Enterprise Mobility: RIM BlackBerry 7 OS Smartphones Ready for August Debut

Research In Motion announced Aug. 3 a set of new BlackBerry smartphones running BlackBerry 7 OS, the company's latest mobile software. The new devices include updates of the BlackBerry Torch and Bold, along with the touch-screen-only Torch 9850/9860. RIM claims the BlackBerry 7 OS offers faster browsing, smoother navigation, voice-activated universal search and preinstalled apps such as the enhanced BlackBerry Messenger 6. The company has also been encouraging developers to build apps for its BlackBerry App World, which trails both Google and Apple in its number of offerings. RIM faces sliding market share and considerable pressure from competitors such as Apple's iPhone and Google Android. At the end of May, for instance, research firm comScore estimated RIM's share of the U.S. smartphone market at 24.7 percent, lagging behind Apple at 26.6 percent and Android at 38.1 percent. However, BlackBerry 7 OS isn't the Canadian company's endgame in its efforts to claw back to prominence: Sometime in 2012, it plans on producing a set of "superphones with advanced hardware and a QNX-based operating system, which currently powers the BlackBerry-branded PlayBook tablet. Until that day, though, RIM hopes that these new smartphones running BlackBerry 7 OS will help counter widespread criticism that its BlackBerry line has become increasingly antiquated. For more on this topic click here.