Vodafone and Research In Motion (RIM) have launched BlackBerry Storm2, the second generation of its touch screen smartphone, in seven European countries as well as South Africa.
RIM will introduce the new Storm2 in the UK and Ireland through Vodafone, and it will be offered exclusively by Vodafone in Germany, Netherlands and Spain. It is also expected to be made available in France, Italy and South Africa in time for Christmas.
The companies said that the new Storm2 with BlackBerry OS 5 evolves the touch-screen platform with new hardware and software enhancements. It comes with a new SurePress technology based on an electronic suspension system that provides the user with feedback when the touch-screen is pressed. It also allows users to type a letter with one thumb even while the other thumb may still touch or rest on another letter.
The BlackBerry Storm2 has a smooth design with sloped edges, chrome accents, glass lens and a stainless steel backplate. It comes with a 3.2MP camera, 256MB of flash memory, 2GB onboard memory storage, a microSD/SDHD memory card slot, a 3.5mm stereo headset jack, built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications.
In addition, the new Storm2 has the UMTS/HSPA (2100Mhz), quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) connectivity, Enterprise Server support and provides access to BlackBerry App World, featuring a catalog of mobile applications. It also includes desktop manager for both PCs and Macs, and Media Sync for syncing iTunes.
Reportedly, the pricing will be announced by the individual in-country operating companies. Vodafone UK will be offering the Strom2 free of charge with £35 per month on a 24-month contract that includes 600 minutes talk-time, unlimited BlackBerry internet service, unlimited text messaging, as well as unlimited access to VMI (Vodafone Mobile Internet) and broadband, the companies said.
