Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion announced a while ago that it would deliver a sequel to its first touchscreen-enabled smartphone, the BlackBerry Storm, this year and the latest news on the Internet suggests that the launch of that device, dubbed Storm 2, is getting closer. Verizon Wireless is one carrier that will have the second BlackBerry touchscreen phone in the US, and it might have it on sale in just a few weeks from now.

The fact that the launch day for Storm 2 is nearing fast is also suggested by the arrival of silicone skins for the device at Best Buy, Engadget points out. The shots that leaked into the wild clearly show that Storm 2 is the device the skins are intended for, which means that RIM and Verizon are indeed set to make the second touchscreen BlackBerry available for purchase quite soon.

As many of you might already know, the Storm 2 has been already rumored to hit the shelves before the end of October, and we're certainly keeping our fingers crossed for this one. Especially since the handset should come with extra features when compared to its predecessor (including Wi-Fi connectivity and better typing), and without the problems the original Storm came to the market with.

The following weeks are expected to be quite busy for the Canadian smartphone maker, as another BlackBerry sequel, namely the Bold 2, is also rumored to make an appearance in about a month from now, this time with another carrier in the US, namely T-Mobile. RIM's second Storm is said to be heading for an October 21 launch date, while the Bold 2 might surface on the shelves only on November 11. Both devices should come with BlackBerry OS 5.0 on board, also a great improvement over the existing OS 4.x. There are only a few days left until the rumors will prove true or false, so stick around to learn the news.