BBerry Storm Sequel Photos

The first of Research in Motion's next-wave touchscreen BlackBerries has been spotted tonight in photos from a reliable source. The images from CrackBerry show a device similar to the BlackBerry Storm but in a noticeably sleeker profile and with styling cues on the back and sides not unlike the Driftwood (also known as the Onyx). They also reveal that the camera will remain at the same 3.2 megapixels as before, however, implying a conservative upgrade.

Whether other traits of the original Storm will persist, such as its Verizon exclusivity in the US, its omission of Wi-Fi, or its unusual click-down touchscreen, is still an uncertainty.

The appearance signals a quick turnaround in touchscreen devices for RIM, which committed to the original Storm chiefly due to pressure from Verizon for a touchscreen smartphone to compete with the iPhone. RIM has never provided definite shipment figures for the Storm outside of the 1 million mark at Verizon in January, but has regularly said it's pleased with the performance of the device and shipped a record 7.8 million BlackBerries in early 2009 based partly on the Storm's contribution.

By Electronista Staff