BlackBerry Storm
RIM’s BlackBerry Storm will try to better the interface of the iPhone as well as emulate it, a pair of leaks show. A BGR scoop shows that the cellphone maker’s first touch device will still include a copy-and-paste function despite the absence of typical controls; a multi-touch input lets users tap the ends of text to highlight the relevant sections; users can then refine where the text starts and copy it to paste it later.
The solution depends in part on the Storm’s use of a dedicated hardware menu button, which lets owners issue a copy command without having to perform additional gestures. The iPhone depends entirely on its touchscreen and to date doesn’t have a solution.
Additionally, the new BlackBerry will also reportedly serve as the debut of the BlackBerry Application Center, CrackBerry reveals. A rough equivalent to Apple’s iPhone App Store or Google’s Android Market, the service will act as a portal for third-party apps but will have its choices dictated by carriers rather than by the phone maker; they will host the content but use a central RIM server as a filter. The move will let carriers limit access to software they think would consume too much bandwidth or otherwise run against their policies, though it wouldn’t constitute an outright ban.
Category: Mobile