Research In Motion co-CEO vigorously defended the BlackBerry Storm in a recent interview. He also said that the Storm is RIM's first touch device, suggesting that others might follow.Laptop Magazine editor-in-chief Mark Spoonauer had the opportunity to sit down with RIM co-CEO Mark Lazaridis. Spoonauer pulled no punches. The interview turned up a few gems that are worth sharing.

First up, is an argument that doesn't hold water in my book. When asked if RIM rushed the Storm to market, and whether or not it was fully tested, Lazaridis said, "Of course we do a lot of testing every time before releasing these devices. And I think that it's unfair. That's our first touch product, and you know nobody gets it perfect out the door. You know other companies were having problems with their first releases."

Sorry, Mr. Lazaridis, but the fact that the Storm is RIM's "first touch device" doesn't absolve the company of any missteps in the execution of the smartphone. Sure, it's true that other companies have had problems with their first generation of product, but that's no excuse for not getting it right before shipping. End users shouldn't be saddled with constant firmware upgrades to fix bugs or other issues. You can say that the device was thoroughly tested, but the real-world experience of others proves different.

Next up, Lazaridis addresses RIM's response to end-user complaints. "We didn't stop and we've never stopped. We just keep making our products better and better and better. We've got really passionate engineers here, and developers, and you know they want to win. They want to make the best products. They really want to make their customers happy with them. They want them to be delighted."

Lucky for Storm users in other countries who've seen firmware updates. Verizon Wireless, which distributes the Storm in the U.S., hasn't offered an update to the Storm's firmware since December, when it dropped version 4.7.0.076. I've gone out of my way to update the Storm I am testing to 4.7.0.113. Firmware version 4.7.0.122 is also floating around out there. Where are the updates for Verizon customers?

The one thing Lazaridis said that I really respect concerns how the company responds to reviews of its products. He noted, "Quite frankly we are very open with our design teams. I hold vision meetings here where I go through reviews. I want to get everyone centered on the current reality out there. And we don't hold anything back, we really don't. In fact, we love to put more bad reviews on the screen than good reviews just to make the point. Because I want people to make the products better and this is all part of our continuous improvement program here."

That's a good approach to take. Testing things in the lab or in the field with experts is one thing, testing products out in the real world with real end users is another. It's obvious that RIM is working to improve the Storm by continually issuing firmware updates.

The interview uncovers a lot of other good stuff, including info about a revised browser and changes to the way App World works. I suggest you read it here.