Lewis starts a Storm in race to sell most mobiles

LEWIS HAMILTON today unveiled the mobile phone that is set to become the must-have Christmas gadget.

The Blackberry Storm goes on sale in Britain next week and the Formula One world champion is part of a massive marketing campaign, which both Vodafone and Blackberry maker RIM hope will help topple Apple's iPhone.

The handset is the first BlackBerry to use a touchscreen, instead of a keyboard, and uses a radical new interface which users can "click".

It will be free if users sign up for a £35 per month tariff and is only available on Vodafone. Experts say it could become the first real rival to Apple's hugely successful mobile.

"It's great to see a rival to the iPhone finally, and there is a lot of interest from our readers in the Storm," said Tom Dunmore, editor of gadget magazine Stuff.

"We expect to see a huge amount of marketing from Vodafone as well. Technically the Storm has a far better keyboard than the iPhone, but the iPhone is still better at music and video. There are a lot of BlackBerry fans out there already, and this will undoubtedly attract more."

RIM has enjoyed great success with its range of email phones dubbed 'crackberries' because of their addictive nature.

"We believe our screen technology really makes it feel like you are using a keyboard," said Rob Orr of RIM.

"And that is something our competitors don't have. We have also been very careful to make sure the device works brilliantly as a simple, straightforward phone as well as having the advanced features." Speaking at the launch of the Storm at Claridges today, Hamilton said he has already used his BlackBerry to respond to the hundreds of well-wishers after his Formula One championship win in Brazil on Sunday.

"I had more than 200 emails after the grand prix," he said. "Some I replied to immediately, some I haven't even looked at yet but I'm feeling more relaxed than ever now so I can reply to them all and take my time."

The 23-year-old, whose McLaren team is sponsored by Vodafone, said of his Storm: "I'm so used to it now I can even type without looking."