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Telus Mobility officially launches BlackBerry Storm
If you've been hemming and hawing about pre-ordering a BlackBerry Storm 9530 from Future Shop, you can stop now and ponder on all the time you've wasted. Once that's done, you can saunter on down to your local Telus shop (or, you know, the carrier's website) in order to purchase RIM's very first touchscreen BlackBerry. Nothing too special about this version -- just that it's $249.99 on a 3-year contract, $449.99 on a 2-year agreement, $549.99 on a 1-year deal or $599.99 with no strings attached.Update: Seems we're hearing and seeing all kinds of hollering that while the Storm has launched, it's more of a soft launch and the real meat of the shipping won't get underway 'til January 2009. Telus' online store shows the handset's status as "on backorder" and a tipster's told us the same. Though to appease the masses Telus has kicked the LG Dare and BlackBerry Pearl out for $0 and the BlackBerry Curve for $49. Decisions, decisions, huh?[Thanks, kjb_ninja and RileyFreeman for the update][Via mobilesyrup, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Another BlackBerry Storm firmware shows up
We suppose this comes with the territory when you're dealing with a major new smartphone on a major new (or heavily tweaked, anyway) platform that's in its launch infancy, but there's already a second new firmware floating around for the Storm. Actually, "floating around" isn't a great term here since Boy Genius Report isn't giving up the goods -- but the site appears to have obtained 4.7.0.76, which would be exactly 0.0.0.01 higher than the leaked firmware from earlier in the day. They've posted a laundry list of improvements and changes, giving us hope that the handset is on RIM's fast track to being as solid as it needs to be; unfortunately, no one knows when it'll be released, or if it'll simply be rolled into another build down the road. Keep your chins up, Storm users.
Telus BlackStorm Storm available for pre-order at Future Shop
We had always heard that Telus' BlackBerry Storm would be made available in time for the holiday season, but according to the estimated ship date on Future Shop's website, it'll be pushing it. The touchscreen handset can be pre-ordered right now by interested Canadians, though the $649.99 sticker may give you pause. Better not hold up your plans too long though -- wouldn't want that December 18th delivery date to slip.[Via mobilesyrup]
Switched On: Writers on the Storm
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. What happens when the efficient menu-driven user experience of the BlackBerry meets the discoverable new user experience of finger-driven touch? The answer for the BlackBerry Storm has been that the BlackBerry experience wins, and who loses depends on what you were expecting from RIM's first departure from a physical keyboard. While adorned with a few on-screen buttons and simple gesture support, the Storm is much less of an iPhone-like experience than, say, the T-Mobile G1.The Storm's main advantage over other BlackBerry devices is that it has a larger screen, not necessarily one that is controlled by touch. However, to accommodate the removal of its trademark keyboard, RIM has taken touch-screens into a literal new dimension by requiring users to depress the screen to activate a button on the screen, which lowers and springs back like a giant keyboard key.The screen's ability to respond to presses as a physical button (like the trackpad in Apple's new MacBooks), helps provide a more natural feel to typing on the Storm; the feedback is certainly more satisfying than the solely visual feedback that the iPhone gives. Just because it feels good, though, doesn't mean you should do it.
Engadget Podcast 119 - 11.21.2008
Back for more, eh? Well you've come to the right place -- the Engadget Podcast! Join Josh, Paul, and Nilay as they take you on a magical journey through the trials and tribulations of the BlackBerry Storm, investigate the legal situation of the Apple-cloning operation known as Psystar, dish on the latest Zune and Xbox happenings, and lament the forthcoming death of FireWire as it cedes its high-speed throne to USB 3.0. And just think, access to this treasure-trove of information is yours free of charge! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Paranoid 00:02:25 - BlackBerry Storm review 00:32:35 - Psystar's antitrust claims against Apple dismissed 00:53:59 - Microsoft revamps Zune Pass: keep ten tracks per month forever and ever 01:02:43 - Microsoft ratchets down pricing on flash-based Zunes 01:02:39 - NXE hitting 360s with red ring, freezing and sorta-sexy-avatar issues? 01:06:45 - Goodbye, FireWire 400 Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
In case you missed our BlackBerry Storm review...
