Research In Motion (RIM) will debut an upgradedBlackBerry Storm in September, SlashGear s reporting. According to “a source very close to the issue,” theStorm 2 will support Wi-Fi-a significant omission in the first-generation Storm, which debuted last fall on Verizon Wireless.
The report offers few Storm 2 details, but it’s likely that RIM will upgradethe Storm’s much-maligned SurePress click screen, which manyreviewers reported was sluggish and awkward to use. Since the Storm is RIM’sanswer to the iPhone, amediocre interface would likely be the first issue to address.
Recent rumours say the Storm 2 will also include a five-megapixelcamera, an upgraded display, and a screen keyboard that’s easier to type on.
A slide-out keyboard? Probably not. If Blackberry fans want a physicalkeyboard, they already have plenty of worthy options, including the Curve and the Pearl.
Despite its shortcomings, the Storm has proven very popular. It was the third bestselling consumer smart phone in the U.S. last quarter, according to marketresearch firm The NPD Group.
RIM seems to be making all the right moves now. The Storm’s sibling, themore traditional Curve, bumped the iPhone out of the top spot to becomeAmerica’s most popular smart phone in Q1 2009.