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A new touchscreen BlackBerry phone is launched today, ready to battle with the likes of Apple’s iPhone and the new “Google phone” in the run up to Christmas.

The BlackBerry Storm aims to blow away its rivals with an “intuitive touchscreen” which can be pressed down like buttons on a keyboard, unlike other touchscreen mobiles where users tap the unresponsive glass.

The Times was granted a brief look at the new phone yesterday. With its neat metallic edges and rubber sides, the Storm looks sleek and stylish, but is also easy to hold and use. However, at first glace it is thicker and heavier than rival devices.

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The new BlackBerry joins a crowded market for touchscreen phones, which is dominated by Apple’s iPhone. Nokia and Google have released new smartphones in recent weeks, but industry experts consider the iPhone to be the “sexiest” touchscreen and has set the bar high for similar devices.

BlackBerry phones have long been seen as an unglamorous device, the reliable companion of office workers and travelling salesman who mainly use it check and reply to e-mails on the go.

Now, in an effort to take on the likes of the iPhone, the sleek new BlackBerry Storm has the ability to download music and movies, which can be played on the device.

Just like other touchscreen devices, the Storm takes high-quality digital photographs, has a built-in GPS system and gives users fast internet access to websites such as YouTube and Facebook.

The phone is available exclusively with Vodafone in Britain and will be free to customers who must sign up to a 18-month contract that costs £35 a month.

There has already been a lot of interest in BlackBerry’s latest offering, with Vodafone saying that they are already receiving a thousand pre-orders for the new phone a day since the manufacturers announced it was releasing a new phone last month.

Speaking to The Times, Mike Lazaridis, Chief Executive of RIM, the makers of BlackBerry phones, said that the big advantage of the new device was its intuitive touchscreen which can be pressed down, allowing fast typing as on a keyboard.

“Here, you have a touchscreen that people don’t have to learn how to use, because its very natural,” he said.

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