Verizon's Launch of the BlackBerry Storm2 Could Be Delayed

According to rumor, Verizon is going to formally announce its plans for the BlackBerry Storm2 tomorrow. However, problems with the device may push back the actual release of this touchscreen-oriented smartphone.

RIM made the second-generation Storm official a week ago, and Verizon has made no secret of the fact that it's going to offer this model. Nevertheless, it has not revealed when it will introduce it.

Unconfirmed reports say that the reason for this odd behavior is that Verizon has run into problems with its version of the Storm2 -- problems that are going to push the debut back an unknown amount of time. This device has supposedly not yet been able to pass Verizon's internal tests, and engineers are still hard at work fixing bugs.

Getting It Right this Time
Apparently this wireless carrier does not plan to let history repeat itself -- the original BlackBerry Storm was launched before it was really ready, and was widely criticized for its excessive bugginess. The problems were cleared up later with a series of bug fixes, but the damage had been done, and this smartphone's reputation had been been set.

Rather than rushing this model out, Verizon appears to be holding on to the Storm2 until it's ready.

New Images Leak
Adding weight to the reports that Verizon is going to make an announcement tomorrow is an accidental slip-up that put a Flash demo of this BlackBerry on this carrier's website today.

This has since been removed, but it was online long enough to give the world a number of new images of the Storm2.

An Overview of the BlackBerry Storm2
The second-generation Storm will greatly resemble its predecessor, but with a change in the way the touchscreen works, the inclusion of Wi-Fi, and more internal storage.

Like its predecessor, it will have a 3.2-inch, 480-by-360-pixel display. It will be exactly the same size as the current model, and weigh just slightly more. 

The original version of this smartphone uses a system in which the entire screen moves slightly on a pivot point when an on-screen button is pushed. This set up wasn't popular, and has been modified in the new model. The screen will still move slightly when pressed on, but on a system of activators behind the display.

The BlackBerry Storm has support for mobile broadband but not Wi-Fi. The follow-up model will remedy this, and include both Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A and Wi-Fi. And from now on this will be the rule, not the exception -- RIM promises that all its future CDMA devices will have Wi-Fi.

In addition, the Storm2 will include 2 GB of storage, while its predecessor has just 1 GB.

There will also be a number of other smaller changes. For example, the buttons on the front are now part of the touchscreen.

This smartphone will ship with BlackBerry OS 5.0, and include a suite of productivity and entertainment applications. Naturally, this includes RIM's Push e-mail system, a web browser, and video and music apps.

It will also have a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS receiver, and a microSD card slot.

Not Just Verizon
Unlike Verizon, Vodafone has officially announced that it will release this model in seven European countries as well as South Africa. It will be coming soon to the U.K., Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. It will also be available in France, Italy, and South Africa in time for Christmas.