Apple iPhone and RIM Blackberry

Blackberry maker Research In Motion is reported to be readying Thunder, its answer to Apple's iPhone, for an October release alongside a partnership with Real's Rhapsody music service.

Also known as the Blackberry 9500, the new device will reportedly sport a 480x320 touch-screen, 3.2 megapixel camera, and a MicroSD memory expansion slot.

Photos of the device (below) recently published by BlackberrySync show four physical buttons -- Call, BlackBerry menu, Back, and End -- below the screen.

Other user interaction will take place on the phone's touch-screen through an interface that closely resembles the iPhone's embedded version of Mac OS X, complete with a five-icon dock anchored to the base of the home screen.

Also like the iPhone, the Thunder will feature a landscape mode for watching movies and other videos captured through its built in camera. However, it's unlikely to compete directly with the Apple handset from the onset.