Blackberry Thunder

Crackberry is reporting that the upcoming BlackBerry Thunder touchscreen phone is going to use a haptic keyboard. This should be an awesome (and likely spendy) phone when it comes out.

I'm probably in the minority when I say that I don't really see this phone as "true" competition for the iPhone. To me, they're both in different spaces, servicing somewhat different needs.

While I am rooting for Android also, there is something to be said about products from companies that control both the hardware and the software platform. That's why I think that RIM and Apple are going to be the players offering the most compelling products in the smartphone space.

You can slap a lot of lipstick on Windows Mobile and release a nice phone like the Sony Xperia, Samsung Instinct or HTC Diamond, but in the end, you're still stuck with an OS that sees phone functionality as an afterthought.

My HTC Excalibur (aka T-Mobile Dash) is a prime example - it has a great form factor with more than decent build quality, but you can always count on the OS to ruin the overall experience.