You know a product launch is nearing when the dummies show up at retail locations. No, I'm not talking about your fifth cousin. A CrackBerry Forum user recently visited a Verizon Wireless retail store and was pleased to discover mock-ups (a.k.a, "dummies") of the BlackBerry Storm to play with. Verdict? It's heavy.You know when you go to a wireless retail store and most of the phones they have for you to touch and play with don't work? They have a nice little sticker on the screen simulating what the user interface should look like, but the phones themselves aren't operational. These are called dummies.

Username BBerry managed to stumble upon a dummy of the unannounced, unreleased BlackBerry Storm. He said:

I was at the verizon store and me and my dad were talking about upcoming phones and we were talking about the touch diamond & when the verizon guy shows us this thunder dummy he had laying around so i got to mess with it and boy is it heavyy, but the back steel part feels nice and cold on your hands :] well here are some shots of the phones. Oh and that push button screen thingy yeah its not as hard actually its pretty easy to press.

I am not surprised about the weight. According to the facts we know for certain, the BlackBerry Storm is a dual-mode GSM / CDMA phone, meaning it will work with Verizon Wireless's CDMA network here in the United States, but can roam onto GSM data networks in Europe and elsewhere. Most dual-mode phones I've seen are larger than average because they are packing two different radios in there. And, knowing RIM, it stuffed a huge battery in the device to be able to handle powering that large touch screen. (Pictured here.)

Neither Verizon Wireless nor RIM have said when this device will actually be available, but the Storm is lurking just over the horizon.