Both companies are struggling against the success of smartphone and tablet rivals that include Google's Android and Apple's iPhone and iPad. Both Nokia and RIM were clearly powerhouses in mobile phones a decade ago, "seemingly bulletproof," said Jeff Kagan, an independent technology analyst.

"Success or failure [in the wireless industry] is all about hitting the right marketing, public relations and advertising cord...," Kagan said. "Nokia and RIM are struggling with that very issue."

Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC, said that while RIM and Nokia are the "old persons on the block, they are facing an evolution in the market that means their means and methods really need to change drastically." Just as RIM faces the need to upgrade successfully to a QNX operating system (OS) for its smartphones, Nokia must adjust as it replaces Symbian with other OSes, he said.

Two recent reports underscore how Nokia and RIM are trying to adjust, Kagan and Llamas said.

In the first report, Nokia is reportedly building a to be used in low-cost smartphones priced at less than $100 without subsidies. Several analysts said Meltimi is a sign that Nokia is moving away from plans to build a high-end OS for high-priced smartphones. And they said Nokia's incipient relationship with Windows Phone will do little to deliver phones to the lower-priced smartphone market that is growing fast in emerging markets.