It appears that Research In Motion Ltd. is responding to Apple Inc.'s iPhone.

Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget posted some pictures of RIM's new BlackBerry 9000, dubbed the "iPhone killer," saying the Canadian technology giant ripped off the idea from Apple.

"Look at those picks and tell us RIM CEO Jim Balsillie didn't slap an iPhone down in front of his designers and say 'Give me something exactly like this,'" Mr. Blodget wrote.

Praising the BlackBerry's keyboard, he said RIM is likely making a wise bet that corporate users will sacrifice their Internet browsing for superior typing. It does not appear that RIM has adopted a multi-touch screen like the iPhone.

Nonetheless, he expects iPhone's multi-touch advantage will only gain more traction as a larger number of corporate applications move to the Web.

"Given the rate at which business folks are setting aside keyboard concerns and snapping up iPhones, however, the days in which RIM had the corporate market to itself are gone," Mr. Blodget said.

FP Posted told you about BlackBerry's work on a "touch" style screen back in February, when we reported about U.S. patent applications for the technology.

[network.nationalpost.com]