It’s pretty early hardware and earlier software, but the guys at CrackBerry somehow got themselves a Storm 2 to play with. First question: Yes, it still has a clickable screen, but it’s allegedly much better than its predecessor.
Additional BlackBerry Storm 2 rumours out this morning would appear to all but confirm our earlier belief earlier that the soon-to-be-released smartphone is ditching the problematic click touchscreen, and will add some much-desired wi-fi goodness.
A forum guy with an apparently decent track record says Verizon’s been cracking hard on Storm 2 tech support being ready by the end of the month, suggesting a soonish launch. [BlackBerryOS via BGR]
Boy Genius rolls up Verizon’s entire lineup of new BlackBerrys, but the most interesting point confirms what I suspected when I saw the Storm 2 shots yesterday: The Storm’s clicky screen is gone.
They appear to be taken by the same person, at the same time, as the last shots we found, though now we’ve got a little peek under the battery lid and a few more angles.
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie confirmed to Reuters that the company is planning a “next-generation” touch device, and that the original Storm was a “huge success.” Well, at least “in terms of sales and adoption.”
Dutch website Tweakers, a RIM sales manager said that, as rumoured, a followup to the underwhelming BlackBerry Storm will be arriving at the end of this year, or the beginning of next.
At launch, the BlackBerry Storm was so buggy RIM promised patches before it even landed in consumers’ hands. RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie now explains the situation perfectly: Buggy, busted arse smartphones are the “new reality.”
Yes, my friends, the Blackberry Storm screen may be the hardest material on Earth.
Oops. You know that pre-sale flyer that was doing the rounds to Verizon “VIPs”, the one with the BlackBerry Storm on the left hand side? Turns out that if you, a VIP, turn up at a store with that very flyer you’ll not be able to buy a Storm ahead of its launch. You won’t, in fact, be able to touch one to see what it’s like. You won’t be able to see one. There are none, apparently. All you’re able to do is get yourself put on a list for a call from Verizon on Friday so you can pre-order the phone. Okay, the flyer didn’t make definite promises…but it’s pretty much 100% misleading for Storm fans. Guess everyone has to wait for the real date. [BGR]
