WTFact

First Ever BlackBerry’s Codename Given by Jim Balsillie?

First Ever BlackBerry’s Codename Given by Jim Balsillie?

For this edition of WTFact, we’d like to tell you how the very first BlackBerry had the codename ‘Leapfrog’. Codenames are interesting to examine as they sometimes give clues as to what the product might be. For instance, you could follow the trail of the Torch 9800 as all of its codenames started with the letter ‘T’ (i.e. Mr T, Talladega, etc.). Nonetheless, a staple... »

Mike Lazaridis, RIM Co-Founder, Copied Bill Gates

Mike Lazaridis, RIM Co-Founder, Copied Bill Gates

As the title alludes, for this WTFact we tell you how Mike Lazaridis, Research In Motion’s co-founder, took a page right out of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates’, life story. That is, like many of the successful visionary Billionaires of today, Mike Lazaridis dropped out of college to pursue his ventures. However, following the success of RIM and BlackBerry, Mike later earned an honorary ... »

RIM’s Initial Focus Wasn’t Telecom

RIM’s Initial Focus Wasn’t Telecom

For another edition of WTFact, did you know Research In Motion’s initial focus was not in the telecommunications market? Instead, one of RIM’s first projects was to build networked LED display terminals for General Motors’s assembly line. How do you think the mobile industry would be today if RIM had never branched into telecom? Imagine if there was never the Inter@ctive Pager 90... »

Ever Used BlackBerry Desktop Manager Like This?

Ever Used BlackBerry Desktop Manager Like This?

If you have, we salute you. Desktop Manager has evolved quite a bit in terms of its functionality – better syncing, backup/restore, and other management features. It has also gained obvious aesthetic redesign over the years. One thing remains for sure, BlackBerry Desktop Manager has remained a staple point necessity. How do you think BlackBerry Desktop Manager will evolve with the release of... »