Specifications and promotional material for RIM's first touch-screen handset, the BlackBerry Storm, have leaked onto the internet.

The handset will be sold exclusively through Verizon Wireless, mimicking Apple's deal with AT&T in the US, and will have a full touch-screen facia, according to briefing sheets (PDF) and marketing material (PDF) from a Verizon email leaked onto blogs today.

However, the leaks might not be quite so accidental as some are suggesting, given the text of the email.

"Rumours, whispers, secrets: bloggers love to speculate and we've got them all buzzing about us," it reads.

"There's a big reason for the buzz. We're launching a groundbreaking device that's unlike anything in the market today and it is exclusive in the US to Verizon Wireless. The BlackBerry Storm is the game changer that will have everyone interested."

The new handset will have a quad-band 3G chipset (CDMA and quad-band GSM), 3.2-megapixel camera (over the iPhone's 2-megapixels), full HTML browsing and a removable battery and memory.

It is clear from the marketing material that the handset is being pitched directly against the iPhone, as it even includes a features list making a direct comparison.

No pricing or release date information was included but RIM will want to get the handset out by mid-October at the latest if it is to avoid missing the lucrative third-quarter period.