DCHP-2

blackberry ((2)) BlackBerry, Blackberry DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• 1 n. — proprietary, Industry

  a type of cell phone created by RIM (Research In Motion), now BlackBerry.

  Type: 1. Origin — In 1998, Canadian telecommunication company Research In Motion (RIM) introduced the BlackBerry handheld device, which is generally considered to be the first smart phone. The BlackBerry grew in popularity internationally in the early and mid 2000s, and by 2007 RIM was the most valuable Canadian company, with sales of $3 billion (Canadian Encyclopedia reference). The device, with its signature physical keyboard, was so popular that it was nicknamed "CrackBerry", because users felt they were addicted to it (see, e.g. the 2000 quotation). By 2012, demand for the device began to drop as other technologies (iPhone) were taken up by the market. The device is said to be named after the berry, because the keys of the device somewhat resemble the drupelets of the blackberry.

• 2 v. — dated, Urban culture

  to send a message with a BlackBerry phone.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — The use of the word as a verb came early but did not become a thoroughly entrenched verb, unlike to google.