Most analysts believe the Storm will be equally priced to the 8 GB iPhone at the very least, but its realistic to see it at a $99 or $150 price point. The goal is to move some serious units during the holiday season, but for that to happen, Verizion needs to actually release the Storm first. [Techland]

RIM's take on an app store is much less ambitious than Apple's for one fatal reason: the store will be run on the carrier's side, which will give your mobile provider the chance to veto an app even after it's been approved by RIM. The apps — and this is pretty weird — are actually downloaded through the device's browser, as the App Center is only able to search, monitor and delete programs from the device. Yeah, that's right: the App Center program can't directly install apps.
The interface looks clean and simple, and its different behaviors remind me more of Linux's many package managers than of Apple's App Store. That similarity extends even further with the odd choice of using the green install/update/delete radio buttons from popular open source Debian/Gnome package manager Synaptic. CrackBerry expects to hear more about this at BlackBerry's October 20th Developer Conference, and they're probably right. [CrackBerry]

• 7.2 mbps HSDPA/UMTS (2100/1900/850 MHz)
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• 1GB of memory, 192MB RAM
• 1400 mAhr battery. Standby time: 528 hours
• MicroUSB port
• MicroSD and MicroSDHC expandable up to 8GB
• 3.2 megapixel camera, flash, 2.5x digital zoom, auto focus, and image stabilization
• Video capture. Normal mode (480×320) and MMS mode (176×144)
• Assisted GPS - Enhanced version of GPS that performs at a faster speed

[BlackBerry News]

CrackBerry also reiterates the past bit that it'll be a glass multi-touch screen with dual tactile feedback—it pushes in just a bit like a giant button and has localized haptics (it vibrates where you push it). However, the BlackBerry button will still be in heavy use to navigate around the OS. No further info on the delayed/not delayed spat, or on the name. We've heard that its carrier name is actually Storm. [CrackBerry]

The UI has serious scrolling lag and blinks, there's a significant delay after every keypress and the accelerometer goes "bonkers" when you move the phone.

Apparently BGR's source says the phone "won’t be ready for at least another 4-5 months." And, most damningly, people who've got their mitts on it think "it’s a joke.” Real information, or scurrilous rumors? Impossible to say, but BlackBerrry fans may be disappointed by what sounded at first like a good device. Still, those four to five months will give RIM time to work on the firmware. [BGR]

Update: Over at Crackberry they're challenging this rumor, with details from their own insider ninjas. They say "RIM is seriously ramping up the pace of work on the Thunder, which could account for the recent rush of leaks."

They also confirm a number of details about the phone: it does have haptics (that don't work as described in the BGR article,) a full QWERTY keyboard, SureTrue text entry and a glass screen. Plus there's big news: it's got multitouch. Apparently feeling pressure from the iPhone 3G, RIM are "putting serious effort into accelerating the Thunder." Does that mean they'll have ironed out the alleged wrinkles by the time the machine hits the street? I'm betting yes.

You can use either the full QWERTY or SureType keyboard. But, SureType is for portrait mode, and QWERTY is for landscape. Supposedly you can use either one anytime, but if you only want to use QWERTY, you're going to be holding your phone sideways a lot. One thing that isn't confirmed yet is whether or it's multi-touch (we hope it is). It does use WebKit for the web browser engine (same as Safari), so if there's multi-touch, the browsing experience will be similar to the iPhone's.

We won't know whether this really adds up to the best touch keyboard ever until we put our hands on it, but it's pretty reasonable to believe this is one area RIM won't be cutting corners. [Crackberry]

[BlackBerry Sync]

The Boy Genius has a bunch of new details on the upcoming touchscreen BlackBerry, including the interesting tidbit that it'll be a lifetime exclusive on Verizon in the US and Vodafone in Europe. It'll have a mere four physical keys and will run on 3G EV-DO Rev. C as well as GSM HSPA for international use. No word on when this thing is going to drop, or whether or not anyone who uses a Blackberry will allow a physical QWERTY keyboard to be pried from their grip, but we'll keep you updated.

Oh, and that image above is merely a mock-up of what a touchscreen BlackBerry might look like, not an actual product rendering.

"Excuse me, do these effectively hide my thunder?" [Boy Genius]