BlackBerry Storm 2.0 in Works; High Hopes over 1.0

Not entirely impressed with that BlackBerry Storm you picked up earlier this year? Well, don't get too depressed -- BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) recently revealed that a new version of the multimedia device is already in the works.

RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie (the prominent executive known for his attempts to move American hockey teams north of the border) recently confirmed to Reuters that a new version of the Storm is already in development.

According to Balsillie, sales of the Storm were strong enough that the company believes there's a big market for devices that employ touchscreen technology and feature enough multimedia features to challenge Apple's super-popular iPhone. (Source: cnet.com)

Not Yet Ready for Prime Time

However, given that it's been only a few months since the Blackberry Storm launched, it could be that RIM realizes it hasn't yet constructed a serious challenge to Apple's ubiquitous handheld communicator. If you ask this author, the Storm has been a disappointment for RIM, and insiders for the company will likely say the same. (Source: informationweek.com)

Miserable Reviews Temper First Storm

CNET scored the original Storm a 3.5/5, but the 700-plus users who also reviewed the product pegged it, on average, around a 2.5/5. Put that in another perspective: few parents are happy with their kids when they hand over a report card full of D- grades, so it's understandable that RIM would want to fix the messy Storm before being grounded by consumers. (Source: cnet.com)

Thus, although it's clear there's room in the market for an iPhone challenger, RIM hasn't yet provided it. Enter Storm 2, which may very well receive an entirely different name to distance the newcomer from its somewhat disappointing predecessor.

Balsillie didn't provide any fine details about the new device, but it's a sure thing the company will try to construct a product free from the bugs and slowdown issues that plagued the Storm. Also, many tech editors and users complained the QWERTY keyboard was too cramped, a surprising issue given RIM's history of highly effective typing tools.