Blackberry (redirected from Blackberry certification)

blackberry, name for several species of thorny plants of the genus Rubus of the family Rosaceae (rose family). See bramble.

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blackberry

Blackberry (Rubus).

(credit: Derek Fell)

Usually prickly, fruit-bearing bush of the genus Rubus, in the rose family, native chiefly to northern temperate regions. The blackberry is abundant in eastern North America and on the Pacific coast; in Europe it is common in thickets and hedges. Its usually biennial, prickly, and erect, semierect, or trailing stems bear leaves with usually three or five oval, coarsely toothed, stalked leaflets; white, pink, or red flowers in terminal clusters; and black or red-purple aggregate fruits. The several trailing species are commonly called dewberries. Blackberries are a fairly good source of iron and vitamin C.

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BlackBerry

A smartphone from Research in Motion, Ltd. (RIM), Waterloo, Ontario (www.blackberry.net) that is available in various models. These popular devices include phone, e-mail, text messaging, Web browsing, organizer (calendar, addresses, tasks, etc.), as well as paging, Yahoo instant messaging and corporate data access. A raft of third-party applications is also available (see BlackBerry App World).

It Started with E-Mail
In 1999, the BlackBerry was the first wireless device that synchronized with the company mail system so that employees no longer required a different e-mail address when traveling. Initially set up for Microsoft Exchange, support for Domino and GroupWise was later added. For individuals, a BlackBerry e-mail address is also available.

In 2002, GSM voice and GPRS data service were available in the model 5810, making it the first BlackBerry with integrated phone and mail.

By early 2004, a million people were using BlackBerrys. The number leaped to four million in 2006 and jumped to over 20 million users by the end of 2008. In 2009, with a decade of sales under its belt and many users on their second, third and fourth models, RIM sold its 50 millionth BlackBerry. See BlackBerry Storm, CrackBerry, BlackBerry Messenger and smartphone.

BlackBerry Models

Until the touch screen Storm came out in 2008, all models had physical keyboards. The wide units on top are quickly recognized as BlackBerrys. (Image courtesy of Research In Motion, Ltd.)

The BlackBerry Keyboard

Although small, many users learned to enter data quickly with both thumbs. (Image courtesy of Research In Motion, Ltd.)

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blackberry

1. any of several woody plants of the rosaceous genus Rubus, esp R. fruticosus, that have thorny stems and black or purple glossy edible berry-like fruits (drupelets)

2. 

a. the fruit of any of these plants

b. (as modifier): #5blackberry jam

3. blackberry lily an ornamental Chinese iridaceous plant, Belamcanda chinensis, that has red-spotted orange flowers and clusters of black seeds that resemble blackberries

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blackberry [′blak‚ber·ē]

(botany)

Any of the upright or trailing shrubs of the genusRubusin the order Rosales; an edible berry is produced by the plant.

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Blackberry 

the subgenus Eubatus of the genus Rubus (raspberry, dewberry) of the family Rosaceae. The plants are shrubs with perennial rhizomes and biennial aboveground shoots that are usually covered with thorns. The flowers are bisexual, usually white in color, less frequently pink, and are gathered in racemose inflorescences. The fruits are aggregate juicy stonefruits, black or black-red in color, with a gray bloom in many species; the fruits do not separate from the soft receptacle.

There are more than 200 known species of blackberries distributed in North America and Eurasia. In the USSR there are 42 species, mainly in the Caucasus; there are fewer species in the southern Ukraine and Middle Asia. Many species that grow wild are suitable for cultivation because of their large tasty fruits. These species include R. caucasicus, R. sanguineus, R. dolichocarpus, and the dewberry (R. caesius). The fruits contain 4–8 percent sugars and 0.8–1.4 percent acids, vitamin C, and carotene (provitamin A). They are used fresh or dried, or in the form of preserves and jam. Blackberries are grown mainly in America and Europe; in the USSR they are cultivated mainly by amateur gardeners in the southern parts of the country and in the central fruit-growing region. Approximately 300 varieties of cultivated blackberries are known. They are divided into two groups according to the way they grow: blackberries proper, with erect stems, and cut-leaved blackberries, with trailing stems. The cut-leaved varieties are propagated predominantly by terminal stem buds; blackberries proper are propagated by root shoots. A mature plantation yields 5–7 tons per hectare. Blackberries are economically productive for 12–15 years.

N. K. SMOL’IANINOVA