On January 19, 1999, Canadian company, RIM (Research in Motion), released the first device under the BlackBerry brand. Mostly known for their smartphones, most popular in the late 2000's and early 2010's, RIM's original BlackBerry device was actually a pager. Early BlackBerry pagers are considered the first mobile devices capable of real-time e-mail. RIM, or later re-branded to BlackBerry Limited, began selling smartphones in 2000. At its peak, BlackBerry users worldwide hit a staggering 80,000,000 in 2012. Interest for BlackBerry dwindled by 2016, though, when BlackBerry Limited decided to license the BlackBerry name to other companies. The BlackBerry brand was ultimately discontinued on January 4, 2022.
