Research in Motion Ltd. announced Wednesday that it is moving to take on Apple Inc. with a new touch-screen model of their popular BlackBerry phone.

The new Blackberry Storm, which will be available later this fall, represents the first time RIM is abandoning its traditional keypad in favor of a larger screen similar to that used on Apple’s iPhone.

The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said the new smartphone would be available exclusively to Verizon Wireless subscribers in the U.S. and Vodafone subscribers in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand. It’s an unusual twist that the Storm will work with both Verizon Wireless’ network and with Vodafone’s, since the two use incompatible network technologies.

In developing the Storm, RIM listened to feedback from users of Apple’s iPhone, who found its glass screen awkward to type on because its virtual buttons provide little perceptible feedback. As a result, the Storm incorporates a whole screen backed by springs that, when pressed, provide users with a soft click when released, RIM said.

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