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China Telecom launches BlackBerry... the BlackBerry Storm, that is
When a carrier announces that it's adding BlackBerry devices and BES support to its lineup, very rarely does that mean a touchscreen BlackBerry -- but hey, crazier things have happened. China's CDMA-based giant, China Telecom, has announced a partnership with RIM to bring the Storm (the original 9530, as far as we can tell) into the mix in the second half of this month, available in some sixteen provinces for a yet-to-be-announced price. At any rate, it's fair to assume your privacy will be compromised at no additional charge.
Skype mobile heading to Verizon smartphones on March 25th
We knew it was coming, and now we have a concrete date. Starting this Thursday, March 25th, Verizon Wireless customers with one of nine select smartphones (Motorola Droid and Devour, HTC Droid Eris, various BlackBerrys) and data plan will be able to use Skype over the 3G network. As we heard before, Skype-to-Skype calls will not affect your VZW minutes, and now you've got the option to use the app for cheaper international dialing using the mobile app. Full list of compatible devices after the break, a list we're hoping gets expanded in the not-so-distant future.
BlackBerry Storm update landing tomorrow, bringing lots of good stuff (update: now with changelog!)
Hey, you -- yeah you, the BlackBerry Storm owner over there. You listening? Good. That mythical software update we heard about just last week is obviously the real deal, and a screen grab from Verizon's internal systems has shown up to prove it. We're told that it should go live tomorrow (that's October 25th for those in strange, potentially illegitimate time zones) at 6PM. On the whole, it'll make your Storm act a lot more like the forthcoming Storm2, but specifically you can expect a "faster, more accurate and more natural text input experience, word completion, a virtual QWERTY keyboard in portrait view and enhanced sensitivity when editing, copying and pasting." You'll also get the ability to "enable Auto Correction as opposed to Word Completion in landscape view." The full changelog should be coming soon, so hang tight! Oh, and cancel those plans for tomorrow night, okay? [Thanks, Anonymous] Update: Check out the full (purported) changelog after the break!
Original BlackBerry Storm to get flick scrolling, better browsing through firmware update?
Despite Verizon's best efforts to ignore the obvious, RIM's BlackBerry Storm2 is not only official, it's (un)officially destined for Big Red's airwaves. If you're one of those slightly disgruntled Storm 9530 owners, however, you could be looking at a rather nice firmware update coming your way in the near future. According to phoneArena, the Storm and Storm2 will eventually be "practically identical" in terms of software, with a forthcoming update to add flick scrolling, tabbed browsing and threaded texting to the original. Of course, we should probably wait for VZW to confirm the existence of the Storm2 before expecting any formal word on this, but feel free to go about your day with cautious optimism.
Verizon drops BlackBerry Storm price to $99.99 on contract
With all signs (and by "all," we mean "all") pointing to a new Storm joining Verizon Wireless' lineup in the not-too-distant future, it's just about the perfect time to start discounting the current model in hopes of working that inventory down before the inevitable launch of numero dos. Starting today, VZW customers can snap up the SurePress-equipped Storm 9530 for $99.99 on contract, which is a full Benjamin less than it has been since debuting last November. If you're looking for a word of advice on the situation, here's ours: hold out for the next revision -- you'll thank us later.[Thanks, Cara]
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%
