's Bulverde processor, operating at 312 MHz. Fabricated at the 0.18-micron process node, the Hermon is housed in a multi-chip package along with Intel NOR flash memory and Elpida mobile SDRAM (Table 2).
RIM has included a 256-Mbit standalone NOR flash device. This die has the same markings as the one used in the Hermon processor multi-chip package. Combined, the two NOR flash components result in 64 Mbytes of storage.
To enable the Bluetooth functionality, RIM has implemented the CSR BlueCore4-ROM single-chip radio and baseband IC. The device is Bluetooth 2.0 compliant and is backward compatible with devices running Versions 1.1 and 1.2. Operating at 2.4 GHz, it includes enhanced data rates up to 3 Mbits/s.
About the author
Gregory A. Quirk is a technology analyst for Semiconductor Insights. He can be reached at gregoryq@semiconductor.com.
This article is excerpted from Semiconductor Insights' Handset Design Win (HDW) subscription service.
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