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?
i was just in Paris and my VZW BBerry 8830 was AWFUL. Could not have been more inconsistent - poor cell, very spotty data. HUGE disappointment.
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no you can’t use the verizon world phone on att. but you can get the vodaphone and unlock it then use it on att.
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The author of this article is a moron himself…duh
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This will be the next generation of technology if this thing will appear
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ugly
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What a shame - giving Verizon the exclusive on this is like buying a sports car, then removing the top two gears.
I had a half hour conversation with the Verizon dealer, who couldn’t answer why I couldn’t load a ringtone onto an SD card, and use it on my phone. The real answer is that Verizon specially works with phone makers to disable their phones. That forces users to pay Verizon for special services.
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couldn’t find any specs… do u have any other link for getting more details on the Thunder
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will this be available to new york customers at all…….
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You can say that again. Verizon will find someway to make this phone boring!!!
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I like them. How do I order one again?
Fmoov.~}
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In India, we use early version of this device. very good but there is a new VX9800 that is much preferered by my nine young children
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Why so many haters? The Iphone is a great phone and it’s gonna be even better when it’s 3G accessible but either way, there’s need to be more competition against the Iphone and I think this one might do it. No one beats RIMs enterprise server. I think they need to have a solid UI similar to the IPHONE but original to RIM. The price with activation needs to be at least $100 less then the IPHONE.
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great product.
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Will this device be available to Canada via Rogers Wireless?
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Whatever happend to the touchscreen slider patent RIM filed for?
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I can say this will be a smart move, so many young adults and old tech geeks will come out and buy the new big touchscreen phone, especially just for the blackberry name. i personally won’t get it because i think verizon should push for a slide out keyboard or something. a touch screen is a cool novelty feature but when it comes to business and function the keyboard is a nessecity. This will sell quite nice but with a slide keyboard business men will be able to justify buying it and it would be considered better than the Iphone which is all novelty. This is one verizon may not want to lock the features, cause if they leave them open and add a keyboard, i would garuntee that they shatter any quota bberry could set
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Jake. awesome. phone? it’s a sketch! doesn’t. exist. yet.. sketch. looks. exactly. like. iPhone.
that said, I’m excited about it, too.
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Blackberry are the mil-spec phones for business use, and a touchscreen is not going to cut it for serious business use. I think what we are witnessing is a widening of the gap between business phones and everything else–BBerry doesn’t want to mess with its AT&T and Alltel business users by confusing their little minds and is just putting a toe in the pool with this new phone. I doubt that RIM expects to compete with iPhone for personal use phones, and is probably just tapping the business/personal-confused market a bit more (similar to the strategy with the Pearl).
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Typical stupidity from RIM. It’s not Apple’s touch screen which makes the iPhone a great experience. It’s the way you manage and work with the device which happens to use touch screen style “flicks” of the finger, and such that makes it so easy. If RIM honestly believes they can simply remove the trackball and replace it with a touch interface, but leave the option key there so you still have to traverse menus and options, then are dumber than I thought possible. I’d expect such stupidity from Microsoft, but not RIM. Guess I was wrong.
Do you know why people hate Windows Mobile so much? Because it’s basically Windows on a tiny screen. Which doesn’t make sense. The same navigation you use on a personal computer isn’t the best method of navigation on a tiny portable device. Varying devices are better suited to varying methods of user input.
RIMs method works well for a dial button. It’s less great with a trackball. And with a touch interface, it’s going to be a nightmare. You’re telling me someone has to press the menu key while in an application, then use their finder to scroll a list, and then depress I guess, the choice option they want? That’s insanely stupid.
In the iPhone, the concept of your mail folders as a page which can be flicked around is brilliant. The option to go back as a button at the top on the left side to go back to the left is simple to understand. It’s in your plain view. You get it just by looking at the interface. When you get a phone call, floating options arise as the phone rings so you see the choices available. There is no option menu to go to see what options are available. Hmm… Do I want to answer this call, or put them on hold since I am on the phone? Let me go to the option and see if I can find answer, and place current on hold. That’s too much… You want the phone to ring, and choices to pop right up. You don’t need to look for them.
This is what happens when you play follow the leader. RIM is not thinking about how to make a great phone. They are simply in copy mode, and that leaves you two steps behind all the time, and validates your competitor as being the true innovator.
Alex Alexzander
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Didn’t Verizon just say that they are going to open their network to all phones? Why then would they lock this phone to their network. It makes no sense for them to do that after they unlock their network to other phones…
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Are you retarded?
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No Jon….you are!
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They really need to have a touch screen, but keep the qwerty keyboard for quicker typing. The trackball is ok but could be improve. And while there at it improve their calendar.
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BB will never make a phone like this the QWERTY keypad is their trademark and that is what gives BB phones the edge over the iphone..however, they can make a phone with a QWERTY keypad and a touchscreen
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no BS, sweet handheld…going to kill the iphone…and it’s not going to be called Thunder…being changed agaim
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