RIM apologizes with free BlackBerry apps

TORONTO -- The maker of the struggling BlackBerry smartphone tried to soothe tens of millions of frustrated customers yesterday, offering more than $100 worth of free software to each one and giving some a month of technical support as compensation for last week's massive outage.

Some BlackBerry users and experts cast doubt on whether the freebies from Research In Motion would be enough to keep people from abandoning the tarnished brand in favor of more popular smartphones.

The software will be made available in coming weeks on BlackBerry App World and be offered until the end of the year. The premium apps, typically $5 to $15 each, include programs such as iSpeech Translator and the games "Bejeweled" and "Texas Hold'em Poker 2." The free tech support will be offered to corporate customers.

The blackout began when a traffic-routing computer failed in Europe. A backup also failed, causing a cascade of problems globally that interrupted email and Internet services for many, if not most, of the company's 70 million users for three days.

The disruption came as RIM struggles to compete with Apple's iPhone and with smartphones running the Android system from Google Inc.

RIM is also transitioning to a new operating system, a major undertaking that introduces even more uncertainty.

Jim Balsillie, one of the Canadian company's two CEOs, acknowledged RIM has come under intense pressure but noted it has survived through rough times before. -- AP