In its most recent move, furthering its ongoing scuffle with Apple in the smartphone arena, Research In Motion (RIM) is having another go at the touchscreen smartphone concept with its forthcoming BlackBerry Storm2 - the much-enhanced successor of the earlier Storm touchscreen device, whose appeal was greatly marred by bugs and performance issues.

Though Verizon Wireless refrained from revealing either the exact launch date or the price of the new BlackBerry Storm, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie, highlighting the hopes RIM has pinned on the new device, said that the Storm2 happens to be "a biggie" for the company. Back in May, Balsillie had hinted that a new version of Storm was under development.

The forthcoming Storm2 features a revamped SurePress touchscreen which, though similar to its predecessor's clickable touchscreen, boasts faster typing and "multitouch" capabilities to enable users to type on more than only one part of the screen at any point of time.

The Ontario, Canada-based RIM further specified that with its enhanced software, Storm2 is enabled for next-generation networks; and, like some of the other BlackBerry devices, features Wi-Fi capability.

Noting that the Storm2, as well as the other BlackBerry models to come, will help RIM maintain its growth in the retail consumer market, Balsillie said: "Obviously, we want to maintain and extend our leadership, there's no question."