Photos: Hands-on with the BlackBerry Storm

Today the BlackBerry Vodafone press minibus turned up at Crave Towers to give us a sneak peek at the new BlackBerry Storm. Before we could say, "We won't all fit in there," three of us were crammed into the dark, leather-upholstered van, with BlackBerry and RIM representatives holding Storms.

The first thing you notice about the Storm when you see it in real life is it's every bit as good-looking as the press pictures. A large touchscreen is surrounded by a solid casing and metal back. It feels like a quality product that will last some time.

Unlike the other touchscreen phones out there, the Storm's screen is clickable, which takes some getting used to, especially when texting using the onscreen keypad. It won't be to everyone's liking and we think many people will find it annoying.

Because the screen can be clicked, a gap had to be left around the edges so that it can pivot. We suspect this will fill up with dirt, lint and other assorted grundig. That said, the screen itself is very sharp and provides a vibrant viewing experience -- similar to the BlackBerry Bold's screen. Click 'Continue' for more pics and deets.