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Tuesday, July 29, 2008, 03:45 pm
RIM's iPhone rival rumored for October with Rhapsody tie-in
Blackberry maker Research In Motion is reported to be readying Thunder, its answer to Apple's iPhone, for an October release alongside a partnership with Real's Rhapsody music service.Also known as the Blackberry 9500, the new device will reportedly sport a 480x320 touch-screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, and a MicroSD memory expansion slot.
Photos of the device (below) recently published by BlackberrySync show four physical buttons -- Call, BlackBerry menu, Back, and End -- below the screen.
Other user interaction will take place on the phone's touch-screen through an interface that closely resembles the iPhone's embedded version of Mac OS X, complete with a five-icon dock anchored to the base of the home screen.
Also like the iPhone, the Thunder will feature a landscape mode for watching movies and other videos captured through its built in camera. However, it's unlikely to compete directly with the Apple handset from the onset.
A report published Tuesday by Fudzilla has the device launching in the US exclusively with Verizon on October 8th, standing as the CDMA carriers' best shot at retaining subscribers ultimately seeking an iPhone-like experience. There are rumors, however, that the device will also feature GSM technology for roaming in Europe and a possible partnership with Verizon partner Vodafone.
As part of its US launch plans with Verizon, RIM has also reportedly sealed a deal that will allow the Thunder to download music tracks from Real's Rhapsody music service over the air, without the need for a WiFi connection.
In the weeks leading up to the June 9th iPhone 3G launch, it was reported that Apple was seeking a similar arrangement by which iTunes customers could download tracks over AT&T's 3G network.
The negotiations with labels, which were said to be in the early stages, also included talk of ringback tones and expanding the inventory of iTunes tracks available for conversion into ringtones.
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Previous Comments View All
OK, RIM . . . where is the G**damned physical keyboard you said was so crucial for mobile communication? WHERE IS IT, you f*cktards? You said Apple would never survive without a whole basketful of your little chicklet keys on the iPhone, so which molehill came to which mountain here, huh?
God, but the hypocrisy is running wild in Canada this time of year.
Got anger?
OK, RIM . . . where is the G**damned physical keyboard you said was so crucial for mobile communication? WHERE IS IT, you f*cktards? You said Apple would never survive without a whole basketful of your little chicklet keys on the iPhone, so which molehill came to which mountain here, huh?
God, but the hypocrisy is running wild in Canada this time of year.
This is one model out of how many? Surely RiM wants to compete with the the consumer-based iPhone, which is why they have added a music store to the Thunder, but that doesn't mean that they are foregoing keyboards in the rest of their handsets.
Actually, icfireball, yes . . . lots of it here. Having been at the forefront of innovation and pioneering new technologies for the past 25 years, I have very--VERY--little tolerance for those who will not acknowledge when a new approach or idea flies in their faces. Research in Motion has been more than a little "haughty" (to understate the situation) since Apple introduced the iPhone touch keyboard, denegrating it at every twist and turn of their press releases. NOBODY WILL WANT THAT, they screamed. HOW STUPID, they ejaculated. And yet here they are doing everything in their power to roll out an exact (or almost) copy of the iPhone's best features. What bloated egos Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis have! Steve Ballmer must be so proud of them. Truth is, however, that hubris is always rewarded with a mighty fall. It couldn't happen to two "nicer" guys here.
Wow. No wonder Jobs gets pissed at these guys. For years RIM does practically nothing. Along comes iPhone. Just about everyone copies it. For those who denies that its not copying, please give us a break. Basically this tell you that RIM is basically riding off the R&D work that Apple has done already. Pathetic.
Wow. No wonder Jobs gets pissed at these guys. For years RIM does practically nothing. Along comes iPhone. Just about everyone copies it. For those who denies that its not copying, please give us a break. Basically this tell you that RIM is basically riding off the R&D work that Apple has done already. Pathetic.
Ain't it the truth. But then we knew it would happen. RIM stands most to loose in the short term and to be quite honest I am impressed at how fast they have responded. I have no idea about comparisons. I suppose they don't have, and will struggle to re-create, the iPhone ecosystem, but these guys are fighting for their lives. They may still be strong, but unless they take up the fight they will go the way of Palm. The strategy is: Make something that looks and feels like the iPhone - maybe not in depth but on the surface at least. Now all the IT managers that already have a vested interest in RIM can tell their iPhone craving corporates that no, we can't do iPhone but this is just as good (they may actually say "even better"). If you aren't a diehard Apple person you may look at the Thunder and think yeah, this is pretty good. RIM has not only stemmed the tide but possibly increased their sales dramatically.
RIM should be paying Apple a development and marketing license.
um...Rhapsody sucks. I hate all products by Real Player...they're intrusive, badly designed, and they cater more to advertisements than to end users.
I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me that Apple will be ready to hit RIM with Patent infringement lawsuits. Honestly, how much more obvious can they be with their copy of the iphone?
Again these companies think by copying the share look and feel is enough, they are mission the bigger picture,
How many product will this, along with the Samsung, and LG products will plug and play with the thousands of product expanders that exist for the iPod/iPhone. The number is small, a few allow for aux audio in but they will not allow all the control or charging the iPod/iPhone products offer.
So these people will buy these go to the store and see all these other products that support the iPod/iPhone eco-system and realize the dumb mistake they made
I own and love my iPhone and think that the competition is great.
The fact that every other phone maker out there has slammed the no keyboard approach and has eventually put out a version with no keyboard is nothing but a compliment to Apple. Their negative marketing SHOULD be expected to protect their own sales.
Competition will only make the iPhone a better product and maybe we'll even get copy & paste, turn by turn navigation with GPS and voice calling all of which RIM and many other phone manufacturers have had for years built in without having to buy a application from iTunes to make it happen.
Time to kick it up a notch Apple the competition is catching up!
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OK, RIM . . . where is the G**damned physical keyboard you said was so crucial for mobile communication? WHERE IS IT, you f*cktards? You said Apple would never survive without a whole basketful of your little chicklet keys on the iPhone, so which molehill came to which mountain here, huh?
God, but the hypocrisy is running wild in Canada this time of year.