Mr. T returns as analyst confirms BlackBerry touchscreen slider; WebKit browser coming?

Remember Mr. T? No, not the action actor from the 80's. We're talking about the BlackBerry Mr. T which we reported was a handset that would combine the touchscreen capabilities of the Storm with a QWERTY keyboard slider. Well, it seems that Shaw Wu, an analyst with Kaufman Brothers, was talking to his contacts in the industry and he has confirmed that RIM is building a touchscreen BlackBerry with a landscape sliding QWERTY keyboard. Described as a cross between the Storm (obviously) and any non-touch BlackBerry with a QWERTY, the device is in the prototype stage and is heading for a 2010 launch. Which carrier? Consult your Magic 8 ball. While Wu's report called the phone the BlackBerry 9900, there was no mention of Mr.T at all. "The phoneis theoretically a 'best of both worlds' device as it would bring RIM'sreputation for hardware keyboards into the modern era with a touchdisplay, " Wu says.

Another piece of news from the analyst involves a new browser for BlackBerry handsets. As we reported, RIM was seeking a developer with WebKit experience to help develop a modern browser for the manufacturer. Wu also says that RIM might be allowed by Microsoft or Google to use one of their browsers in a BlackBerry device instead of the current outdated version used by RIM. The WebKit engine is behind the more successful browsers on the market, powering the internet for the Apple iPhone, Palm Pre and the Motorola DROID. Upgrading the software for BlackBerry might help RIM get some favorable publicity. The expected momentum the company thought it would have when the Storm2 was released to good reviews, was stolen by the Motorola DROID's hard hitting ad campaign and very good reviews. Verizon and RIM have discovered that many owners of the first-gen Storm are moving to the DROID instead of upgrading to the Storm2 as expected and the carrier has not flooded the airwaves with commercials for the Storm's sequel unit.

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source: electronista