blackberry posts
As we revealed this morning, the BlackBerry Curve 8530 -- a CDMA remix of the 8520 now available on T-Mobile -- is coming to Sprint to do battle with its Verizon-branded cousin. Unlike Verizon, which promises a November 20 launch for $99.99 on contract after rebate, Sprint isn't revealing pricing or availability details for the low-end BlackBerry -- but naturally, if they're smart, the answers will be "cheap" and "soon," respectively.
Verizon launches BlackBerry 8530, LG Chocolate Touch, Samsung Convoy, and prepaid data

Read - BlackBerry Curve 8530 brings optical trackpad to Verizon
Read - Verizon's LG Chocolate Touch skips on the BL40 influence
Read - Samsung Convoy is a rugged push-to-talker for Verizon
Read - Verizon broadband data goes prepaid
BlackBerry Bold 9700 hands-on and impressions

Verizon looking to bump early termination fee to $350 on 'advanced' devices
You know what's worse than showing your Bitter Beer Face to the world after you passed on Apple's iPhone and let AT&T enjoy the spoils? Raising your early termination fee to stratospheric heights. Just over a year ago, we honestly though this whole ETF thing was headed in the right direction, as most of the major carriers (VZW included) sought to prorate contracts in order to lessen the charge as one's contract drew closer to an end. Now, however, Big Red is evidently gearing up to pull a 180, with the slide above showing a $350 ETF for "advanced" devices (read: probably anything deemed a smartphone). The newly hiked rate will go into effect on November 15th, and while that $350 will decrease by $10 per month over the life of the agreement, this pretty much guarantees that you won't be adding a line, disconnecting and then flipping that phone on eBay.
Rejoice! BlackBerry support arrives on Celio REDFLY

[Via TestFreaks, thanks Nirckolas]
RIM posts job listing for 'WebKit Developer,' gets one step closer to a real browser
Needed some more evidence that future BlackBerrys may be getting a much needed improvement in the browser department? You got it. Following up on the news that Research In Motion has acquired Torch Mobile (developers of the WebKit-based Iris browser), the Candian phonemaker is now looking to fill the position of "WebKit Developer," according to a job listing. The posting calls for a number of skills which would come in handy whilst creating a next-gen browser for the BlackBerry OS, clearly calling for someone with hands-on experience coding... WebKit style. Look, if you love Canada and hate the BlackBerry browser, here's your chance to make the world a better place. What are you waiting for?[Thanks, Daniel M]
First Storm 2 ad huffs and puffs for attention (video)
Given the timing of Storm 2's launch and the Motorola DROID's unveiling, you'd think Verizon had all but abandoned its touchscreen BlackBerry. But lo and behold, we do have a new television spot. "Who says lightning never strikes twice" -- who said it ever struck the first time? Video after the break.
[Via Gear Diary]
[Via Gear Diary]
Storm2 now available from Verizon for those who waited
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Telus kicks off HSPA+ network with iPhone November 5th, HTC Hero, LG New Chocolate and more to follow
Telus already announced that it'd be launching the iPhone in November, but it's just now gotten official with an actual date: November 5th -- which just so happens to also be the day that it lights up its brand new HSPA+ network. Unfortunately for anyone hoping that a little competition would spark a price war, Telus is matching Rogers' prices across the board, starting at $99.99 for the basic 8GB iPhone 3G, and moving up to $199.99 for the 16GB 3GS, and $299.99 for the 32GB 3GS (all on a three-year contract, of course). What's more, Telus has also taken the opportunity to offer the first official confirmation of some of the other devices that'll take advantage of its new network, including the HTC Hero, the previously rumored LG New Chocolate (a.k.a BL40), the Blackberry Bold 9700, and the Nokia E71 (plus a USB stick, for good measure). No prices or release dates for any of those just yet, unfortunately, but the Hero and New Chocolate are apparently Telus exclusives.
Verizon's BlackBerry Curve 8530 gets reviewed early
The phone you're peering at above has more names than we'd care to count, but the so-called Aries (or the Gemini's CDMA'd sibling, if you please) may end up on Verizon as one of two things: the BlackBerry Curve 8530 or the BlackBerry Curve 2. The folks over at CrackBerry managed to get their hands on a unit far before this thing has even been officially released, and of course they've given us the rundown just as the Storm2 is stealing all of the attention over at Big Red. The WiFi-equipped handset (yeah, you read that right) was said to be "identical to the Curve 8520" with the exception of the back cover design, meaning that while solid, the device definitely felt "entry-level." The interface was said to be satisfactorily snappy, the optical trackpad was dubbed "really great" and the web browser was still thoroughly worthless. If you really need to hear more, give that read link a look.
inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry up for pre-order, ships in February 2010
Just as we'd heard, RIM decided to outsource the production of the planet's first BlackBerry watch, but that doesn't mean that devoted BB Messenger users won't be hankerin' for one. The inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry is being produced by Allerta, and now that it's official, we can safely say that it'll rely on Bluetooth in order to bring incoming emails, text messages and other alerts from your handset to your wrist (or your ankle, if you roll like that). As for specs, you're looking at a 1.3-inch OLED display, glass lens, full metal body, vibrating motor, microUSB port and a rechargeable battery that's good for around four days of "normal use." inPulse users will have to install a special BlackBerry application in order to pass along information, but those hoping to use their watch to actually send messages will be sorely disappointed. It's up for pre-order now at $149, and if all goes well, the first ones will ship out in February.
Verizon Storm2 on October 28th, BlackBerry OS 5.0 for original Storm out now

If you have an original Storm purchased through Verizon then first, our condolences. At the risk of rubbing it in (since you're still on contract) we have to tell you that the second generation Storm2 -- the full-screen BlackBerry you should have waited for -- just got an official $179.99 (after $100 mail-in rebate and 2-year contract) October 28th release date as expected. Storm owners can, however, take solace in the BlackBerry OS 5.0 update now available for download that boasts several improvements including those keyboard and general usability enhancements we already knew were coming.
BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)

[Thanks, Anonymous]
Update: Check out the full (purported) changelog after the break!
Verizon launching Storm2 on October 28 for $179.99?

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
BlackBerry Bold 9700 gains FCC clearance in T-Mobile trim
You can't make heads or tails of what carrier might be getting this version of the Bold 9700 just by looking at the wireframe diagram buried in the ID label documentation, but here's an important clue: it got tested for WCDMA Band IV, also known as AWS -- so yeah, that would be a pretty solid indicator that this puppy is T-Mobile USA's version. You could spend literally hours thumbing through the hundreds of pages of RF test results here, so curl up on a cushy futon and geek out -- just do us a favor and don't actually print it out, okay?



























