Is that a Touch Screen Blackberry Thunder in your pocket?

A touch screen Blackberry? So reports Channel Adviser and a heck of a lot of other sites too.

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) has kept details of its first-ever touch screen device close to the vest, but a storm of rumors swirled this week that the Waterloo, Ontario-based mobile device maker will soon add its own touch-screen device to rival the Apple iPhone.

The Thunder is expected to boom sometime in the third quarter and it will be sold exclusively through Verizon Wireless in the U.S. and Vodafone PLC elsewhere, the Wall Street Journal has reported, quoting RIM insiders.

I wonder just how a Blackberry would work without a keyboard of sorts. One of the primary reasons for the device popularity is that it DOES have a keyboard and that it’s nice and clickable. In fact, if you know anyone who’s a regular user, chances are they are a speed demon on their BB keyboard, whether it’s the smaller or regular qwerty layout.

The race-to-go-touch is, I think, rather strange, particularly in the context of a messaging device. The iPhone is lovely — but after a while, the touch interface began to really wind me up as I kept on having to ‘touch it’. I write on my Blackberry by gliding my fingers across the keys — as do a lot of people — with the iPhone you have to raise your fingers and press. Completely differnet than what I’m used to and rather crap when I’m trying to type fast.

Still, we’ll see, eh? Bring on the Blackberry Bold too. I talked to BB’s PR, Hotwire, here in the UK and we’ll hopefully get one to test when they launch.

(I liked the Wired Blackberry Thunder mock-up picture above. Nice work!)