U.S. telecommunications company, Verizon Wireless, and Canadian smartphone manufacturer, Research In Motion, yesterday announced what the rest of us already knew, the first touchscreen BlackBerry is here. Well, almost.

A couple of weeks back, Verizon displayed a page on it’s website offering users the chance to be among the first to know about the upcoming BlackBerry Storm. While there wasn’t much to say on the page, leaked documents sent out to Verizon retail outlets detailing talking points talking points and tips about the Storm in preparation for the launch.

Marketed as a consumer smartphone rather than an extension of an executive’s right hand, the storm is kicking up quite a fuss among those seeking an alternative to the iPhone. With it’s 3.2 inch screen, pre-loaded Facebook, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint the Storm seems like the perfect a mix between work and play and experts say RIM is smart to get it out in time for the holiday season.

However, Apple and the iPhone already have a certain reputation in the consumer market. RIM and the BlackBerry also have a reputation, and it’s one of business and suits. It seems like the company is expecting customers to accept a complete image overhaul in time for holiday sales. When people think BlackBerry, they automatically think work and it’s going to take them a while to get their heads around the fact that RIM handsets are a lot more than emails and spreadsheets.

Another concern is that with the clamshell BlackBerry Pearl already out the door and the Bold expected before the year’s end, RIM may find itself the manufacturer of handsets competing with each other. RIM and Verizon still don’t have a more specific ETA for the Storm, other than “in time for the holiday season.”

There’s also the issue that in trying to compete with the iPhone, the company is competing with another highly anticipated new player in the game, T-Mobile’s G1. However, with T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon all offering their own touchscreen device, each with it’s own applications store, it could be a case of users just buying the handset that corresponds with their existing network. This of course would depend on how competitive the networks are with their price plans and data packages but it’s a definite possibility.

Register your interest on Verizon.com by clicking here.