Electronista is reporting that BlackBerry Thunder now has a launch date based on leaked information. On October 8th, Verizon will launch the first touchscreen phone by RIM that has been in rumors for almost a year. The phone will have Verizon’s Rhapsody service that will allow over the air music downloads, a feature that iPhone 3G is missing unless you are using a WiFi connection. The phone will also have higher megapixel camera, a 3.2-megapixel camera on Thunder compared to 2-megapixel on iPhone 3G. The Thunder will support both 3G GSM and EVDO networks, which would allow Vodafone to offer the device in Europe and will enable world roaming for Verizon customers. The Thunder launch is very important for RIM because the iPhone 3G is gaining momentum very fast. Hardware-wise BlackBerry is trying to position the new Thunder above iPhone. But software and user interface were the main reason why iPhone is such a big hit and that will be difficult for BlackBerry to match.