Research in Motion (RIM) has upped its game in the ever competitive smartphone market, revealing the next version of its BlackBerry Storm.
The BlackBerry Storm 2 9550 still features the clickable touchscreen, but now also includes multitouch tech called SurePress to make it easier to select items.
Another upgrade from the first version is support for Wi-Fi and a tweak to the keyboard to make it easier to use.
In an early review, the Wall Street Journal's Walt Mossberg said the Storm 2 fixes all the flaws in the first generation. "The screen now stays still when tapped, providing tactile feedback electronically instead of mechanically. This allows for faster, smoother typing," he wrote in his blog.
"The new model also has Wi-Fi. And you can now use a full, albeit squeezed, virtual keyboard in vertical mode."
Other specs include a 3.2 megapixel camera, 2GB of storage, and quad band connectivity. It will run BlackBerry OS 5.
The BlackBerry Storm 2 will arrive on 26 October in the UK, firstly on the Vodafone network.
Keeping up with the iPhone and Pre
With the iPhone owning the hearts and minds of many in the smartphone world, and the Palm Pre looking to ursurp it, RIM doesn't want to be left behind.
RIM's co-chief executive Jim Balisillie admitted that the Storm 2 is "a biggie for us," according to a report from Reuters.
"Obviously, we want to maintain and extend our leadership, there's no question," he added.
"We have a really rich (product) road map ... and we aren't slowing down," he said.
Click here for our first look review of the new Storm 2.
For more mobile phone news and reviews, visit Know Your Mobile.
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