When you think 'BlackBerry', you think 'touch-screen'… Wait a minute, there’s something wrong with this picture! Research in Motion’s latest creation is awkwardly enough a BlackBerry without a keyboard, which is obviously not something a hard-core BlackBerry user was hoping for. BlackBerry Storm is an interesting phone, but it is also very confusing, and it makes the decision of choosing a smartphone a very hard one.

First of all, RIM has been talking about its innovative touch-screen technology as one of Storm’s most appealing assets. The smartphone doesn’t just have a touch-screen function, it has a SurePress touch-screen that re-creates the feeling of a physical keyboard. That is indeed something you don’t find in other touch-screen contenders out there, but is it enough to make the Storm detach itself from the group of iPhone wannabes?

From the users’ point of view, the answer isn’t probably exactly the one RIM had anticipated. The typical BlackBerry users who’ve already given Storm a shot are probably back on their old BlackBerrys, typing like crazy. Why? Because there’s no touch-screen keyboard like a physical keyboard, and the physical keyboard is one of the defining elements in a BlackBerry.

Even with the full QWERTY touch-keyboard offering in landscape mode, and the built-in accelerometer which allows the touch-screen to automatically switch between landscape mode and portrait mode, the BlackBerry Storm will find a tough competition…in its own backyard, from the oldies but goldies BlackBerrys.

According to Mike Lazaridis, president and co-chief executive officer at RIM, the BlackBerry Storm meets both the communications and multimedia needs of customers, and at the same time, solves a longstanding problem associated with typing on traditional touch-screens. Furthermore, he was confident that both regular consumers and business customers will appreciate the combination of a large screen and a tactile touch interface.

The only problem with the BlackBerry Storm, which overall is a good phone, is that it doesn’t address a specific segment of consumers. Instead, the smartphone is trying to capture the attention of two very different types of users, one which is probably way to addicted by now to the iPhone menu to make a switch, and another one which is very fond of BlackBerrys in general, but is even fonder of its physical keyboard.

So where does the BlackBerry Storm fit in? The smartphone seems to fail to satisfy either of the consumer categories. It’s basically an outlaw BlackBerry, with not so impressive media capabilities for an iPhone killer, and with even less impressive features for email addicts. Storm is ultimately a nice attempt to cross the line between a business phone and a consumer phone, but the general opinion seems to lead to one conclusion: BlackBerry should stick to what it does best, and that doesn’t necessarily include a touch-screen.