The first Blackberry stormed onto the scene in 1999, ushering in a new era in electronic "convergence" devices. Research In Motion originally intended the Blackberry as a sophisticated pager. But its native messaging system was so effective it earned an instant cult following to such an extent that Webster's New World College Dictionary named "crackberry" the "New Word of the Year".

RIM's latest BlackBerry, the Storm, is a serious attempt to usurp the victorious iPhone's grip on the number one selling mobile phone. RIM's partner on the Storm is Verizon, who is still reeling from its mistake of turning down Steve Jobs' iPhone as a carrier. If Verizon is trying to make amends for missing out on the iPhone, it's at least heading in the right direction with the Storm.

The Storm has a widescreen, touchscreen interface that offers many of the same features as the iPhone, but with some enhanced improvements on the touch screen display. The results of these "improvements" however, are mixed. Unlike the QWERTY keyboard, the onscreen buttons are unable to keep up with very fast typing. Classic Blackberry "thumbing" addicts will not be able to rattle off messages with equal speed or accuracy. The clickthrough interface is the result of RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis' idea of separating navigation from confirmation on a phone interface. But it takes a substantial amount of practice to get used to pushing the touch screen down until there is a "click" event, in stark contrast to the flowing interactivity one gets from the iPhone or LG's Vu. Moreover, the blue highlight that displays to confirm that a given button is active is difficult to see, simply because your finger was on it. Whether it will go down in history as a design boo-boo or a flat-out botch, remains to be seen.

Last and perhaps least, the Storm also lacks the predictive spelling assistant functions of the iPhone. If you're a lazy speller, the Storm doesn't offer you much of a safety net. The web browser renders HTML perfectly and quickly, with context sensitive page drag features enabling you to move around a given web page. The only gripe here is that form fields are a little tricky to fill out. While the browser earned high marks, the lack of Wi-Fi on the phone is quite a head scratcher. Though Verizon's EV-DO coverage is excellent, there are plenty of circumstances where Wi-Fi could come in handy.

Blackberry does get substantial credit for the sturdy, industrial design of the phone. The payoff for leaving the tactile key board and trademark trackball behind is a simpler, flat , 3.25 inch glass face that is unquestionably inspired by the i You-Know-What. Four familiar Blackberry keys lie at the bottom of the phone : Phone, Menu, Back, and End /Power. The phone also comes equipped with a mini USB key and 3.5 mm head phone jack. One possible downside of the design - is the issue of whether metal construction is superior to plastic. The Storm is encased in the latter, though as mentioned it does feel extremely solid in the hand.

All in all, "Crackberry" connoisseurs will miss the tactile key pad and trackball. But the flat screen, click through technology of this smartphone, coupled with excellent Verizon service coverage will keep the RIM and Blackberry well positioned in the cell phone races.