BlackBerry Thunder, the touchscreen BlackBerry we’ve all been waiting for
Since we were the first ones to break the news about a touchscreen BlackBerry device, it’s only fitting that we follow up and give y’all the real lowdown on it! This is going to excite a lot of people, but anger many. Are you ready? The BlackBerry Thunder, as it is codenamed now, (all you "reporting" on it as the Storm are incorrect) will launch in Q3 of this year. It is a full touchscreen BlackBerry — no slide out keyboard — with only 4 physical keys. Those are the send / end phone keys, the BlackBerry menu key, and the back key. Here is the most interesting part, though: it will launch as a worldwide lifetime exclusive on Verizon and Vodafone! We’ve heard the unit will be a hybrid device with CDMA EV-DO Rev. C (for clarification, Rev C., known as UMB is practically dead. If the device will indeed launch with a 4G solution, our bet is on LTE), and GSM HSPA for traveling internationally. Verizon and Vodafone will have the same unit. Currently, the model number is the BlackBerry 9500, though it’s very early and that’s likely to change. This is HUGE for the Verizon lovers. For once they’ll get an exclusive device, but Verizon will have a sales quota for the device and if they don’t meet those numbers, we’ve heard the exclusivity will then dissolve and it’s over. This will be extremely interesting to see play out.
P.S. No, you morons, the image above is not real. Didn’t we go through this once before?
P.P.S. For futher clarification about the whole LTE thing, the chip might support it, but that does not mean the network will be ready by any means…OK?
^News for you, ‘Fool’, HSDPA still whips up on RevA (if you can even put up with the ultra-low limited availability of RevA handsets).
What an idiot.
Can I just say the apple iphone is WAY overrated. Im using the tmobile wing and its better than the iphone. at least i am allowed to insure my phone and i can remove the battery if need be. I dont see why anyone would want verizon or any CDMA network for that matter. I had U.S. Cellular(CDMA) and it was the crappiest year of my life. CDMA is outdated, I hope and pray sprint and verizon go under. especially verizon. JUNK
WTF? Im busting a nut to try and get a curve and now I discover one called the Thunder? Will Alltel be offering this monster?
Someday there will only be one cellphone provider so, start placing your bets!
WIll this also be on t-mobile?
its beautiful!
Anyone know if this phone will have wi-fi like the iphone does?
Any chance that this phone will have the “Push to talk” feature that Verizon is re-launching soon?
This phone looks so cool but why does it have to be for verizon…. it should be for t-mobile.. T-mobile has the crapiest phones out there they need some cool ones. I have t-mobile and i want a cool phone lol
Sorry, it is too little too late. I’m NOT impressed, Iphone still ROCKS so much HARDER! By the time it gets to market how many will have switched to ATT for the Iphone, Verizon is so corny as usual. I hate Verizon and they need all they can get right now with their customers running to ATT for the Iphone, good luck to them. Haha
thats very right .. the lock down on this phone will make it unattractive and not user friendly.
w’ll be made to use the verizon gps, buy ring tones, and use limited softwares..
UM, HAS NO ONE HEARD OF HELIO OCEAN? SURE ITS NOT A TOUCH SCREEN, BUT ITS MORE CAPABLE/USER FRIENDLY THEN BOTH THE iPhone AND ALL THE BERRY’S, AND I’M AN EX PEARL OWNER…
Umm … RIM is a Canadian company. Fully doubt they would do a “worldwide lifetime exclusive” with a phone company from some foreign country, like the US.
Me personally, would buy a blackberry Bold over the thunder.. We are trying to compete with the phone, but a touch screen isn’t appealing to me.. This coming from a candaian that is experiencing the official launch of the iphone as we speak(release is toda at 9am I believe?)…
Ps.. I have the curve right now…
When the fuck is the software update (4.5) coming out???
Iphone 3G will be way better than this
tmobile employee mentioned only tmobile would be getting the new touchscreen blackberry, and it would come out 1 month after the bold was released.
uhhh this is because verizon passed on the iphone because they are dumbasses….
NO! is the iPhone set for world? So does that mean I can buy an iPhone and use it on Verizon?
hope everyone knows that verizon had rights to the
iphone first from apple but turned them down so you never know what they will do with this new phone but hopefully they will pull through
Looks like a crappy Iphone to me!
I’ll keep my curve for now and maybe goto the Bold later but Verizon can have this imatation of a Icrap device.
I wont waste my money on it and I certainly wont buy anything connected to the version network.
Exactly- what the hell?! That was a stupid comment…
My guess is that Verizon won’t allow Wifi. I have always been a Verizon fan, but I’m sick and tired of them stripping down the cool features. There is no reason any carrier should not allow Wifi connection on their phones. Any word on Wifi for Verizon/
Chris
Whose the moron who puts a fake phone picture in his articles? If it’s a fake pic get rid of it and don’t build up hype around an image you know is incorrect.
Get a clue
i personally am starting to like blackberries more and more lately since i always work with them. the bold is a huge upgrade from their other units, and i dont see why i keep seeing posts that only AT&T is getting it??
from what i understand, rogers will get it first of course. but as far as US carriers, AT&T is just in line to get the device first, followed shortly after by other carriers (i think the sheet showed sprint/verizon/tmo).
I personally would love seeing this device either on Sprint or AT&T. i love sprint for their fast EVDO REV-A data services, and i’ve seen how AT&T is supposed to be increasing their data speeds as well. But locking it down to just verizon? meh.
If thats the case i’ll just stick to the bold when it comes out
A blackberry user’s dream is coming true.
Does anyone have any idea If/when it will be launched in Canada, And if so with witch provider??