On Wednesday, Verizon and Research In Motion (RIM) formally announced the American version of the BlackBerry Storm, RIM's first touchscreen phone and Verizon's answer to the iPhone. According to Electronista, the device features a 3.25" screen and a 480 x 360 screen which includes a unique physical "click" to partly recreate a physical button press. The unit also includes both EVDO Revision A for cellular data as well as single-band HSPA, giving it 3G access on some networks outside of North America. Calling is also available on CDMA and quad-band GSM/EDGE. The previously launched Vodafone version is focused only on international markets and supports just the GSM, EDGE and HSPA networking.

The BlackBerry Storm's interface is a modification of the BlackBerry OS and uses an accelerometer to allow for full HTML browsing, media playback and messaging (including MMS) in either portrait or landscape views. In addition to BlackBerry push e-mail, the phone also carries Documents To Go for editing Microsoft Office documents and enables full Bluetooth with stereo audio versus the headset-only use of its Apple rival.

The Storm boasts GPS for navigation but lacks Wi-Fi support and includes a larger-than-usual 1,400mAH battery that supports about six hours of 3G calling. Like the BlackBerry Bold, the device features one gigabyte of onboard storage but is aided by a microSDHC card slot that allows for up to 16 gigabytes of removable storage. The Storm also features a removable battery, according to Research In Motion.

Where Mac connectivity is concerned, web site Boy Genius Report has found that Mac owners will be able to sync to the Storm without a third party suite via the BlackBerry Media Sync program for Mac.

Similar to an iPhone, Media Sync will let users choose to sync all or only some playlists, and will give a certain amount of control over storage. Owners pick whether to load music to built-in memory or an add-in card, and have an iPod shuffle-style ability to reserve a certain minimum of free memory on their BlackBerries for more essential info.

Still in development, Media Sync doesn't seem to offer much else and there's currently no option for contact, photo or video syncing. These features are expected to come along as development continues.

Despite the long teaser campaign, Verizon still declines to provide release dates or pricing and says that these will be available in "coming weeks." Informal expectations have the phone launching in mid-November.

Stay tuned for more details as they become available and please let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.