Spy shots of BlackBerry Storm 2

Multiple tech blogs managed to get their hands on some snapshots—in focus, for once—of what looks to be the successor to last year's Storm, and word has it that the (purported) new model will boast Wi-Fi, "tweaked" touch technology, and faster performance.

Both Engadget Mobile and CrackBerry have multiple spy shots of what looks to be the rumored BlackBerry Storm 2, and while leaked photos should always be taken with a grain of salt, these images look pretty authentic to me.

From what I can see from the photos (click here and here to see the full galleries), the purported Storm deux (RIM's CEO obliquely confirmed its existence earlier this month) looks much slimmer and trimmer than the original. The same four Call, Menu, Back, and End buttons are still present and accounted for, while shots of the back panel reveal a 3.2-megapixel camera—again, same as on the first Storm.

There isn't much in the way of detailed specs for the rumored Storm update, although Engadget Mobile has a few interesting tidbits: namely, that Wi-Fi (which was notably absent from the first Storm) will be part of the package, as well as a "tweaked" touchscreen that "isn't a radical departure' from the original "ClickThrough" display (which, if you recall, turns the screen in a single, clickable button), and word that the handset "reportedly runs much faster and smoother" than its notoriously sluggish predecessor.

One last interesting note from Engadget: The so-called Storm 2 in the spy shots is supposedly a GSM model, which means the handset could potentially come to GSM carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile. For now, of course, the first Storm remains a Verizon Wireless exclusive—and a Storm 2 may be as well, even if there's a GSM version.

Overall, interesting stuff (still unconfirmed, of course, but these latest spy shots sure don't look like PhotoShop jobs to me). If RIM does manage to serve up a slimmed-down, souped-up Storm with better touch technology, peppier performance, and Wi-Fi, it could really have something. Yahoo Tech