The most anticipated BlackBerry of the year (sorry, Bold) is just a day away from release on Verizon -- and naturally, we've got the full rundown. Want to know if this is the phone for you? Click the pic or the link below to get the scoop!Continue on to read the full BlackBerry Storm review
BlackBerry 9530 Storm pricing revealed on VZW staging server
Ah, now this is a bit more solid pricing information. Verizon's testman pre-launch site now lists the BlackBerry 9530 Storm for $219.99 under a 2 year contract. Not quite below the $199 threshold set by the iPhone 3G as predicted by some analysts. Then again, the fat lady isn't singing yet so maybe we'll see some kind of mail-in rebate before this gets officially official. Without contract, we're looking at $520 according to the staging server. Pretty close the prices we saw hinted at early last week. See that screen grab and another for the $290 one-year contract after the break.Update: It's worth stressing that these prices could just be leftover placeholders. In fact, much of the describing text refers to the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition Smartphone which currently sells for pre-rebated price of $219.99.[Via Howard Forums, Thanks Paul]
RIM unleashes BlackBerry Storm online user guide, still no release date in sight
RIM's just launched an online "User Guide" for the BlackBerry 9530, AKA Storm. Covering everything from basic, operational how-tos to more advanced processes such as syncing, the site is a so-called "interactive" instruction manual. We've already spied a PDF of the manual, played around with the phone in our hands-on, and seen numerous pictures from all ends of the Earth. At this point we're getting a bit impatient for the thing to actually appear and are less than impressed with this newest teaser. Let's just cut to the chase already, can we?
BlackBerry Storm 9530 user manual leaked, totally not boring
Can't get enough info on the BlackBerry Storm? No detail too granular? Well, then you'll surely be interested in the fact that the user manual has appeared -- and from the looks of it, it's a serious page-turner. It's not quite as long as War & Peace, clocking in at 249 pages, but just as action-packed, so cozying up with it might fill the void until the actual device appears.
RIM posts BlackBerry Storm emulator, dev tools
It's just in beta at this point, but devs and techies far and wide are now invited to take a stab at coding up some magic for RIM's new touch-based user interface elements, orientation control, accelerometers, and virtual keyboards that are getting proudly shown off for the first time in the Storm. There's stuff in here for regular folk without a single programming bone in their bodies, too -- namely, a full-fledged emulator that appears to have all the features and functionality you'd expect the real thing to have. It's a gas to play with -- even more fun than that semi-functional G1 demo T-Mobile has up and running -- and it's a good way to test-drive the goods without laying out the cash first. Not to say you could even if you wanted to, since the phone's not dropping for another month at a yet-to-be-determined sticker price.[Via Phone Scoop]Update: Be sure to select Simulators v4.7.0 to get the goods -- otherwise you're going to go through some ridiculously long download, only to discover that there's no Storm to be found. Wouldn't that just suck?
BlackBerry Storm 9500 hands-on
RIM's a little late to the touchscreen party, but comes bearing goodies. The BlackBerry Storm is a beast of a phone in more ways than one. Fronted by a meaty, high-resolution touchscreen with an innovative clicking mechanism, the phone is easily the prettiest by RIM to date. There's a brushed metal back, a beautiful new OS interface, and enough radios to give your grandkids cancer (EV-DO Rev. A, quad-band GSM, Europe-friendly HSPA, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, though sadly no WiFi). But the real test of a phone is usability, not flash. Check out our impressions after the break.%Gallery-33245%
BlackBerry Storm User Guide surfaces
Look, we love finding out the pre-release minutiae just as much as anyone, but this is getting a little absurd. Yesterday we spotted a Storm slide pack, just this morning we ran across a sneak peek of RIM's BlackBerry Application Center, and merely hours later we're being treated to the BlackBerry Storm User Guide. What's next, internal information on how to best polish the casing? C'mon Verizon, get this thing out in the open already!
Sneak peek at RIM's BlackBerry Application Center
At this point, you're probably wondering what section of the Storm's UI you haven't seen. Enter a few new sneak peeks, this time showcasing the purported BlackBerry Application Center. Granted, these shots are from the Vodafone edition, but we don't suspect the Verizon version will look much different. Reportedly, the Application Center will be available on v4.7 Storm devices, and carriers themselves will be responsible for hosting the data and sending updates; additionally, the download / installation will be handled by the browser in the first release, meaning that the software cannot restart the app or download intelligently. Give the read link a look for a few more tidbits / pictures.
RIM's BlackBerry Storm 9500 / 9530: details galore
RIM's BlackBerry Storm 9500 / 9530, which is more affectionately known 'round these parts as the Thunder, is definitely within striking distance. Still, just because you don't have too much longer to wait doesn't mean you aren't anxious to get your hands on as many details as possible beforehand, right? The Boy Genius has managed to procure a few mundane stacks of PowerPoint slides that just so happen to contain some pretty scrumptious information on the touchscreen-based BlackBerry, and while there aren't any mind-melting surprises in there (like, confirmation that it can indeed read and reply correctly to each e-mail automatically), it's not the kind of data any real RIM fan would want to overlook. Go on and hit the read link, what exactly are you waiting for?
