May 16th, 2008
Yet another "iPhone killer:" Blackberry's Thunder (updated)
Did you hear that John Mayer is cheating on Apple again? That’s right, Apple’s poster boy blogged that he’s using a Blackberry Bold. Not really surprising considering that RIM sponsored his 2007 tour. Note to Cupertino: send him a 3G iPhone, like, today.
Although RIM hasn’t said anything publicly about it, their current worst-kept secret is that they’re next-gen handset will have a touchscreen, just like iPhone. Code-named “Thunder” the new handset does away with a hardware keyboard completely and is due to arrive in Q3 2008 according to BGR.
BGR posted a mockup of the device (pictured) which is almost an exact knockoff of the iPhone design. It’s all screen and only has four buttons: send, end, BlackBerry and a back key. BGR also claims that it has 3G (EV-DO Rev. C) and GSM HSPA (for international use) and it will launch as a worldwide lifetime exclusive on Verizon and Vodafone.
Electronista is somewhat skeptical:
…the reported launch information also conflicts with some of Verizon’s existing and future plans. The company today operates a relatively slower EVDO Revision A service for data and has already announced plans to switch to Long Term Evolution (LTE) for its next-generation wireless network, dropping CDMA entirely in favor of a 700MHz 4G standard that it will likely share with AT&T, Vodafone, and other carriers that today use GSM.
Haven’t we seen enough alleged “iPhone killers” already? Yes we have. Witness the long line of wannabees, including: Samsung Instinct, HTC Touch, Verizon Voyager, Nokia Tube, Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, the list goes on. The one that could give iPhone a run for its money is Google’s Android mobile phone platform. I guess that competition is good in the end – it keeps Apple on their toes.
What are your thoughts? Is there a true iPhone killer out there?
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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