According to reports, RIM is hard at work on a sequel to its touchscreen BlackBerry. Unofficially dubbed the Storm 2 by the blogosphere, the big upgrades include a new screen and Wi-Fi.One of the BlackBerry Storm's current failings is the lack of Wi-Fi. Sure, it has access to Verizon's EVDO Rev. A network -- which is blisteringly fast -- but Wi-Fi should be a standard feature on all smartphones.

I quite clearly remember questioning Verizon's PR team as to why the Storm didn't have Wi-Fi. The canned response was, "Who needs Wi-Fi when you have Rev. A?" Touche.

Most other smartphones have Wi-Fi on board, in addition to 3G/3.5G radios. The iPhone is one example, as is RIM's own BlackBerry Bold.

According to wireless blog Slashgear, RIM will correct this omission in the next version of the Storm, which is due as early as September. That's good news.

In the months that I've been using a Storm, I've found the screen and wonky software to be bigger issues than the lack of Wi-Fi. The SurePress idea seemed great at first, but it just isn't great for composing lengthy emails. The biggest issue are dead spots in the corners of the device that don't register "clicks" appropriately.

There's more good news. The Boy Genius is reporting that the Storm 2 will have a new screen, and use technology called TruePress, rather thatn SurePress. The all-around typing experience is said to be much improved. BlackBerry fans will have to hope that these reports are accurate.

As for the software, the Storm is just too slow to respond to user input. I've been anxiously awaiting RIM and Verizon to offer the .113 firmware update officially, but it has yet to come down the pipe.