BlackBerry devices may be the de facto standard in the world of corporate messaging, but RIM’s share of the smartphone market is actually on the decrease – and it’s no coincidence that Apple’s is growing.

RIM’s dominant position isn’t under threat just yet, but now that the iPhone has rudimentary support for such corporate messaging features like push email, BlackBerry owners will inevitably be looking longingly at Apple come upgrade time. Without a sleek and sexy multimedia smartphone of its own to keep them locked in, these are users that RIM could easily lose – which is where the BlackBerry Bold comes in.

RIM probably won’t admit as much, but its new BlackBerry Bold is a blatant attempt to appeal to an iPhone-buying audience. It’s by far the best-looking BlackBerry to date and it even looks a bit like an iPhone – the stainless steel rim around the case and flush-fitting screen are two obvious design cues.

The Bold’s shape is a good deal rounder than previous BlackBerries and the back has a curved profile not unlike that of the iPhone 3G. Rather than mere plastic, however, the Bold’s battery cover is covered with fake black leather. This makes it feel more like an old cigarette case than an executive plaything, but we rather liked it. And note the words “battery cover” – the BlackBerry Bold has a removable cell, which is one over the iPhone.

Another +1 for the Bold is its physical keyboard, though this isn’t as big a deal as you might think if you’ve spent any time tapping away on the iPhone’s virtual keys. RIM is somewhat renowned for ensuring that the keyboards on its smartphones are nothing short of excellent, and the Bold certainly continues the trend. The keyboard has the trademark BlackBerry ‘smile’ and each key has an angled profile (sloping left on the left side, right on the right) with a bevelled edge that makes each one feel distinct under the thumbs.

The BlackBerry Bold also has RIM’s most recent input innovation – a tiny trackball. As on other models, this replaces the infamous side-mounted scroll-wheel for selecting and it works pretty well – though the consistent behaviour of the back and menu buttons in every application also plays a major part in this (take note, Windows Mobile).