Blackberry 850 Introduction Munich Germany 1999

Looking back, the device—clunky by modern standards—resembled a wide pager with a small monochrome screen and a keyboard that looked like it had been shrunk in the wash. Yet, in the conference halls of Munich, the 850 made its debut, and the era of the "always-on" professional had officially begun.

In Munich, the first buyers were:

But it all traces back to that quiet Munich evening in late 1999. The 850 never sold more than a few hundred thousand units globally, but it proved one thing: blackberry 850 introduction munich germany 1999

The device was not a phone. You paired it with your desktop via a serial cable to sync, but over the air, it received messages via – slower than a 1999 dial-up modem, but always on. The 850 never sold more than a few

RIM had perfected "push" email technology. Unlike the cumbersome process of dialing into a server to "fetch" messages, the 850 pushed emails to the device the moment they were sent. For the business executives in Munich that autumn, it was a revelation. Suddenly, the office desk was portable. The tether of the landline was cut. Unlike the cumbersome process of dialing into a

In 1999, Munich saw the future, even if that future looked like a gray plastic brick with a lowercase keyboard. The 850 was the spark that lit the smartphone fire, transforming the mobile phone from a communication tool into an extension of the self.