If we piece together a couple of Verizon sources, the BlackBerry Storm will launch on November 17, 2008 for $219 with a two-year contract. None of this is of course confirmed through VZW, but it seems to fit the timetable and price point. Verizon needs to get this BlackBerry out before the holidays as some suits will want to treat themselves to a new CrackBerry as a stocking stuffer. Plus, Verizon does not have a true iPhone killer yet and while the Storm will not slay the king, it’s the closest thing on the market so the price must be close to the iP3G’s $199 entry price. Once again, none of this is confirmed but Verizon must be close to releasing this BlackBerry. What are they waiting for? ZDNet – Release date HoFo via Eng – Price → Read More
Get thee to Best Buy as soon as possible if you want to pre-order a BlackBerry Storm, which, as we all know, is the first BlackBerry with a touchscreen. A crisp $50 bill and a smile is all that’s required to pre-order this, Verizon Wireless’ “we’re cool, too!” device. There’s the small issue of not knowing exactly what the final price will be when it’s released later this month—speculation puts it at between $199 and $299. I, for one, hopes Verizon charges something outrages, like $800, just as a goof. Presumably all you have to do is inquire about the device once in the store. → Read More
We still don’t know one very important thing about the BlackBerry Storm: how much is the thing gonna cost? Vodafone, which carries the Storm in the UK, may have just provided us a few hints. Pricing plans for the phone have leaked, and the phone itself goes as low as €49 ($62) with the most expensive monthly plan. That brings us to Verizon Wireless, which, you’ll remember, is a joint venture between Verizon and Vodafone. If Vodafone is willing to to sell the first touchscreen BlackBerry for as low as $62, how low will VWZ go? Say, $0, maybe? Not likely, but don’t be surprised to see the Storm selling for a tantalizing low amount. Again, as if I need to remind you, take all of this with a grain of salt. Then, with the same grain of salt, enjoy your weekend. → Read More
Why is it that the BlackBerry Storm doesn’t have Wi-Fi? If you believe BoyGenius—and how could you not!—it’s because Verizon Wireless doesn’t want it to have Wi-Fi. That’s a fine conspiracy theory, yes, but consider the following: • Name one CDMA BlackBerry with built-in Wi-Fi. You can’t. • Doesn’t VZW require you to have a BlackBerry data plan? So it’s not like having built-in Wi-Fi prevents VZW from making money Now, whether or not VZW was concerned with battery life and/or performance is another matter, but to imply that VZW is some James Bond villain hoarding all the Wi-Fi is silly, I think. → Read More
Our amigos at Gizmodo have a hands-on with a Verizon Wireless-branded BlackBerry Storm, and it’s gotta be in the top 100 most interesting things you’ll see all day. To be fair, the phone at least looks halfway decent. Giz’s Buchanan notes a feature that will no doubt annoy several would-be Storm owners. Unlike how on the iPhone you can sorta “glide” from letter to letter while typing, the Storm makes you “confirm” that you’ve touched a character. Yes, the screen is a giant button, one you have to punch for basically every action, even every letter you type, completely breaking the touchscreen paradigm. So again, the phone doesn’t sound halfway bad, but you really do wonder if the Storm is too little, too late for RIM. Lord knows Verizon Wireless hopes it’s not. → Read More
The ninja was right. Why RIM felt the need to go out and make an iPhone competitor is beyond me. via CrackBerry → Read More
