Wait a tick. Didn’t RIM CEO recently bash on the Apple iPhone’s touch-sensitive, virtual keyboard “that’s a real challenge” to use? Well, he did . But that doesn’t mean this latest speculation is any less true. Rumblings from the rumor mill have indicated that RIM is preparing the 9000-series smartphone to give the iPhone a run for its touchscreen-money. Development of the new 9000-series platform will see new hardware and mobile OS (software) coming out of RIM’s R&D labs. According to Carmi Levy, an analyst at AR Communications Inc. , the RIM BlackBerry 9000-series will be “the future of the BlackBerry franchise” - a stark contrast to the company’s traditionally business-oriented roots. “The 9000 is supposed to be a touch-screen device, very similar in form factor to the iPhone,” Levy says. “Which means that it is not an enterprise-friendly device.” RIM’s been branching out into the consumer-market with the recent BlackBerry Curve and Pearl handsets, and it looks like RIM is going to go full-out and take on the iPhone with a media-savvy, touch-based handset of their very own. The 9000-series BlackBerry will reportedly feature a full-face touchscreen and upgraded audio and video playback capabilities to supplement the iconic BlackBerry push-email feature. We’re also expecting US-friendly 3G frequency support and 600Mhz processor to power all those media-intense features. As we expected and mentioned previously, Levy believes that RIM will be launching the 9000-series BlackBerry in Q1 2008. The rest of RIM’s BlackBerry lineup will still see updates (like the 3G EVDO Pearl that recently hit CDMA carriers in the US), and a RIM VP stated that the company will be releasing 4 or 5 new smartphones for 2008. We can’t wait to see what RIM’s answer to the iPhone will look like. No, check that. We know what it will probably look like (there are only so many ways to implement...