RIM launches BlackBerry Storm2

RIM hopes the Storm2 will prove a more serious rival for the iPhone

Research In Motion (RIM) has officially unveiled the BlackBerry Storm2, the successor to its first touch-screen handset, adding Wi-Fi capability and improvements to the tactile feedback for its display.

Available in the UK later this month from Vodafone, the BlackBerry Storm2 features a capacitive touch-screen with new SurePress technology that provides tactile feedback when the display is pressed.

As well as quad-band GSM and HSPA, the new Storm also adds 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, a capability lacking in the original Storm launched last year. It also has GPS for maps and other location-based applications.

The original Storm was rushed to market as RIM's answer to the touch-driven Apple iPhone, but many users found fault with the device, particularly with the clickable display mechanism.

With the Storm2, RIM is hoping to fix many of these issues, especially with SurePress, which uses an electronic pulse to provide feedback rather than the actual screen moving.

The new handset also comes with access to BlackBerry App World, RIM's online application store.

It also ships with BlackBerry OS 5, in which the BlackBerry Browser is improved with faster JavaScript and CSS processing and support for Google Gears and BlackBerry Widgets.

For enterprise customers, the new BlackBerry works with enhanced features in BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5, including the ability to remotely access Windows file shares, manage Microsoft Exchange email folders from the BlackBerry, and set follow-up flags as users can in Outlook.

The new Storm2 has 256MB of Flash memory, plus 2GB of storage and a microSD slot supporting Flash cards up to 16GB. It also has a 3.2-megapixel camera and a removable 1400mAh battery providing six hours of talk time on 3G networks and 280 hours on standby, according to RIM.

Vodafone said that it will offer the BlackBerry Storm2 free with 24-month contracts from £35 per month. These include 600 minutes talk-time, unlimited BlackBerry Internet Service, unlimited text messaging, and unlimited access to Vodafone Mobile Internet.