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?
oh come on… a touch screen bb is almost not a blackberry. They probably don’t think that a touch screen is that important to most blackberry users. And the Verison exclusive keeps them from having to go head to head with the iphone in the touchscreen arena.
is this likely to even come out in the next year?
James,
LTE is not GSM or CDMA, it’s OFDM.
In fact, as AT&T upgrades it’s network to 3G, they’re actually using a technology based off of CDMA and not GSM.
One thing we all agree.Do not buy the phone.
Buy RIMM and AAPL the stock. till it rides.
Is this a late April Fool joke or what? BlackBerry users (and abusers) want a ‘real’ phone with a ‘real’ keyboard!!
- CB
It seems to give a tough competition to iPhone…oh ya…in the earlier stages everything seems to give tough competition to iPhone but when the real things come out they all fell apart in front of iPhone.
Not BS. You’re forgetting that BB is a Business and must remain competitive. Sure they’ve always been business oriented and I’m sure will remain so, but to maintain market share, they must continue to broaden their appeal. You don’t let the iPhone continue to sell as much as it is and not try to compete with it, it doesn’t make sense.
Did you just call me a moron? Cause I know where you live.
now if this device turns out to be true, it would be nice to see if it comes out with Haptic Feedback. and if so, how well it works.
In start there where rumors that BlackBerry Bold 9000 will bring touch screen technology in BlackBerry devices but after the final release of BB 9000 in last week with AT&T proofs that this statement is wrong but now right after one week here is the most awaiting Smartphone cellphone is in rumors.
they cripple the gps on blackberry devices
wow theres way too many comments to read through. now i am on telus in canada which also locks some features on their phones butthey do not touch smartphones. so i dont see why verizon would. what is there to lock anyway? gps is probably the only feature that has been disabled on a cdma smartphone and thats standard across the board. they are now all starting to enable it so i dont really understand the complaints of verizon its a smartphone so no locking.
next bgr is usually spot on. but no way is rev c true. these idiots cant even get a rev a phone out. the bold which is the same boring form factor blackberry always has is not scheduled to hit cdma until may 2009 (pretty sad if u ask me that it takes a year to switch the network insides). so no way this thing is out before the bold.
i do welcome them with open arms for FINALLYYYY strying to mix it up. the kickstart and this is definitely a step in the right direction for rim. hopefully they dont make the same dumb mistakes like apple with the no removeable battery crap
Yes this it the new blackberry, I took me 10 minutes to “create” it using Photoshop. Creators of this device must check the icons at the bottom of the screen, they aren’t correctly aligned. You failed on your Photoshop design exam … please try again next year.
i dont get the point of ur reply. it was clearly stated thats not the phone
Why kill the slide out key board? Instead of following the leader, why not be a leader?
I wonder if this will be a multi-media device? A real multi-media with MP3 qualtiy and the ability to watch full length movies??
Hard to imagine that Verizon can take the lead with cutting edge devices.
So if you think about it every one is getting all worked up about a touch screen BB I say so what. I bet I can type faster on my QWERTY keyboard than you can on a touch screen. BB already dose music and video all the need is a new browser.
I’m really hating them for not allowing T-Mobile to distribute… they suck monkey ballz!!
Guys, this is a new device for a particular market segment, it’s not the be-all-end-all for phones and it’s not for everyone. That’s most likely why BB sells more than one phone. Unless they cancel every other model after this one is released…in which case I’d be wrong.
@ anthony – I guess you missed this part of the story:
“P.S. No, you morons, the image above is not real. Didn’t we go through this once before?”
Verizon plans might be expensive, but they rock!
AT&T & T-Mobile drop calls constantly. I been with Verizon for 6 years now and I rarely have drop calls.
I have the Pearl right now on the BB server not Verizons and it works perfect!
I hope that this phone does blow Apple off the planet!!
Can you morons please shutup about it not having a physical keyboard. If you dont like it.. get the 9000. I don’t see the problem here. They are not making all their new phones touch screen.. theyre just making it an option for people who do want one.
That is the truth… Tha thing is hideous. If that is the new blackberry 9000…they can keep it… I will just stay with my Palm 750!!!
“And I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”
Look out the iphone killer is coming..
Good move Verizon its about time..
What people want is an iPhone with corporate email. What people get from their employer is a BB. Very few people will trade a 3G corporate iPhone for an inferior experience in almost every other respect from a BB. Maybe the new interface and usability will be excellent but RIM have given little indication of it so far. Even the iPhone keyboard is fine for fast typing with a little practice. I regularly equal or beat my Crackberry friends in a typing test.
Since when is a desktop browsing experience not compatible with a corporate environment – many Enterprise apps are web-interfaced today, and many vendors are creating iPhone specific front-ends for their apps. Don’t see that for the BB – maybe the $150M will get more dev action.
Apple entering the big leagues – what planet have you been on for the last year? Apple changed the game and everyone else is playing catch-up. It is the phone manufacturers who have been pushed kicking and screaming into the big leagues of world class design. Moto have already fallen off the cliff, and everyone else is scrambling – see BB Thunder et al…
Good luck with your iPhone follower