A BlackBerry by any other name: Will it still keep losing customers?
The Canadian wireless company Research in Motion officially changed its name to BlackBerry at the company鈥檚 Tuesday shareholders meeting. The company had been using the name 鈥淏lackBerry鈥� since January 2013, but a legal name change required shareholder approval.
But the company鈥檚 name change was tertiary in comparison to other items on Tuesday鈥檚 agenda.
During the shareholders meeting, Chief Executive Officer Thomas Heins聽also laid out plans for BlackBerry Messenger , according to Bloomberg, though he admitted that the company has not successfully convinced American consumers of BlackBerry鈥檚 value.
Sales of the new line of BlackBerry Z10 devices missed company estimates, according to a Bloomberg report.
Mr. Heins sought to reassure shareholders. 鈥淏lackBerry is still in the early phases of our transition,鈥� he said as he asked for investors鈥� patience.
In June, the company introduced the Q10 model in the United States. The model brought back the company鈥檚 signature keyboard, but still included a smaller touch screen.
Five months ago, BlackBerry聽introduced the Z10 as the company's answer to iPhone and Android devices. It features a touch screen and keyboard, as well as a video camera.
The company announced it sold 2.7 million Z10 and Q10 smartphones in the first half of 2013, but the company鈥檚 share of the global smartphone market fell to 2.9 percent in March, surpassed by Microsoft.
In January 2013, singer Alicia Keys was appointed as Blackberry鈥檚 global creative director, as part of the company鈥檚 attempt to overhaul its image.聽
