1. Pump your fist
Fashion inspired by
TV’s Jersey Shore.
In tomorrow’s paper
10 BlackBerry
secrets
Author digs deep into the making of the now iconic device
1.
RIM’s
Bullfrog
released
in 1996
RIM’s first pager (as it was
then called) was so bulky it
was dubbed Bullfrog. Released
in 1996, Bullfrog had a four-line screen
and full QWERTY keyboard all covered
by a hinged lid. It weighed 3/4 lb. and
was the size of a double cheeseburger.
2. The first product from
Research In Motion,
founded in 1984 by
university dropouts Mike
Lazaridis and Doug Fregin,
was called Budgie. It con-
sisted of a TV screen linked
6. When the BlackBerry was launched in
1999, among the short-listed names
for the new product was Blade until
someone went online and found that one of
to a keyboard that allowed the Blade domains led to an Internet porn
entry of point-of-sale infor- site. Other finalist names included Byline and
THANE BURNETT mation by retailers. Of the Outrigger.
QMI Agency 100 units produced, only Lazaridis
Many of us hold it more often
than our lover’s hand.
But what do we really know of
the mysterious background of this
one-third sold.
7. It took five years, from 1999 to 2004, to
sign up the first one million BlackBerry
subscribers. These days, one million
new customers join each month choosing
among a dozen models sold by more than 500
communications paramour we call carriers in 170 countries.
BlackBerry?
8.
QMI Agency asked Rod McQueen McQueen Among the earliest
— Canadian author of BlackBerry fans was Oprah
(www.rodmcqueen.com), a book RIM DigiSync Winfrey who, in
that digs deep into the making of 2003, declared BlackBerry
3.
the now iconic device — to tell us 10 More successful was Digi-Sync, a piece one of her “favourite
things you likely didn’t know about of film editing equipment, launched in things.”
your little BB and the two men 1989. The product won both an Emmy
9.
behind our favourite addiction. and an Oscar for technical achievement. Largest user of
BlackBerry, with Winfrey
4. When Jim Balsillie, now co-CEO with
Lazaridis, joined the Waterloo-based
company in 1992 there were only four-
teen employees. By 1997 there were 100. Today,
more than one mil-
lion subscribers, is the U.S. government. Big-
gest private sector customer is Citibank.
5. 10. there are more than 12,000.
Jim Balsillie is five weeks older than
Mike Lazardis. Both are 49.
Last year, Fortune magazine
declared Research In Motion the
fastest-growing company in the
world. Annual revenue in 1992 was $1 million, in
2010 it’s $15 billion.
Canadians strive to live up to their potential
KHALID MAGRAM says Jeremy Gutsche, including traveling, career in finance to pursue of BlackBerry, Facebook and
ARE YOU A
POTENTIALIST?
■ Potentialists tend to be
QMI Agency an innovation expert philanthropy, learning trendspotting. According to the Twitter. “It helps them connect more optimistic than other
and founder of a new language and survey, conducted by Angus with different cultures and Canadian (56% compared to
Ordinary Canadians are trendhunter.com. reprioritizing to spend Reid for American Express, the different ways of life.” 46%), and are more satisfied
taking a page from innovators A new study shows more time with family number of people following their Top of the potentialists’ (92% compared to 78%) with
like the founders of Research In that 31% of us are over our careers. passions has jumped 3% since lists? Some 77% want to travel, what they currently have.
Motion, according to a leading “potentialists” — Gutsche — who September 2009. 41% want to give back to their ■ They are more likely to have
trend guru. taking initiative after helped coin the term “New tech and social media communities, 32% want to learn a potential list (46% compared
“More Canadians are taking the recession to Gutsche — says he falls into is a big aspect of the potentialist a new language and 32% want to 38%), and listmakers are
time to identify their passions live more enriched the “potentialists” trend,” says Gutsche, who says to live in a different country. more likely to be women (44%
and realize their potential,” lives and follow passions category as he quit a successful a distinct feature is their use khalid.magram@sunmedia.ca compared to 33% of men).