BlackBerry Storm 2 confirmed by RIM CEO
(Credit:
Corinne Schulze/CNET)
Research In Motion confirmed on Monday what many have speculated to be in the works: a BlackBerry Storm 2. While it may not ultimately be called the Storm 2, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie confirmed the news to Reuters, saying that sales of the BlackBerry Storm remain strong and that it's working on next-generation devices in the hopes of continuing to tap into the consumer market.
Balsillie did not provide any specifics about the device, other than to say that the Storm has been a success "in terms of sales and adoption" and that sales remain strong, which contributed to its decision to develop the line. The BlackBerry Storm was RIM's first touch-screen device and was quickly pegged as the company's (and Verizon Wireless') answer to the Apple iPhone.
Balsillie added that more than half of the company's 25 million subscribers now fall into the noncorporate category, and just today a report by The NPD Group revealed that the BlackBerry Curve 8300 series surpassed the iPhone 3G as the top-selling consumer smartphone in the United States. The BlackBerry Storm came in third and the BlackBerry Pearl came in fourth.
Yet, despite swift sales, the Storm received mixed reviews from the tech world and there were numerous customer complaints about buggy software and system failures. Currently, the Storm sits with a pretty lowly CNET user rating of 2.5 stars out of 5 based on 700 reviews, which begs the question: Should RIM stick to what it knows best and stay with the QWERTY/SureType messaging phones? It seems to be doing just fine with the Curve and Pearl series.
Bonnie Cha is a senior editor for CNET, covering smartphones and GPS. When she's not testing the latest gadgets, you can find her chasing after her crazy lab or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California. E-mail Bonnie. 

- by cardfan1212 May 5, 2009 7:18 AM PDT
- Doesn't sound like a Pre killer.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
-
- by Shaun822 May 5, 2009 8:27 AM PDT
- Doesn't sound like they need worry about that until the Pre shows up and actually does what it claims, something a lot of phones (including the Storm) have failed to do recently.
- Like this
-
- by iroq321 May 6, 2009 7:31 AM PDT
- way to early for a comment like this. first of all, the pre is not even out yet and second of all, there is absolutely no details on this storm 2...time will tell
- Like this
-
Showing 1 of 2 pages (71 Comments)