BLACKBERRY 9900 SERIES PHONE IN THE WORKS?

Shawn Wu from Kaufman Brothers (a banking and advisory firm focused on technology, media, telecom and green technology) is claiming that a 9900-series BlackBerry is in prototype phases, packing a touchscreen slider form factor. The proposed device will mix one of RIM’s non-touch QWERTY devices with the Storm 2, meaning that it might be a portrait slider like the Palm Pre.

The phone is theoretically a "best of both worlds" device as it would bring RIM's reputation for hardware keyboards into the modern era with a touch display, Wu says. Wu also hears that RIM may loosen its controls over the web and let Google or even Microsoft offer their own browsers as a substitute.