Beyond Binary

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Research In Motion didn't set out to make devices for the everyman, but that's where the company has ended up.

RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis, speaking at the D: All Things Digital event Wednesday in Carlsbad, Calif.

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)

In a talk Wednesday at D: All Things Digital, CEO Mike Lazaridis talked about the company's move from making e-mail devices for executives, to making phones for the masses.

"We literally were pulled into the consumer space," he said. "We entered that market deliberately with the BlackBerry Pearl."

It's still a journey that is just beginning, he said, adding that the company has learned how intensely personal the phone is as compared to other gadgets.

The closer a technology gets to a person, the more it has to represent our values, our styles," he said. "It's not a one-size-fits-all (business)."

That the company didn't set out to be a consumer company doesn't mean it didn't see a big future for the BlackBerry, even in its early days as a black-and-white e-mail only device.

"We had to disguise these things as pagers," Lazaridis said. "We always knew this was a new platform, that this was something special."

Lazaridis wouldn't talk much about the next version of the company's touchscreen Storm device. He did downplay the notion of a BlackBerry tablet.

"Is it as convenient?" he said. "Would you carry it around if you couldn't put it in your pocket?"

Lazaridis said that the slowing of cellular networks due to smartphone usage was the "white elephant in the room."

"We're already seeing this slowdown in the networks. that's already happening."

My BlackBerry, after recovering from Wednesday's swim.

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET)

It's every gadget lover's nightmare and, on Wednesday, it became my reality.

My BlackBerry went for an ever-so-brief tour of CNET's plumbing facilities. I'm not sure how it ended up exactly where it did, but suffice it to say, it did. And, to answer the question before you ask, it was a clean bowl.

I pulled it out within a second of hearing that dreaded splash. I shook it off, dried it, and headed to my desk with a sheepish look on my face.

With a quick glance to make sure no one was looking, I googled "What to do if cell phone gets wet."

As you may or may not know, many cell phones meet their end by visiting pools, tubs, and other reservoirs of different shapes and contents. There are so many such incidents, cell phones now have indicators that show whether they have gotten wet and are therefore ineligible for warranty replacement.

I called Verizon Wireless to see how often this happens. Although spokesman Jeffrey Nelson didn't have any solid numbers, he said, "I do think it happens a fair amount more than people realize."

Nelson said his own cousin has dropped his BlackBerry in the toilet twice and a Facebook friend dropped his phone in a cup of coffee this morning. (The Verizon folks also helpfully pointed me to this phone, should I really want a phone that can handle the water.)

Luckily, even some of the non-waterproof devices survive their aquatic ordeals and there is plenty of advice on the Internet about how to maximize one's chances.

Foo Fighters performing at Wednesday's LA launch party for the BlackBerry Storm. (Photo taken with a BlackBerry Curve.)

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News )

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--The BlackBerry Storm got its chance to be a child star Wednesday as Research In Motion threw it a coming-out party at the legendary Avalon Hollywood club.

There was the full runway action, as paparazzi photographed celebrities going down the red carpet on their way into the club. As I arrived, a couple of cast members from the new 90210 show were making their way down the carpet. (Perhaps my favorite line of the evening was one of the show's cast members saying she hadn't actually seen the original show, but had "seen pictures" of the show's stars).

Annalynne McCord of the new '90210' show walks down the red carpet at the BlackBerry Storm party. (Photo taken with a BlackBerry Curve.)

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News)

I hung out near the red carpet as long as I could, but was urged to move it along so John Mayer could get his turn in front of the cameras. (Mayer and Apple fans alike will note he has made more than his share of appearances onstage with Steve Jobs but now stumps for RIM).

Since I know, I'd get comments along the lines of "Pix or it didn't happen," I've included a number of shots I took with my own BlackBerry (a Curve, alas). The pictures that were taken with the Storm's 3.2 megapixel camera look a lot better than the ones I took with my Curve, but well, there you have it.

In the VIP section, while the celebrities largely drank and took in the Foo Fighters, there were a few geeks that also managed to score a coveted white wrist band (often friends of friends of friends of the VIPs). They could easily be spotted tapping away on one of the many demo Storm devices at the event.

Microsoft and Research In Motion are expected to announce on Thursday a partnership that will make it easier for BlackBerry users to reach Microsoft's search engine, according to a source familiar with the companies' plans.

As part of the deal, BlackBerry users will have the option to use Microsoft Live Search as their search engine of choice within the device's browser. Also, Microsoft's Live Search will be an option from within RIM's mobile portal.

Although Microsoft competes with RIM for business phone customers, it has also worked to get some of its products onto its rival's devices. In one case, Microsoft even debuted a service first for BlackBerry--that being Tellme's voice-to-screen search feature on the BlackBerry.

Microsoft announced a deal with RIM back in May to get its Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Hotmail onto the BlackBerry.

Update: RIM officially announced the deal on Thursday, along with several other consumer partnerships including one with TiVo and another with MySpace.