RIM's BlackBerry 9500 "Thunder" captured on camera?

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.]

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 12:33PM]

WOW! It looks so cool!

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 12:39PM]

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?

[Ayman @ May 31st 2008 12:56PM]

(20 mins later) ........Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh... wait still dont get it,
.......oh wait i got it now

[Nomi @ May 31st 2008 1:00PM]

Its actually more like 17 minutes later....

[Khris @ May 31st 2008 2:11PM]

Actually the correct term is Sarcastic......not Ironic.

Fail!

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 2:32PM]

@ Khris

Actually, you're wrong. Look it up. FAIL!

[lawyer bird @ May 31st 2008 4:53PM]

No, you're wrong.

[iEye @ Jun 1st 2008 12:36AM]

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

[Eli @ Jun 1st 2008 1:18AM]

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.

[gad get @ Jun 1st 2008 1:23AM]

Wow, people really don't know their English very well, do they?

[gad get @ Jun 1st 2008 1:28AM]

"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.

[gad get @ Jun 1st 2008 1:29AM]

I hate it when people "know" something false to be true. It's a little pet peeve of mine.

[gad get @ Jun 1st 2008 1:33AM]

@ iEye

Does anyone listen to you?

[Ayman @ May 31st 2008 12:33PM]

and this is important news why?

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 12:35PM]

Engadget was never really into this "important" thing.

[Chris Ziegler @ May 31st 2008 12:36PM]

You serious? Possibly the first picture of RIM's first touchscreen device, and it's not "important" news?

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 12:41PM]

It's so blurry it shows us next to nothing, so I'd say it's pretty insignificant.

[Abuzar @ Jun 1st 2008 12:33AM]

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.

[L @ May 31st 2008 12:36PM]

Attack of the watermarks!

[Ayman @ May 31st 2008 12:36PM]

Note: looking at this image is hurting my eyes

[FrankTheCrank @ May 31st 2008 12:55PM]

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.

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 12:57PM]

Kill, no. Take a bite out of, perhaps.

[Nomi @ May 31st 2008 1:03PM]

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.

[Steffen Jobbs @ May 31st 2008 1:27PM]

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.

[Killer @ Jun 1st 2008 9:03AM]

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.

[Nomi @ May 31st 2008 1:07PM]

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.

[Nomi @ May 31st 2008 1:08PM]

that was meant to be a reply to my last post...

[Magnificen7 @ Jun 1st 2008 1:33AM]

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.

[Alex @ May 31st 2008 1:16PM]

It's our friend Mr. Blurrycam!

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 2:34PM]

On steroids!

[Fruition @ May 31st 2008 1:18PM]

In b4 over nine thousand.

[Kyle Burghart @ May 31st 2008 2:56PM]

So since the picture disappeared did anyone happen to save it or know another link it is at?

[Puch @ May 31st 2008 1:20PM]

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.

[james @ Jun 1st 2008 12:42AM]

a non iphone zombie!
yay!

[james @ Jun 1st 2008 12:43AM]

i actually meant someone who is not an iphone zombie

[Steve @ May 31st 2008 1:20PM]

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

[chickenator @ May 31st 2008 1:26PM]

i'm confussed...

[Lolcater @ May 31st 2008 1:35PM]

There is no Steve at Horizon Wireless. I know.

[chickenator @ May 31st 2008 1:20PM]

BlackBoring...

[The Fire fighter @ May 31st 2008 1:45PM]

is the date real.. aug. 11 08

[talent @ May 31st 2008 1:52PM]

Its clear as day, thats a damn 8700 housing + 83/88xx soft sidekeys. How can anyone not see that?

[nigelaka @ May 31st 2008 2:08PM]

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..

[Jhon @ Jul 1st 2008 1:51PM]

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,,,,

[Dave @ May 31st 2008 2:09PM]

Pictures are already pulled from the Horizon site.

[Tyson @ May 31st 2008 2:21PM]

hell they can't release the bold I am not expected much as of now.

[racimora @ May 31st 2008 2:22PM]

Thunder comes after lightning! Cachiga cachiga!!!!!

[gad get @ May 31st 2008 2:37PM]

Correction: Kachuga!

[Damonais @ May 31st 2008 2:32PM]

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!!!

[Phoenix @ May 31st 2008 2:38PM]

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

[Ladderless @ May 31st 2008 3:54PM]

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!