Research In Motion is betting that the addition of more multimedia features to its BlackBerry handheld line will help the company continue its strong growth. While the email functionality of BlackBerry is market leading, the devices have a more limited approach to multimedia than other smartphones.
"We'll be definitely supporting more forms of media, it's a big part of our direction," Jim Balsillie told Reuters, adding that delivering features such as photography, music and video with the BlackBerry "opens up some bigger markets".
At least one analyst believes that Apple will partner with RIM to create a "AppleBerry" that merges multimedia in with the more traditional BlackBerry.