By Grant Shepherd

SYDNEY, NSW: In order to compete with the likes of Apple and HTC, Research In Motion has introduced the BlackBerry Storm2 to the Australian market. The next iteration of the company’s first touch screen device is said to feature significantly improved technology and capabilities.

RIM launched the original BlackBerry Storm towards the end of 2008. In a first for the company, the device saw the removal of the famous BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard and instead opted for a new touch screen format.

Adele Beachley, managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Reserach In Motion, said that the second generation Storm smartphone features an improved BlackBerry touch screen platform with new technology and new features.

“The BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone, with its next generation SurePress technology and large, brilliant display, gives users a unique and powerful touch screen experience,” she said.

“In addition to enjoying the many advanced communication and multimedia capabilities of the new BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone, users can also choose from a broad range of free mobile applications following the recent introduction of BlackBerry App World in Australia.”

The new SurePress technology featured in the Storm2 is based on an electronic system that provides the user with tactile feedback when the touch screen is pressed. According to Beachley, typing on the handset’s virtual keyboard is easier than ever.

“The new SurePress technology also allows users to type a letter with one thumb even while their other thumb may be still touching or resting on another letter, enabling faster typing and multi-key actions such as Shift or Alt-key combinations,” she said.

The BlackBerry Storm2 features a 3.25-inch capacitive touch display, 3.2-megapixel camera, 256 megabytes of flash memory, 2 gigabytes of onboard storage, 3.5-millimetre stereo headset jack, built-in GPS for maps and location based applications, and BlackBerry OS 5.

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