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A BlackBerry by any other name: Will it still keep losing customers?

At a shareholders' meeting on Tuesday, Research in Motion officially adopted 'BlackBerry' as the company’s name, and laid out plans for a turnaround.    

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Jon Blacker/ Reuters
BlackBerry Chief Executive Thorsten Heins speaks at the company's annual shareholders meeting in Waterloo, Ontario July 9, 2013. Heins insisted that BlackBerryis on the right path for a turnaround despite the disappointing debut of its make-or-break line of smartphones.

The Canadian wireless company Research in Motion officially changed its name to BlackBerry at the company’s Tuesday shareholders meeting. The company had been using the name “BlackBerry” since January 2013, but a legal name change required shareholder approval.

But the company’s name change was tertiary in comparison to other items on Tuesday’s agenda.

During the shareholders meeting, Chief Executive Officer Thomas Heins also laid out plans for BlackBerry Messenger to become a mobile social network, according to Bloomberg, though he admitted that the company has not successfully convinced American consumers of BlackBerry’s value.

Sales of the new line of BlackBerry Z10 devices missed company estimates, according to a Bloomberg report.

Mr. Heins sought to reassure shareholders. “BlackBerry is still in the early phases of our transition,” he said as he asked for investors’ patience.

In June, the company introduced the Q10 model in the United States. The model brought back the company’s signature keyboard, but still included a smaller touch screen.

Five months ago, BlackBerry 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’s 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’s global creative director, as part of the company’s attempt to overhaul its image. 

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