RIM's co-chief executive said he sees Apple's iPhone as another competitor entering the smartphone market and pose no threat to company.

It's kind of one more entrant into an already very busy space with lots of choice for consumers," Jim Balsillie said of Apple. "But in terms of a sort of a sea-change for BlackBerry, I would think that's overstating it."

Balsillie made his comments as Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM launched on Monday the slimmest BlackBerry thus far. Known as the 8800, the new model is a full-keyboard device equipped for the first time with a built-in global positioning system.

"It's definitely the thinnest BlackBerry yet and definitely the premium product for the broad audience of mobile professionals," he said. He added that RIM expects some people using earlier versions of the full-keyboard BlackBerry will choose to upgrade to the new model.

But while the Pearl received great response, some analysts questioned Apple's decision to price its smartphone at a relatively steep $499 for the 4-gigabyte model. Cost has been a key obstacle in turning regular cellphone users into users of the more expensive handheld devices. The Pearl now sells at T-Mobile for $149.99.

By: DocMemory
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