BlackBerry reveals its touch-screen offering

Research in Motion have released the BlackBerry Storm, joining a growing list of companies that have realized there’s money to be made with touch-screen mobile devices after seeing the worldwide success of Apple iPhones.

The BlackBerry Storm is expected to be available before Christmas through Verizon in the US and Vodafone in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand.

There’s no word yet on when it’ll be available in the Middle East with Khaled Kefel, director of sales for the Middle East at Research In Motion, promising that: "We will keep you posted when RIM releases further information about plans for Storm in this market.”

One of the main differences of the Storm, when compared to other touch-screen rivals, is that its screen incorporates a ‘clickable’ interface, causing it to depress slightly when touched.

It also features a 3.2 megapixel camera, a video camera, a media players and GPS functionality that complements the BlackBerry Maps application.News of the Storm follows successive touch-screen releases from Google (T-Mobile G1) and Nokia (5800 XpressMusic) that are keen to mimic the success of the Apple iPhone. However, the first touch-screen smartphone to hit the region is the HTC Touch Viva, which is now available in the UAE for AED 1,299.