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The most obvious response to the iPhone made its presence official today, with RIM's launch of their much-hyped and much advertised Blackberry Storm. Initially only available through Verizon, RIM's new touch-screen Blackberry doesn't compromise on features, coming with an impressive array of functions from GPS functionality and a default of 9GB storage (with 1GB of internal memory plus an 8GB microSD card) to Office document editing and movie playback.

Unlike the iPhone, however, this device is not aimed at “enthusiasts” per se – it's still a device that they are pitching for business use, ideal for corporate communication. Like all other Blackberry devices it is designed to be coupled with Blackberry Enterprise Server and company email. Still, one cannot overlook the similarities the device has to the iPhone. Clearly RIM has seen the demand for a sleek, high-res touch screen device and wanted to respond.

RIM has made a lot of improvements to their Blackberry series as a whole since the launch of the iPhone. Even though their niche is primarily in business, they obviously have intentions of extending their reach to the consumer market as well and see Apple as a potential threat in both segments.