BlackBerry Storm with Clickable Touchscreen Keyboard Will Officially Launch This Fall

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Verizon Wireless, Vodafone and Research In Motion released the news that the BlackBerryStorm will
be available later this fall, exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers in the
U.S. and Vodafone customers in Europe, India, Australia and New
Zealand.

The BlackBerry Storm smartphone combines the powerful communications
features, global connectivity and personal productivity advantages of the
BlackBerry platform with a touchscreen technology that enhances the touch interface and enables easy and precise typing.
The world's first "clickable" touchscreen responds much like a
physical keyboard and also supports single-touch, multi-touch and
gestures for intuitive and efficient application navigation. 
Other features include an accelerometer, full HTML web browsing, 3.2
megapixel camera, GPS, auto -light adjustment, 3.25" screen,  (480
x 360), 1 gigabyte of storage and room for more with a microSD.

 

In the U.S., Verizon Wireless customers can use Verizon's high-speed 3G Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A
(Rev. A) In
Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand, Vodafone will support customers with
its high-speed 3G mobile broadband networks and the power and reach of the
world's leading international mobile communications group.

Touch and Feel Clickable to the Touch

The BlackBerry Storm smartphone comes with an innovative
touchscreen that actually depresses ever so slightly when the screen is
pressed.  The user distinctly feels the screen being pressed and released with a
gentle "click," similar to the feeling of a key on a physical keyboard or a
button on a mouse. The "clickable" touch-screen gives the user positive
confirmation that they have made a selection and the result is a dramatically
enhanced touch interface and a highly-intuitive typing experience. 

In addition to the familiar navigation keys ("phone," "menu"
and "escape") that are common to other BlackBerry smartphones, the new
BlackBerry Storm adds support for multi-touches, taps, slides and other
touch-screen gestures, so customers can easily highlight, scroll, pan and zoom
for smooth navigation.

The BlackBerry Storm smartphone also features a built-in
accelerometer, allowing its touch-screen to automatically switch between
landscape mode and portrait mode as the user rotates the handset - RIM's
SureType keyboard layout is available in portrait mode and a full QWERTY*
keyboard layout is available in landscape mode.   Other relevant features, such
as cut and paste, are only a touch away for the ultimate smartphone
experience.

Browsing is Fast and Easy

Customers will enjoy a full HTML high-performance browser
that works in either portrait or landscape orientation.  Navigating Web sites is
fast and easy with the touch-screen interface that lets users double tap to zoom
in and slide their fingers to scroll and pan. 

Icons along the bottom of the display allow for quickly
accessing Web sites, switching between "Page View" and "Column View" as well as
the ability to toggle between "Pan" mode and "Cursor" mode.  The enhanced
browser supports file downloading, streaming audio and video (RTSP), and with
its built-in RSS support, new content from supported Web sites can be
automatically pushed to the user.

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Staying Connected

The BlackBerry Storm smartphone brings the full power of the
industry's leading mobile e-mail and messaging solution without compromise. It
supports personal and corporate e-mail and text (SMS), picture (MMS) and instant
(IM) messaging on the most prevalent consumer and enterprise platforms, as well
as easy access to popular social networking sites.

BlackBerry Storm Specs

The BlackBerry Storm smartphone, available from Verizon
Wireless and Vodafone, also includes the following features and
functions:

• BlackBerry® Internet Service, BlackBerry® Unite!, BlackBerry®
Professional Software and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support

• Preloaded DataViz® Documents to Go® allows users to edit
Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset

• 3.2 megapixel camera with variable zoom, auto focus and a powerful
flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video

• Built-in GPS supports location-based applications and services, as well as geotagging of photos

• 1 GB of onboard memory storage and a microSD™/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB of additional storage

• Media player that can play movies smoothly in full-screen mode,
display pictures and slideshows quickly and manage an entire music
collection; playlists can be created directly on the handset and
there's an equalizer with 11 preset filters - including "Lounge,"
"Jazz" and "Hip Hop" - for customized audio ranges when using wired
headphones or external speakers

• A 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, support for Bluetooth® stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) and dedicated volume controls

• Sleek, elegant design with contoured corners, stainless steel back
and chrome accents surrounding its large (3.25") glass lens; its
exceptional 480 x 360 resolution at 184 ppi is crisp and bright with
eye-pleasing clarity

• An ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts backlighting
for ideal screen viewing and an accelerometer that allows customers to
view applications in either portrait or landscape mode by simply
rotating the handset

• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides
approximately six hours of talk time on 3G networks and 15 days of
standby.

Additional details related to availability and pricing will
be announced in the coming weeks.  To learn more or register to be notified when
the BlackBerry Storm is available, visit www.blackberry.com/storm,
www.verizonwireless.com/storm or www.vodafone.co.uk/storm.