Thunder: Touchscreen BlackBerry is Awesome! No, wait, it's terrible!

Ahh, tech blogs.  An industry fueled by "spy shots," "anonymous tipsters," and "ninjas" willing to provide "leaks."  What do you get when you mix two of the biggest tech blogs around with a few leaky ninjas?  Absolutely contradictory reports on the quality of RIM's forthcoming BlackBerry Thunder.

In the span of five minutes just now I read Crackberry's report (picked up by EngadgetMobile) on how Thunder's virtual QWERTY board is 100% awesome, followed by BoyGeniusReport's post that Thunder is months away from being production-ready because the entirety of its software is buggy and slow, and “Most of the people who have handled it thinks it’s a joke.”

Hmm.

Without commenting on the track records or alleged biases of any of the three blogs, I've decided to believe the "Thunder is Awesome!" reports for two main reasons:

1.  BGR's post contains the following bit of highly doubtful info:
"Our guy, when talking about haptic feedback, said that the screen “clicks.” We were informed there are “buttons” on each corner, so when you press the screen, you might feel one click, two clicks, or four simultaneously. We’re told these four independant buttons actually press, so you do “click” the screen. RIM implemented a touch-and-drag approach which is the only way to select on screen buttons at this point."

I call BS on this one.  Thunder is 100% meant to deal with the iPhone+Exchange Support threat to RIM's hold on the business smartphone set.  There's no way that the first ever all-touch BlackBerry is going to use some bizarro-tech like four corner-mounted buttons in lieu of a full-on kick-ass touchscreen.  Crackberry's report seems more likely to me (again, let me remind you that this is all rumor at this point):

"Localized Haptic Technology - when you press on the Thunder's screen, it pushes in "just" a little bit (the whole screen is sort of like a big button) and you get immediate "real" feedback - you hear an audible clickety sound, and can feel a buzz in your finger where you actually pressed on the display. "

Crackberry is also certain that Thunder's screen will be a glass-fronted, multitouch affair.  For whatever little it's worth, that's in line with what I've heard from my own ninjas.  Okay, my guys aren't exactly at the ninja level just yet.  They're more like ... uh ... Goonies.  Like that "Double Oh Negative" dude from the movie.  But still.

2.  It's early on a Wednesday morning here in Oakland and I want to start my day off on a good foot.  So I'm siding with the "Awesome" report instead of the "It sucks" report.  Have a little faith, right?