BlackBerry Storm gets copy/paste, app store

RIM's BlackBerry Storm will try to better the interface of the iPhone as well as emulate it, a pair of leaks show. A BGR scoop shows that the cellphone maker's first touch device will still include a copy-and-paste function despite the absence of typical controls; a multi-touch input lets users tap the ends of text to highlight the relevant sections; users can then refine where the text starts and copy it to paste it later.

The solution depends in part on the Storm's use of a dedicated hardware menu button, which lets owners issue a copy command without having to perform additional gestures. The iPhone depends entirely on its touchscreen and to date doesn't have a solution.

Additionally, the new BlackBerry will also reportedly serve as the debut of the BlackBerry Application Center, CrackBerry reveals. A rough equivalent to Apple's iPhone App Store or Google's Android Market, the service will act as a portal for third-party apps but will have its choices dictated by carriers rather than by the phone maker; they will host the content but use a central RIM server as a filter. The move will let carriers limit access to software they think would consume too much bandwidth or otherwise run against their policies, though it wouldn't constitute an outright ban.

The implementation is said to be intelligent and will show only compatible apps for the particular BlackBerry OS as well as let users delete apps without having to leave the Application Center. However, the initial implementation uses the phone's web browser as a conduit for the actual download and installation processes and so won't reload apps that were already running or resume interrupted downloads.

While copy-and-paste functionality is embedded into the Storm, no leaks have surfaced regarding the Application Center ahead of the launch and suggest the store may not appear in time with the expected launch of the Storm in the next few weeks with Verizon and Vodafone. The store is potentially due to appear at RIM's BlackBerry Developer Conference, which opens on the 20th.

Filed under: iPhone, industry, mobile phones, Apple
Other story tags: BlackBerry, Verizon, App Store, Vodafone, Storm