Shares of Research In Motion dropped more than 5% on Monday October 17 after it sought to appease disgruntled BlackBerry customers by offering free apps and technical support to make up for last week’s global smartphone outage.

Tens of millions of BlackBerry users were left without mobile email and other messaging for up to four days last week after a failure at a RIM data center in England triggered a service disruption across five continents. RIM will offer premium apps worth more than $100 to customers and a month of technical support for businesses free of charge, hoping to stem fresh defections from the BlackBerry, whose market share was already shrinking before the incident.

Analysts have said RIM needs to quickly repair the damage to its image caused by the outage and stem the loss of corporate customers who are now questioning the reliability of the BlackBerry.

“RIM has responded swiftly but this won’t undo the damage done to its reputation,” analyst Geoff Blaber at CCS Insight said earlier on Monday. “This may go some way to appeasing  customers but what’s critical is that the problem does not repeat itself.”

The stock was trading 5.1% lower at US$22.75 on the Nasdaq by 11:30 a.m. It has shed more than 60% of its value since the start of the year.

The BlackBerry has in recent years lost market share to Apple Inc’s iPhone and devices powered by Google’s Android system. At the same time it has sought to make deeper inroads beyond its core corporate base, with a special focus on younger consumers and in emerging markets. Highlighting the challenges, Apple said it sold 4 million of its new iPhone 4S in the first three days after launch last week.

RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said the company wanted to make amends with customers.

“This is our way of expressing appreciation for their patience during the recent service disruptions and a tangible way of telling them how deeply grateful we are for their continued business,” he said in a phone interview.

Balsillie declined to estimate how much the offer would cost RIM and said he was unable to say whether RIM might have to revise its earnings forecast for the current quarter, which ends in late November.

The financial impact could prove sizable if a large enough portion of RIM’s more than 70 million subscribers take up the offers.

Balsillie said RIM was not running any tests on its network at the time of the failure and was still investigating the precise cause of the breakdown, the company’s worst ever.

The free apps on offer include games such as Bejeweled, and premium versions of a translation service and the music discovery tool Shazam. Richard Levick, who runs a U.S. consultancy that specializes in crisis management, praised the move but said the company should have made the announcement last week.

“I think it’s a good start, but they are always late,” he said. “They are always behind the curve.”

Francisco Jeronimo, an analysts at IDC, had a different perspective on the offer. He said the decision was a clever move by RIM because it would help customers to discover the app service.

“For RIM, this is an interesting way to attract users to the App World and incentivise them to search and download apps,” he said.

“More important than the offer itself, is that RIM is showing goodwill and being humble. They recognized the problem, apologized and now they are compensating their users.”

YOUTH CONNECTION : “BlackBerry Thumb”

Like many young people today, I own a BlackBerry and can say (from experience) that it is harder than you think to put down or to not use it for a long period of time.

It has the convenience of everything being in one place: BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, the  Internet, Maps, and hundreds of apps.

Even though it is one of the most popular devices today it does, like everything else, lead to health problems.

I found some information that was very enlightening that may help your “BlackBerry addiction.”

BlackBerry thumb is a neologism  that posits a form of repetitive strain injury caused by the frequent use of
the thumbs to press buttons on PDAs, smart phones, or other mobile devices. The name of the condition  comes from the BlackBerry, a popular brand of smartphones that debuted in 1999.

Part of the rationale is that the thumb does not have the dexterity that the other four fingers have, and that it is especially common in those who use these devices for such activities at high speeds comparable to that of touch typing.

Who Gets BlackBerry Thumb?
Together with several other repetitive stress injuries that are showing up in this fast-paced, technology-focused era is a malady known as BlackBerry thumb. Actually, we can overuse any personal digital assistant (PDA), resulting in tenderness or pain in the thumb, the base of the thumb, and wrist.

Red flags that signal a need to change how we use PDAs, and possibly a need to consult with a qualified health care professional, are occasional aches in any or all of those areas. Left untreated, BlackBerry thumb
can develop into severe pain, weakness, and even disability.

What Causes It?
BlackBerry thumb is the result of asking the thumb joints to repeatedly perform the same action too often. Excessive tapping, flicking, and clicking do thumbs no favors. Some sports enthusiasts make themselves “work through the pain.” They believe that by pushing the body beyond its current limits, it will gradually become accustomed to new demands placed on it. That approach does not work with joints. And since BlackBerry thumb is a joint problem, forcing thumbs to go above and beyond will only lead to further trouble.

What Are Some Typical Treatments?
Treatment typically consists of resting or splinting the thumb. Medical doctors may suggest anti-inflammatory
medicines, cortisone injections, and, as a last resort, surgery.

What Might a Doctor of Chiropractic Suggest?

Doctors of chiropractic are educated to use a variety of non-drug, non-surgical approaches to BlackBerry thumb. Giving your thumbs a chance to start the healing process may include a program of rest, thumb strapping, and gentle stretches or targeted massage. A DC may decide to use Instrument-Assisted Soft-Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) to help alleviate the problem. One of the better-known such techniques
is Graston Technique®, which utilizes stainless steel instruments in the hands of practitioners skilled at
treating damaged soft tissues. Certain nutritional supplements can help in the inflammation and swelling.
 
How Is It Diagnosed?
X-ray and exam findings can determine if a patient has BlackBerry thumb.

What Can I Do To Help Myself?
Whatever we might wish them to do, doctors cannot simply make BlackBerry thumb “go away” without the cooperation of the patient. Moderation and flexibility in how we use PDAs are key. When it comes to BlackBerry thumb, the following tips can make our PDAs do what they were designed to do: serve us, not hurt us:

- Avoid typing for more than three minutes without a break.
- Hold the PDA comfortably and close to the body.
- Insert it into a holder and set it on a desk or a briefcase.
- Turn the device off on weekends or  at least on Sundays.
- Decide that you will check emails and text messages just four times a day.
- Cut back on the number of keystrokes and keep messages short and simple.
- Abbreviate.
- Consider using the AutoText feature.
- If a message must be longer, use your computer keyboard, not your PDA.
- Practice using other fingers for typing especially when thumbs hurt.
- If thumbs are in pain, use a thumb or wrist support.
- Pay attention to your grip. Keep wrists upright and straight.
- Don’t slouch while texting. Slouchers often develop neck pain, in addition to thumb pain.