Starting today, RIM is rebranding itself as simply BlackBerry. With the official name change, you can say so long to all your RIM-related innuendo.

The change coincides with the unveiling of RIM’s BlackBerry 10 operating system, the company’s last shot at relevance in an age when it’s been overwhelmed by the likes of iOS and Android. The new operating system — and the shiny new Z10 and Q10 hardware that goes with it — represent the biggest overhaul in RIM’s history. It’s a skin-shedding of the highest order. And it’s about time.

What might be most surprising is that the new branding took this long in the first place. While Research in Motion started out as just that — a research company, focused on wireless data — it’s been a smartphone and mobile services company for as long as most people can remember. For all intents and purposes, it’s already been BlackBerry for years.

A new name doesn’t make for a new start in and of itself. But it’s part of a sea-change at RIM, an acknowledgement that things are different now, while at the same time focusing on and strengthening its core. The company will trade as BBRY as of February 4th, which should be a smooth transition. It’s not like many people had been looking to trade RIMM anyway.