BlackBerry made its debut in 1999, and since then its popularity has skyrocketed.
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A BlackBerry can also do everything that a mobile phone can do, including sending text messages via SMS. It's also an organiser, a calendar, an e-mail client, a Web browser, a two-way pager and a handheld computer.
A BlackBerry acts like a PDA, and it syncs itself continually through push technology. BlackBerry Enterprise Server or Desktop Redirector software redirects new email, calendar updates, documents and other data straight to the user over the Internet and the mobile phone networks.
First, the software senses that a new message has arrived or the data has changed. Then it compresses packages and redirects the information to the handheld unit. The server uses hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and transmission control protocol (TCP) to communicate with the handhelds. It also encrypts the data with triple data encryption standard (DES) or advanced encryption standard (AES).
The software determines the capabilities of the BlackBerry and lets people establish criteria for the information they want to have delivered. The criteria can include message type and size, specific senders and updates to specific programs or databases.
Once all of the parameters have been set, the software waits for updated content. When a new message or other data arrives, the software formats the information for transmission to the BlackBerry. It packages email messages into a kind of electronic envelope so the user can decide whether to open or retrieve the rest of the message. The BlackBerry listens for new information and notifies the user when it arrives by vibrating, changing an icon on the screen or turning on a light. The BlackBerry does not poll the server to look for updates. It simply waits for the update to arrive and notifies the user when it does. With email, a copy of each message also goes to the user's inbox on the computer, but the e-mail client can mark the message as read once the user reads it on the BlackBerry.
Although it can do some of the same things a computer can, a BlackBerry doesn't have to be in a Wi-Fi hot spot to work – it uses the mobile phone network as well as 802.11b WLAN. To do all this, it combines the components of a mobile phone and a PDA. Some BlackBerry models have the same form factor and components as a smart phone. Others look more like PDAs or handheld computers.
