BlackBerry Storm 2 to drop click screen?
updated 11:15 am EDT, Wed April 8, 2009
BBerry Storm 2 Type Rumor
RIM's BlackBerry Storm sequel may unveil a significantly different input scheme, a Dutch spokesman for the company has said in an interview today. Responding to criticisms of the Storm's current typing method, RIM's Alain Segond von Banchet says the next Storm will use a different method for input.
He also stresses that the Storm revision is the only real major update planned in the Netherlands and that the touchscreen phone won't be an exclusive to Vodafone in Europe as it should sell on KPN in the country.
Both the carrier and input changes would represent major reversals of RIM's approach to the Storm. The device was originally envisioned as an iPhone rival specific to Vodafone and its American partner Verizon. It tried to address criticisms of touchscreen phones by using the click screen to replicate physical feedback but has been criticized for slowing down input by requiring more deliberate key presses and by adopting SureType for some typing, which relies on prediction and is more likely to be inaccurate.
It's not known how significantly the Storm will be changed, though future updates are largely confirmed to be in the works and should include models with 3G on North American HSPA carriers like AT&T and Rogers as well as the addition of Wi-Fi. [via Unwired View]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Dec 2005
contradict themselves
They touted the clicking-screen as a revolutionary input-method; and now they're being forced to admit it was a clunky dud. While it's a necessary admission, they only succeeded at undermining the credibility of their marketing and product design.