A retailer taking pre-orders for phones that haven't even been announced is considered business as usual, but there's something just a little out of the ordinary with Horizon Wireless' listing for the alleged touchscreen superphone outta Waterloo, the
BlackBerry 9500 "Thunder" -- it's accompanied by a somewhat believable picture of the thing. Extreme blur always adds a healthy dose of credibility (we kid), but more importantly, the picture shows no telltale signs of being a render and looks essentially like what everyone's expecting it to look like. BlackBerry addicts who've been desperately fighting the urge to go to the
dark side, consider this your shot of willpower for the day.
[Thanks, Yasim M.]
posted May 31st 2008 12:24PM
WOW! It looks so cool!
Before someone starts calling names, I'm just going to clarify this comment by telling you I was being ironic: you can't see anything so who knows whether it looks cool.
Get it?
Well?
How 'bout it?
(20 mins later) ........Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh... wait still dont get it,
.......oh wait i got it now
Its actually more like 17 minutes later....
Actually the correct term is Sarcastic......not Ironic.
Fail!
@ Khris
Actually, you're wrong. Look it up. FAIL!
No, you're wrong.
I would highly advise people not to make purchases from such unscrupulous businesses, especially based in Quebec Canada. Another reason to stop by your local Apple store and make a confident purchase from a trustworthy vendor selling a superb phone.
iPhone > BB
Actually, it is ironic. One of the aspects of irony is the difference between what is said and what is meant. Sarcasm is that aspect of irony.
Wow, people really don't know their English very well, do they?
"sarcastic implies an intentional inflicting of pain by deriding, taunting, or ridiculing ."
"ironic implies an attempt to be amusing or provocative by saying usually the opposite of what is meant ."
--From Merriam Webster's Dictionary.
Triple FAIL!
That's a shame.
I hate it when people "know" something false to be true. It's a little pet peeve of mine.
@ iEye
Does anyone listen to you?
and this is important news why?
Engadget was never really into this "important" thing.
You serious? Possibly the first picture of RIM's first touchscreen device, and it's not "important" news?
It's so blurry it shows us next to nothing, so I'd say it's pretty insignificant.
I can make out the fact that the Touchscreen is not flush with rest of the phone.
That's what I hated about WinMo phones, but they fixed it! BB should have done the same. That is assuming that this phone is real.
Attack of the watermarks!
Note: looking at this image is hurting my eyes
iPhone killer?
As much as some might not like, the iPhone is and will continue to be a success because of it's integration with iTunes. The ability to sync directly with iTunes is a huge plus.
If Apple had never integrated "iPod" and iTunes into this phone, it would have just been another touch screen cell phone.
I don't see anyone killing this perfect combination.
Kill, no. Take a bite out of, perhaps.
Ya someone really needs to make some good software...MS has the best chance at this, but they are really screwing things up by not integrating everything with everything. They have so many different products on different platforms. Think, Zune + Windows Mobile + X360 + Windows Media Player devices....if they all used the same software hub, or service, this could really work. I mean the content providers will see the large audience this will serve, and the content could easily surpass iTunes very quickly.
The iPhone will be as untouchable as the iPod is. As you said, the iTunes Media Store is unbeatable. It's one-stop shopping. You go there for one thing and you'll end up with something additional. It's a great combo that I believe no other company has (I did hear that Nokia had something similar but greatly limited in scope).
The BlackBerry will still be a force to be reckoned with for some time even if the iPhone captures the smartphone market.
Am I the only one that finds it funny when people keep making the iphone sound like it controls half the smartphone market?
Marketshare in smartphones for quarter 1 of 2008:
RIM (Blackberry): 44.5% of the market
Apple (Iphone):19.2% of market
Palm: 13.4%
Samsung: 8.6%
Motorola: 2.6%
The idea that the Iphone is never going to have it's sales hurt is ludacris. It's not "bulletproof" to new additions to the smartphone market, because of ITunes integration. Besides Apple's marketshare from last quarter actually dropped, with the Bold and Curve addition to the market which also increased RIM's share of the market. If anything Apple is killing Palm. RIM's marketshae is only down 4% from last year's first quarter, palm on the other hand is down nearly 12%. Don't underestimate RIM after all they've been doing smartphone longer then Apple.
Right now they have X360 Marketplace, Zune's own store and Rhapsody for Windows Media Player (Windows Mobile and mp3 devices).
