Tech titans that fell from grace

RIM is struggling, but that says nothing of its spirit. After publically rejecting that his company was in the midst of a "death spiral" this week, new Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins penned an emotional editorial in the Globe & Mail, lamenting that a world has turned its back on the BlackBerry maker. "It's become fashionable for pundits and market watchers to alternately eulogize Research In Motion as a fallen pioneer and demonize management for not chopping up the company to sell for parts," he wrote.

On that point, Heins (above) is right. As RIM weathers tapering market share and weak stock performance, the company has been left for dead by many. Whether RIM is a business that should be sold for parts, however, remains to be seen. Whatever happens, RIM will want to avoid the fate of fallen tech titans like Nortel, Motorola and Polaroid. Here's how those famous brands and others left their perch among the tech world elite.

*All figures in USD.

* Bing: When will the next BlackBerry come out?
* Video: Analysts throw in the towel on RIM