BlackBerry Thunder 9500 surfaces, taking on iPhone 3G

[Technoboy]

Wow, seems the iPhone is out for a tough fight this time round. Check this from Blackberry out of nowhere. I guess they were right when they said 5 more devices for this year.


The full touch-based BlackBerry Thunder 9500 has been awash in rumors online. Now several official photos have leaked to prove that the Thunder is a real deal and it will boast a spanking new Blackberry Touch UI OS.

If you have accidentally felt that you may be riding the tech wave with your super latest high tech mobile phone, RIM might just be able to prove you wrong. While we are still waiting for an official announcement, meet the BlackBerry Thunder.

The BlackBerry Thunder 9500 will run on a new Blackberry OS that's fully touch-centric and will sport a 2.5" 65K color touchscreen TFT display with 360 x 480 pixels resolution. Most importantly it will be a hybrid device, working in GSM and EV-DO networks supporting EDGE/HSDPA and built-in GPS.

http://i.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/08/07/bb-thunder/gsmarena_001.jpg http://i.gsmarena.com/vv/newsimg/08/07/bb-thunder/gsmarena_002.jpg

Interestingly enough, those press-grade photos leak just days before the Apple iPhone 3G release in what seems to be a Blackberry PR attempt to dissuade some potential iPhone 3G customers.

And indeed, it looks like Apple iPhone 3G has got a tough competitor in the face of the BlackBerry Thunder. The latter will run a carrier music store which is similar to the iPhone's iTunes store and will allow users to purchase songs directly from their device.

Internet browsing on BlackBerry Thunder will be significantly improved to match the superb Safari browser in the iPhone. We hope the Thunder will also sport the sweet auto screen rotation feature as well - it's all about accelerometers these days.

The feature-rich device will probably run on the 624 MHz CPU known from the recently announced Blackberry Bold.

The BlackBerry Thunder 9500 will be exclusively available for Verizon and Vodafone customers but its pricing and availability are not confirmed by a reliable source.

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/blackberry_thunder_9500_surfaces_taking_on_iphone_ 3g-news-542.php

Too bad it's networked locked like the iPhone. So what do you guys think?

[dehyah]

Similar screen resolution to that of Samsung Omnia.Whew!...interesting year for smartphones and the android hasn't yet touched base.In the near future smartphones will be everybody's commodity.

[Technoboy]

Similar screen resolution to that of Samsung Omnia.Whew!...interesting year for smartphones and the android hasn't yet touched base.In the near future smartphones will be everybody's commodity.

Well, the Android itself is not a phone, it's an operating system. So, it's pretty much up to anyone who signed up to release a phone based on Android.

[dtgo]

i dunno abt this phone yet . lets see what the rest of the specs are all about after all this phone was a roumour so the facts are not str8

[hirky]

I really like the look of this phone, its about time berry launch a touch screen interface, I would really like to see the full specs though

[Jamafia]

this is a most buy, mi rate BB dem, when is it releasing

[Technoboy]

UPDATE:

According to the leading BB news source, Boy Genius Report (http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/07/09/blackberry-thunder-not-quite-ready-for-primetime/), The Thunder is not quite up to par or near ready for primetime yet:



http://www.boygeniusreport.com/wp-content/uploads/thunderdown.jpg

That’s what one of our RIM ninjas are telling us! We’ve got the scoop on the BlackBerry Thunder, and contrary to most reports, we’ve been told that the unit is nowhere near being able to enter production, let alone being released. Here’s a quote: “Thunder is in no way shape or form market-ready. If Bold was any indication, Thunder won’t be ready for at least another 4-5 months.” Our source goes on to tell us that the keyboard is incredibly annoying to type on, and the screen actually shows ripples even when pressed ever-so-lightly. There is an accelerometer in here, but it goes “bonkers” when the device is moved. In its current state, the UI blinks and lags when you try to scroll, and for every key press, you have to wait half a second until you get a response. Our guy, when talking about haptic feedback, said that the screen “clicks.” We were informed there are “buttons” on each corner, so when you press the screen, you might feel one click, two clicks, or four simultaneously. We’re told these four independant buttons actually press, so you do “click” the screen. RIM implemented a touch-and-drag approach which is the only way to select on screen buttons at this point. We were also told this was the latest build of the software, and to quote him, “Most of the people who have handled it thinks it’s a joke.”

[hv_thugg]

hmm black berry still fighting to come with somthing good well i wish them all the best

[derk]

Well only time will tell what BlackBerry has in store for us.

[Socrates]

yeh RIM is goin to enter the fight of their lives coz Steve Jobs lookin to take over the corporate market, n now that him integrate microsoft exchange w/ the 2.0 firmware many companies will b considerin the iPhizzle, dme better come good w/ this thunder maybe is a lightenin bolt dem rlly need.

[Black_Ace_Diamond]

well a like what a see so far how the features are as pretty

[majestic1]

we all now blackberry gonna outsell iphone and this phone is so hottt!

[Technoboy]

we all now blackberry gonna outsell iphone and this phone is so hottt!

Unfortunately I don't see this happening it won't be easy. And how you come you a love up the BB when in another thread you spoke against Touchscreen devices?

[Virus]

Can it play Doom, the real question???