Apple on the other hand has iTunes, and everything connects to it and its store. Including AppleTV...I don't see why the 360 and Zune (ATLEAST) can't share the same store.
that was meant to be a reply to my last post...
Because MS is stuuuuupid! The iPhone isn't just touchscreen, as this will be, it's all multi-touch and stuff! That makes it cooler still.
It's our friend Mr. Blurrycam!
On steroids!
In b4 over nine thousand.
So since the picture disappeared did anyone happen to save it or know another link it is at?
So. I have a few points, this is clearly a blackberry curve photoshopped with some poor skills, also as proposed with the blackberry bold being compatible with itunes, I am assuming that the "thunder" will also be compatible with itunes, making it a true iphone killer, The Iphone has no intergration with anything else besides osx and itunes, wait....just itunes lol... anyways the blackberry is a much more intergrated device, it even get's push email from .mac, which the iphone has yet to accomplish, and it's compatible with a myriad of platforms, as well as having everything from ssh intergration to 3rd party program intergration to full html email.
iphone can suck it. when the thunder comes out I will be a faithful blackberry user and trade in my blackberry for the latter.
a non iphone zombie!
yay!
i actually meant someone who is not an iphone zombie
This is steve from HorizonWireless. We dont have the phone in stock. Its just the faceplate you guys are seeing. My web guy just did a photoshop. Sorry for the confussion guys
i'm confussed...
There is no Steve at Horizon Wireless. I know.
BlackBoring...
is the date real.. aug. 11 08
Its clear as day, thats a damn 8700 housing + 83/88xx soft sidekeys. How can anyone not see that?
horizon i think this is the guy that used to work for 972telecom in montreal and got fired or something its bogus he dont have stock of anything so much as this..
clown, get your facts straight. they worked for 972telecom. they are now in a 300sq office and have lost everything they had. 972telecom.com has more then one location, real store fronts, weekly update of new stock..all you guys see is a website which now sells cameras.. wow!! are the a gsm repair center or a camera shop.. business must be tuff for them,,,,
Pictures are already pulled from the Horizon site.
hell they can't release the bold I am not expected much as of now.
Thunder comes after lightning! Cachiga cachiga!!!!!
Correction: Kachuga!
http://www.intomobile.com/2008/05/13/rims-iphone-fighting-touchscreen-blackberry-9500-thunder.html
Idk how credible this site is, but they also have a picture of the Thunder... *drool*
Can't wait!!!
That's not an actual picture, that's an image BGR made of what he thought the device would look like
It'll probably be completely different
I've been looking at the image for a few minutes, and... Wait... I think I see a 3-d image coming out... Wait.. It's a Startac!
they have been asked to remove image? Blackberry laying down the law or uncreditable company try to save some dignity? You decide
I would highly advise people not to make purchases from such unscrupulous businesses, especially based in Quebec Canada. Another reason to stop by your local Apple store and make a confident purchase from a trustworthy vendor selling a superb phone.
iPhone > BB
I wish someone would make a smartphone with only a regular numeric keypad.
9900
can't believe this got posted
Ok, so as we all know, this phone is "supposedly" going to be sold exclusively for Verizon, but is there any chance of it being also for T-mobile, bcuz i had a sidekick and honestly, i havent seen a GOOD, EXTREME CHANGE in it, for example, when the sidekick had music players, so did ummm....every other phone in the market, and as far as the iPhone goes, it introduced the touch screen which compared to the sidekick is a stab right in the heart bcuz even though it might not flip with a cool snap sound we all love to hear, the touch screen is revolutionary, and blackberries are the head of smartphones so one with touch screen is just gotta be unbeatable just like the iPhone.
Does anybody know the EXACT DATE FOR RELEASE, because if it is only for Verizon, then bye-bye T-mobile!
Let me know......as I'm sure A LOT OF PPL ALSO WANT TO KNOW THAT, I MEAN WHO DOESN'T?
I see this about the thunder - very nice. What about this for the os 4.6 on it? there are some screen shots there too
http://www.horizonwirelessonline.com/cat/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=524&zenid=7438a09af858bd7a39a3f58761db4e47
the blackberry thunder image has never been asked to be removed by RIM. you actualy think RIM, found this little company in laval, quebec and asked them to remove the picture. hahahah.. its more like this little office is trying to make people think they are very well reconginzed,,,,great stratagy, but very pathetic. they obviously need sales and try to sell you the idea they are bigger then the small 300sq office space there in, in a run down building.