BlackBerry CEO may announce lower-priced phone

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The CEO of BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has taken the stage to speak to a packed ballroom at the company's annual three-day conference in Orlando, Fla.

CEO Thorsten Heins' keynote address is the highlight of Tuesday's opening session. RIM unveiled new, versatile BlackBerrys earlier this year after delays allowed Apple and others to dominate the smartphone market.

The BlackBerry, pioneered in 1999, had been the dominant smartphone for on-the-go business people and consumers before the iPhone debuted in 2007 and showed that phones can handle much more than email and calls. RIM faced numerous delays modernizing its operating system. During that time, it had to cut more than 5,000 jobs and saw shareholder wealth decline by more than $70 billion.