PC World - Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) has finally announced details about its long-rumored iPhone competitor, an almost-all-touch-interface 3G handset with a twist: The screen itself is a big hardware button.
The ability to mechanically click the entire screen (RIM calls the feature "Click-Through" technology) is the centerpiece of the BlackBerry Storm's touch interface. As with the iPhone, you can scroll and select by dragging and tapping with your fingertip. But to initiate action, instead of double-tapping, you confirm a selection by physically depressing or clicking the screen.
Four hardware buttons at the bottom offer additional -- and traditional -- BlackBerry and phone navigation aids: red and green phone buttons for accessing phone features and ending calls, a button with the BlackBerry icon for accessing menus, and a return button.
The Storm should be available from Verizon Wireless in time for the holidays, RIM and Verizon officials said during a press tour earlier this week. But they did not specify an exact shipping date or price.
The device will support Verizon's EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) Rev. A network where available in the U.S., but it will also be able to roam internationally on high-speed GSM networks (in Europe, on Verizon stakeholder Vodafone's network). The Storm also supports both assisted and standard GPS (assisted GPS works with the cellular network to speed up location fixes) and Bluetooth. However, unlike the iPhone, it does not support Wi-Fi.
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