BlackBerry was the top selling smart phone in the UK during 2010. RIM was delighted with a 28.2% share of the smartphone market. During the Christmas period RIM recorded over half a million sales which equated to around 36% of overall smartphone sales.

After a shaky start to 2010 with a drop in sales RIM eventually come through to finish strongly. It has been a tough year for the BlackBerry. A large number of businesses made the dreaded switch from the BlackBerry to iPhone. However, companies such as Morgan Stanley and HSBC remained loyal, continuing to insist it was handset of choice. It is clear that the coolness, stability and update frequency of iPhone meant it became popular among the business world. Elsewhere in the market it was able to see off fierce pressure from the release of the Android series.

There are a massive 33 million BB messenger users worldwide which signifies a 500% increase the previous year. RIM adapted well to the recent trends in social media and connected well with both Facebook and Twitter. However, it still lags far behind Android and Apple in terms of apps as it provides a mere 17,000. That aside, the BlackBerry handsets perform very well, hence the smartphone market in 2011 will certainly be hotly contested.

The government of Indonesia has got Research in Motion (RIM) to give in and filter pornographic websites as part of an agreement that will give it access to encrypted customer data.

Research In Motion Ltd. made a commitment last week to install the filters after Indonesia threatened to revoke its license to operate their business in the country, one of the world’s most populous Muslim nation. The Canada-based company had made sure the details of the deal in a meeting with government officials on Monday.

According to Reuters, RIM said in a statement, "Research In Motion confirms that it shares Minister Tifatul Sembirings sense of urgency on this matter and it is fully committed to working with Indonesias carriers to put in place a prompt, compliant filtering solution for Blackberry subscribers in Indonesia as soon as possible." Read the rest of this entry »