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RIM's first touch screen BlackBerry overcame an important hurdle on its way to a showdown with the iPhone last week. That's when the FCC approved the BlackBerry Storm for release in this country. Now unnamed sources say Verizon will release the highly-anticipated smartphone in a couple of weeks, on November 15th.

This will be followed by an appearance at Best Buy stores a day later. Still no word on how much it'll cost to buy a Storm, however.

In addition to Verizon in the U.S., the Storm will be made available through Vodafone subscribers in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand.

The Storm's display is supposed to be advancement over even the iPhone's touch screen. That's because the Storm's depresses slightly when it is pressed. So, according to RIM, the user feels a soft click as the screen is released. This technology should make using the Storm's virtual keyboard more user-friendly than the iPhone's, which offers no such feedback.

For more on the BlackBerry Storm, see the articles below.