BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is launching a new version of its touchscreen Storm smartphone, marking its latest move in the fight with Apple's iPhone. The Storm2, as the device is known, is “a biggie for us,” RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said in an interview. The smartphone retains the original Storm's clickable touchscreen interface, but improves upon it with faster typing and “multitouch” capabilities, which allow users to type on more than just one part of the screen at a time. The phone is enabled for next-generation networks and also has Wi-Fi capability like some of the other devices in the BlackBerry lineup. The announcement isn't a complete surprise: Balsillie first said in May that a new version of the Storm was in the works, given the “huge success” of the original smartphone. Apple is expanding the its smartphone's availability by offering it to a bigger number of wireless carriers. This means RIM has found itself forced to fight for previously uncontested territory.
