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Some 84 percent of iPhone users said they would pick iPhone also when they replace their cellphone, while 60 percent of those using Android smartphones said they would stick with phones using the same software, says a research firm.

RIM delays an update to its PlayBook tablet computer's system software until February 2012.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled a new operating system Tuesday in hopes of grabbing some attention away from the iPhone and Android phones.

The BlackBerry has left a bitter taste in the mouths of its users. Trying to make amends for massive outages last week, Research In Motion on Monday promised BlackBerry users free premium apps and a month of technical support. But the apology is unlikely to placate miffed customers, many of whom are considering whether to part with the tarnished brand in favor of more popular devices such as Apple's newest iPhone.

Large numbers of BlackBerry users across Europe, the Middle East and Africa have been cut off from Internet and messaging services, phone companies in the affected regions said Monday. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. gave few details beyond a brief statement saying that customers were “experiencing issues,” but telecommunications companies in the Middle East and Europe laid the blame at the Canadian company’s door.

In each of the last three quarters the company has missed its own revenues expectations. RIM’s situation now resembles the struggles that Nokia faces as both have failed to mount any credible challenge to the dominance of Apple and Google in the smartphone and tablet markets.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion recalled about 1,000 of its PlayBook tablets that were shipped with faulty operating systems, which may have prevented users from performing the device's initial setup.

Microsoft said its Bing search engine and mapping service will be the default options for Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices.

Apple will remain firmly in control of the tablet market through 2015, according to market research by Gartner, which also shows Google’s Android will take the baton from Nokia’s Symbian to dominate the smartphone market through the same time period. Experts agree, though, that it will be strong ecosystems, allowing for tablets and smartphones to deliver a combined experience, which will take the day, possibly weakening Research in Motion’s capacity to deliver in a new environment.

Research In Motion Ltd. says its tablet computer, the BlackBerry PlayBook, will start selling in the U.S. and Canada on April 19 for $499 to $699.