Today, Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) and Verizon Wireless announced a new smartphone, The Blackberry Curve 9310. The phone will no doubt be a hot topic at RIM's annual meeting, which will take place today in Ontario, Canada.
The Blackberry Curve 9310 is being marketed, according to a press release, as a "slim and easy-to-use smartphone ready to help customers make the move from a basic phone to a smartphone." This new edition will contain the same Blackberry messaging applications and keyboard as before, but it will also facilitate social media use in new ways, allowing Facebook and Twitter users to post and view updates simultaneously. The Curve will also include features like a camera, a GPS, and parental controls.
But will it be enough to pull RIM out of its downward spiral? All over, iPhones are replacing Blackberry devices. The iPhone has apps and utilities that Blackberry phones lack, and consumers are clearly showing their preference for the iPhone's wider choices. Blackberry sales fell 41 percent in the latest quarter, and shares are down 71 percent from last year. The once-leading company is now valued at $4.18 billion, and has announced plans to lay off 5,000 workers. Furthermore, the company's planned new operating system, Blackberry 10, has been pushed back to 2013, and the company just announced that it will sell one of its two corporate jets in order to cut costs. Stay tuned for news out of the annual meeting, which may offer clues about the company's future.