Emboldened RIM readies new touchscreen BlackBerry

By Susan Taylor

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Research In Motion is not known for its dramatic flair. Like the BlackBerry itself, with its renowned email security, the Canadian smartphone maker seems to put function before form.

But RIM may break with tradition next Tuesday when it raises the curtain on its long-awaited answer to the iPhone at an unusual company "event" in midtown Manhattan.

RIM is not saying why it has asked reporters and analysts to gather at the invitation-only event, which may be the company's attempt to capture some of the frenzy Steve Jobs creates around Apple's product launches.

"I think they are trying to create a little drama," said Michael Gartenberg, partner at research and advisory firm Altimeter Group. "When you raise expectations like that, you really then have to deliver."

In another bold gesture, RIM appears ready to announce that it will do battle with Apple on its home turf by giving AT&T, the sole U.S. iPhone provider, exclusive rights to sell the new BlackBerry in the United States.

RIM won't comment, but its invitation prominently displays AT&T's logo alongside its own.

That would mark a tactical shift since RIM teamed with AT&T's bigger rival, Verizon Wireless, for the high-profile launch of its first touchscreen phone, the Storm, two years ago.

DEVICE NEEDS TO BE "BIG SUCCESS"