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?
For all of you Verizon haters out there, Verizon will not “lock” down this device. It will be able to do whatever it was meant to do. Verizon will also be opening up their network a the end of the year so any CDMA device can be used on it(that means Sprint, ALLTEL, etc). This phone will do awesome and sell past the quotas. Verizon is the only company that can keep up with the Apple adverts and if this device works like a normal Blackberry it will blow the iphone out of the water!
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You’re an idiot.
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wow…
i think i liked it better the first time when it was called the iPhone.
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‘FIRST’… grow up already and get a life!
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Inclusive of the obvious competition with other phones. If you don’t know what the quatities are that Verizon is expected to move, how can you predict they’ll have any problem doing so?
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Just wanted to leave something for people in Canada as something FYI about Thunder….
Rogers and Telus will have exclusivity on the BB BOLD!!!! NOT THUNDER
Bell is the only company in Canada who owns the distribution rights in Canada. As Bell will NOT be selling the BOLD they will however be the ONLY ones to sell Thunder.
How do I know this you ask?
I work for Bell
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Oh and Canadian release date is within first month of Q4…confirmed
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ummm.. a blackberry has to have a full keyboard.. i dont think this is going to take off as well as verizon and blackberry are hoping it will…
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look here guys we all know that verizon is the best cell company there is out there i should know i work for t mobile and i cant stand there service and we all know that verizon is not gonna co sign no product that does not meet the customer or there need there name is on the line with this one peoples i will surly miss the keyboard i’n\m a big bb fan
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this will not offer lte for two reason: one there are no lte compliant chipsets since lte has not even been fully defined, and two, there are no lte networks up and wont be until japan does in 2012 at the earliest. in any event, hspa still screams, so no complaints there.
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I just love how the owner of this site calls the people who come here “MORONS”. How about some respect for the people who make your site successful… you MORON.
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Its on Sprint Now network as well.
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you sound like a retard, CDMA is where its at. you can’t match the speed of a cdma evdo network. at&t sucks and you know it. the only reason why gsm comes out first is because its a crap network and retards don’t know the difference
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I agree with Phil…. Verizon will not lock things down. With VZW being the first company to allow phones from other companies, This blackberry, their network, and buying out Alltel Communications, not only will they be #1 in revenue, but also #1 in customer base. Since most of you dont know what your talking about, VZW was approached first by apple for the iphone and turned it down because it was only able to be serviced by Apple, you had to mail the unit off to get a battery replacement. any company that would inconvenience their customers like that is crazy. And if the iPhone is so “wonderful”, why can’t it send picture messages????? Learn all the facts before you speak.
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Any idea when will this beauty hit Indian Markets and will it be exclusive for Vodafone subscribers???
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What about the little phone companies out there? Are they ever going to get this phone? I’m with a small company called ntelos and they offer 5 versions of the blackberry and several other smart phones (most of them are shit like the trio and the palm). I really want the 9000 but who knows when it will be available to me. I’ll stick with my 8830 for now and if the 9000 doesn’t come out for my company, odds are, I’ll end up getting the htc 6900. Also, does anone know if the 9000 will have a qwerty keyboard?
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Jazz,
I had heard/read that the Thunder will have both a full qwerty AND a suretype keyboard, depending on how you orient the device, if you use it longways a touch screen qwerty, but if you use it upright, touch screen suretype. I think Crackberry has the info on it.
Folks,
My question is WILL Verizon actually get the bold. I have heard mixed reports. Some say it’s coming in sept (YEA RIGHT), some say the thunder is the VZW version of the bold (processorwise I mean)
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OK, so this does look like an iphone, but for a VRW customer like me this is exciting! I mean, for once we have an exclusive on the coolest phone of the year! I am definitely getting this one!
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wow…verizon actually learned something from att. who knows maybe they’ll stop using cdma and become a real player in the wireless world.
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My issue w/ touchscreen qwerty keyboard phones are; they suck. Take the Verizon exclusive LG Dare, I have that phone and I want to throw it out of the nearest window everytime I’m attempting to type a text and the iPhone isn’t much better. My fear is that BB Thunder will also be a huge let down in this area as well.
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One of BB’s best features is being taken away .. Messaging is going to be terrible w/out a physical qwerty keyboard .. Haven’t we learned from the iPhone the instinct and the dare ?
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I have the Curve and have had other BB in the past and I think that a touch screen idea isn’t too great cause Blackberry is the ORIGINAL Business phone and for them to go touch screen would be them following everyone else’s lead. That’s not Blackberry. Not denying that it will be cool, I just think that they need to stay original. And the whole Verizon thing, that’s BS cause they NEVER get blackberries until someone else has had them for awhile and plus they charge you a MANDATORY extra $30 on Blackberry’s so that you have the internet…imagine the fees on this phone. I don’t think it’ll sell as good as the iPhone and I just hope RIM comes out with a original, cutting edge phone like they have been for the past years
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The keyboard on the bold sucks. Why not just have a touch-screen keyboard and take the extra viewing area when you can have it?
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I’ll tell you what happened to ATT……they suck!!!
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Wow how come they are releasing it on Verizon?! They are making a huge mistake. I think in my opinion that its gonna be much better if its goes to AT&T.
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