Don’t let all the hype surrounding the upcoming Pre and latest iPhone model fool you – RIM is still very much a player in the smartphone game. Slashgear is reporting that RIM is poised to release a second edition of its touchscreen BlackBerry Storm phone sometime this September. Notably, the updated model will support wi-fi.
The BlackBerry Storm was of course released as an answer to the increasing popularity of the iPhone. BlackBerry’s are top of the line devices when it comes to emailing (how fun!), so in creating the Storm, RIM attempted to improve the typing experience by turning the entire touchscreen into what is essentially one gigantic button. This gives the user haptic feedback when typing away, theoretically giving users a more real-world typing experience using a touchscreen. While initial reviews of the device were mixed, one glaring omission was the Storm’s lack of Wi-Fi.
While this is an undoubtedly welcome improvement for BlackBerry fans, a September launch might be too little too late for RIM as it attempts to prevent the iPhone from garnering even more marketshare. Keep in mind that the Palm Pre is poised to launch in June at the absolute latest, and initial rumors suggest that Apple will also be releasing an updated iPhone in June. Both of these launches are bound to garner a ton of media attention and attract a significant amount of new subscribers. By the time the Storm finally comes around, there might not be anyone left to notice.
Tue, Apr 7, 2009
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