RIM to deliver Bold-ness as Apple aims to invade enterprise: New BlackBerry features Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS

Research In Motion Ltd. said today that its first 3G handset, dubbed the “Bold,” is coming “soon” – likely in the heat of what looks to be a long hot summer in the device space.
The timing of today’s announcement fairly screams with competitive intensity because Apple Inc. is about to invade the enterprise, RIM’s traditional turf.
“This is turf RIM has got to defend,” said analyst Rob Enderle at Enderle Group. “The problem is that with a recession at hand, IT spending could slow, hurting RIM, while consumer spending may continue, favoring Apple.”
In fact, the summer and fall in the handset industry is slated to witness brutal, head-to-head competition as various players step up their game with smartphones and high-end feature phones sporting large, high-definition displays and high-speed connectivity as the features du jour.
Apple, for instance, is widely expected to launch a 3G iPhone next month at AT&T Mobility, equipped with enterprise capabilities such as compatibility with Microsoft Corp.’s Exchange platform and Cisco’s security platform.
The new BlackBerry
The Bold joins the arms race as an exclusive at AT&T Mobility in the United States with improved display clarity, support for HSDPA, a faster processor, 1 GB of onboard memory, Wi-Fi and integrated GPS. RIM apparently is also stepping up its colors/materials/finishes (CMF) game, as well.
Navigation tools include a full QWERTY keypad and trackball. The Bold will include support for Microsoft’s Windows Live services, broadening the potential customer base to enterprises using Microsoft’s business platforms.
Analysts said that the Bold is expected to launch around the world soon as well, and that AT&T Mobility’s exclusive run would be short, with U.S. CDMA carriers next in line to get the device.
Neither RIM nor AT&T Mobility has announced a price for the device, but analyst Matthew Thornton at Avian Securities L.L.C. projected a $250 to $300 price tag with two-year service contract. Thornton said the device is “not revolutionary” but should succeed in extending the BlackBerry franchise.
Analyst Maynard Um at UBS said he expected the Bold to be priced in the $300 to $400 price range. He said in a research note he expected RIM to deliver three or four new devices this year, all in the second half, including more devices designed for mass appeal. RIM has sought to expand its traditional enterprise offerings with consumer-friendly devices such as the Pearl and the Curve, even as Apple has decided to expand from the consumer space to the enterprise.
As to Apple’s potential threat to RIM’s near-dominance of the enterprise device space, Um said that a new iPhone launch expected in June could impact “near-term sentiment” favoring Apple over RIM but that “market growth can support multiple vendors.”
“RIM wants to keep its hand in and show good volumes during a recession that otherwise might hurt it,” said Enderle. “That’s the gamble here. RIM has to deliver a compelling BlackBerry for consumers. The Bold may be it. If AT&T Mobility subsidizes the new iPhone down to $200, that should cause RIM a lot of concern.”
The Bold likely is a better enterprise device for e-mail, Enderle said, but Apple’s marketing power and touchscreen sets up a real competitive battle – and summer should bring more devices from the entire field of handset vendors.
New fund
Also today, RIM announced it has created a $150 million “BlackBerry Partners Fund” with Thomson-Reuters to invest in new mobile applications and services for the BlackBerry and other mobile platforms, including mobile banking applications. The fund will be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.
The timing and focus of the news demanded a comparison with RIM’s newest competitor, Apple, which established a $100 million fund for iPhone applications earlier this year.
RIM’s announcements today coincided with its seventh annual Wireless Enterprise Symposium, which begins tomorrow in Orlando. RIM’s annual embrace of its allies in the mobile enterprise ecosystem may well be a bit tighter and more passionate this year, as enterprise device vendors such as Apple and HTC Corp. – which just announced its high-end Diamond handset – ratchet up the competition.
RIM got a lift from South Korean authorities recently as BlackBerrys have been cleared for sale by SK Telecom in the formerly restricted domestic market ruled by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and LG Electronics Co. Ltd., the second- and fourth-largest handset vendors in the world. AT&T Mobility used RIM’s Bold announcement today to reiterate that it offers 3G service in 270 leading U.S. markets today and expects to cover all the nation’s top 100 cities by year’s end. AT&T Mobility also said it is the only U.S. carrier to offer roaming for BlackBerrys in Japan and South Korea.