RIM Has Another Storm Brewing
NEW YORK (
) -- On its third try,
Research In Motion
(RIMM)
may have finally nailed the Storm 3.
RIM's agonizing effort to catch up with its touchscreen rivals like
Apple's
(AAPL) - Get Apple Inc. Report
iPhone and
Motorola's
(MOT)
Droids has produced a few duds over the past three years, including the Storm, Storm 2 and arguably the new Torch.
|
But a leaked photo from
BerryReview
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shows a touch-screen BlackBerry that RBC analyst Mike Abramsky identifies as the Storm 3. The significance of the sighting is no minor deal for investors who have grown impatient waiting for RIM to get its touchscreen game going.
"Unlike the
, this touch-screen BlackBerry appears as a leap forward from prior generations, featuring a 3.7-inch high-resolution touchscreen and 8GB internal memory," Abramsky wrote in a research Tuesday, which he based on sources and market chatter.
The Storm 3 has no keyboard and has been described as ultrathin. Another encouraging sign: the Storm 3 appears to have a conventional touchscreen, said Abramsky. This would mean that RIM has finally ditched the flawed, floating click-screen that defined previous editions of the Storm.
Abramsky also speculates that the Storm 3 has a beefed-up
Qualcomm
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Snapdragon processor, nearly double the capacity of the Torch.
Investors were encouraged by
RIM's blowout performance
last week with the release of its strong August quarter numbers. But despite the positive international expansion, the company has
to the iPhone and Android phone challenge.
Unlike the under-powered Torch, the so-called Storm 3 represents the promise BlackBerry loyalists have been banking on.
RIM shares were up 2% to $46.08 in early trading Tuesday.
--Written by Scott Moritz in New York.>To contact this writer, click here: Scott Moritz, or email: scott.moritz@thestreet.com.To follow Scott on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/TheStreet_Tech.>To send a tip, email: tips@thestreet.com.
