14 DAY TRIAL // The wait for BlackBerry's next handheld release will soon come to an end. A new Wi-Fi mobile phone is on its way and will soon be out on the market.
Jim Balsillie, co-CEO at RIM (Research In Motion) said at the JP Morgan Technology Conference on Wednesday that such a converged BlackBerry should come out "in the back half of this year". That means pretty soon, actually, since the first half of the year is coming to an end.
All there is known about this promised handheld is that it will support Wi-Fi services. This comes as a result of deep consideration coming from the company when it comes to the possibilities that it can offer. "Wi-Fi was overhyped. I was not a big believer in it for the first two or three years because it was hyped as something that would subsume everything, that you would get rid of your mobile phone. We feel it's complementary to a mobile phone", Basille further commented.
Their plan on making a mobile phone that is mainly sustained by Wi-Fi connectivity might prove possible, as BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) already recognizes Wi-Fi networks as additional ones. Moreover, BES already supports roaming services between several operators. For this reason, voice calls are possible between mobile networks and Wi-Fi ones even abroad.
The advantage of using Wi-Fi is that it could reduce the amount of time Blackberry users spend on cellular data, although in fact Blackberry traffic is quite well optimized. This is a feature meant more for the business people that need fast, high quality connectivity at all times.
Some previous BlackBerry models have come equipped with Wi-Fi technology. For this reason, BES is already capable of supporting this type of connection with no extra effort needed.