Will This Strategy Help Research in Motion or is it Proof of Desperation?

In a highly anticipated launch, Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) had a few surprises during its release of BlackBerry 10. Oddly enough, the most surprising announcement didn’t have anything to do with its new smartphone, but rather that RIM will officially change its name to BlackBerry.

The name change comes in an effort to shed RIM’s association with lackluster performance, and also to help promote the device that will make or break the company.

“BlackBerry is how we’re known pretty much everywhere across the world other than North America, so we have an iconic global brand and when you have such a powerful brand, you want to make it central,” said Frank Boulben, BlackBerry’s chief marketing officer.

Changes in the BlackBerry 10 itself are numerous and should provide enough incentive for current BlackBerry users to, at the very least, give it a shot.

Two different versions of Blackberry 10 will be offered, with the Z10 handset utilizing an all-touch screen and the Q10 offering a keyboard that many current BlackBerry users requested.

Possibly the most significant addition is a feature called…