#blackberry ends

We already knew it was coming and it was only a matter of time but today BlackBerry has announced it will no longer be making any smartphones. In a statement released today, BlackBerry CEO John Chen disclosed that "The company plans to end all internal hardware development and will outsource that function to partners. It looks like there will still be BlackBerry phones but these will be outsourced to partners. By focusing on software and applications, BlackBerry is hoping they can stop the bleeding and perhaps turn things around for the better. We've already seen the BlackBerry DTek50 which is basically an Alcatel handset with BlackBerry branding around it. With this development, we might actually see more BlackBerry phones coming from different partners. RIM fought back and introduced its first touch screen device -- the Blackberry Strom (9530). It also has mobile streaming, allows tethering to your laptop to share internet and can sync your desktop iTunes music files using BlackBerry Media Sync. Read more in our articles including "BlackBerry to stop making smartphones" and "BSP warns of accountability after BPI outage".