黑莓将挑战Iphone

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We’ve seen a lot of so-called iphone killers come to market over the last year or so. And so far, none of these companies have actually killed the iphone. The latest device from Blackberry maker RIM is called the Storm. And this device also isn't going to put Apple out of business anytime soon. But it is the first in a long line of touch screen devices to bring something that's truly new and innovative to the table. The most compelling aspect of this phone is its clickable touch screen.

What this does is it actually lets you press down on the screen when you are tapping on an icon or trying to type out an email. You can actually press the keys, and it even makes a small kind of clicking noise. That kind of tactile feedback might seem like a minor feature. But this could be huge for corporate users in particular who spend a lot of time typing out emails on their BlackBerries and other smartphones. This is actually been one of the top complaints about the iphone, the lack of tactile feedback on iphone’s touch screen. That has made it a little bit difficult for some people to type out emails because they have to actually stare on the device as they are hitting the keys, to make sure that they hit the right key. In general, though the Storm falls short in some other areas. RIM is really trying to go after the broader consumer market, not just its core base of business users. And they still have a long way to go in meeting that goal. And this device does not come with, as mature of an Apstore as what you'll find on the iphone. The iphone has done a really good job of delivering all sorts of mobile applications, like navigation features, social networking features to its consumers. BlackBerry is also supposed to come out with the similar Apstore. But that's not going to be available until later next year.

So obviously, it’s still way too early to tell how that will pan out for the company. But RIM is really, really focused on broadening its devices out. That's why they’ve come out with flashier phones like the Storm, like a recently released flip phone, that they came out with the BlackBerry Pearl as well. But really, I think the Storm is going to appeal mostly to business users, the type of corporate users, who want the reliability of the BlackBerry’s email service but also want a touch screen. So it’s not the next iphone killer. But it does bring something really new and innovative to the table. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ll see more clickable touch screens on other devices in the future.