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BlackBerry Storm sells out hard and fast
We don't have official confirmation of this yet, but we're hearing from all over that Verizon's launch of the BlackBerry Storm has so far been a raging success -- from what we can tell, it's sold out nearly everywhere, and the online store is buckling under the load of thousands of eager buyers. Sounds like RIM's on track for a hit -- any of you have any luck scoring a Storm today? How'd it go? Digging the SurePress screen? Hit us up in comments![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
BlackBerry Storm now available on Verizon
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/BlackBerry_Storm_now_available_on_Verizon'; You've read the review, now Verizon's BlackBerry Storm is available for purchase for $200 on two-year contract. Really, what's left to say -- you're either ready to pull the trigger or not.[Thanks, JR]
Google Sync for BlackBerry gets into your contacts
If you're a BlackBerry user or a prospective user, and also happen to be a Gmail enthusiast, you're going to be a lot happier than you were yesterday, because Google's just added over-the-air contact syncing to its Google Sync application. Previously, the app was only able to sync up calendars between the cloud and RIM devices every two hours. Now you can get your names and numbers in the mix, so it looks like the nightmare days of having one list of contacts in Gmail and another, totally different one in your 'Berry are apparently at an end. Sure, Google's timing on this seems a little convenient to us, coming as it does just before the BlackBerry Storm launch, but we're not going to complain about something that makes ours lives easier, okay? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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 Storm review
By now most of us have heard this story in one fashion or another: when Steve Jobs and Apple were in the planning stages of the iPhone, the first carrier they brought the device to was America's largest network, Verizon. Even if you haven't heard how the tale ends -- Verizon refused and Jobs took his multi-billion dollar ball to AT&T -- you surely know the outcome. The iPhone has soared to become the ultimate smartphone, the must-have accessory that everyone from celebrities to your mom wants -- nay, needs -- to have in their pocket. It's changed the landscape of modern cellphones, put a serious dent in the sales of competing devices (just recently overtaking the venerable RAZR as the best-selling domestic handset), and unquestionably raised the bar when it comes to expectations for features in new handsets. It may seem unfair to open up the review of RIM's latest BlackBerry -- the Storm -- with a history lesson on the iPhone, but if you understand the market which Verizon and RIM hope to capture, then you understand the Storm, and it helps put this critique in perspective. The Storm, a widescreen, touchscreen device boasts many of the same features as the iPhone, but adds innovations like a clickable display, and comes packed with RIM's legendary email and messaging services. Mainlined into the biggest (and some say best) network in the States, the Storm is an almost deafening blast to the competition at first glance, but does it hold up on closer inspection? Read on to find out. %Gallery-37444%
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?
Storm giveaway contest "winner" tattoos the phone on his cankle, will never find love
There are three primary rules to tattoos that we're aware of: 1. "I love my mom" tattoos are really cool. 2. "I love my short-term-girlfriend" tattoos are questionable at best. 3. "I love this gadget" tattoos have greater built-in obsolescence than sliced apples and pretty much clench the fact that nobody will ever go out with you. Also, they're really awesome. CrackBerry.com reader T.J. fell hard for rule number three and got a life-size tattoo of the BlackBerry Storm on his large, hairy calf to prove his undying devotion and win a free Storm. He even got some video of the happening (peep it below the fold), most likely to be shown in middle schools in the coming years as a huffing deterrence. We're looking forward to a Bumfight-like battle between T.J. and Zune Tattoo Guy before long, or perhaps a support group to get through this awkward, humiliating stage of life together. We'd prefer the Bumfight.
Vodafone's BlackBerry Storm gets unboxed, looks smashing
Vodafone's BlackBerry Storm is way ahead of Verizon's in terms of availability, so you North Americans are going to have to suffer through the agony that is knowing Voda subscribers are delighting in this handset well before you. And now, we've even got pictures to make the wait that much more excruciating. T3 has managed to get a RIM-issued BlackBerry Storm underneath the lens for a quick unboxing, and while nothing is out of the ordinary, we definitely got that warm, tingly feeling in our chest when watching a shiny new handset meet its owner for the first time. Flip through the gallery in the read link and see if you don't feel it, too.[Via CrackBerry]
GSM-only BlackBerry Storm clears the FCC
Folks in North America don't have too much cause to get excited over this one, but anyone planning on buying a BlackBerry Storm from, say, Vodafone, can now rest a little easier knowing that the less-than-secret GSM-only version of the phone has cleared the all-important hurdle that is the FCC. There's not exactly any other surprises to be found here, naturally, but if it's test reports you're after, you can find plenty of those by hitting up the read link below.
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.
Vodafone's BlackBerry Storm pricing plans eke out
Remember when Vodafone told us to hold our horses a bit on the pricing details when the BlackBerry Storm was made official this month? Believe it or not, the holding period is over, and now we're staring some actual price tags in the face. Reportedly, Voda will make the touchscreen BlackBerry available with four different pricing plans, so we'll get right to it. The Perfect Choice Access 100 plan will get you a Storm for €109.99 ($141), while the per-month rate (€49.99; $64) will include 100 minutes (yes, seriously), 100 texts (still for real here, people), 1GB of BlackBerry e-mail, mobile TV and ten music downloads. The Perfect Choice Access 200 / 400 / 600 plans bump up the minutes and texts just as you'd expect for €64.99 / €84.99 / €99.99 per month while netting you the phone for €64.99 / €69.99 / €49.99, respectively. For the full spill, head on down to the read link -- meanwhile, here in America, we all sit waiting for Verizon to follow suit...[Via CrackBerry]
BlackBerry Storm rumbles through the FCC
We're still sitting around waiting for an official release date from RIM, but perhaps this will help things along: the BlackBerry Storm has been OK'd by the FCC and is ready to send harmful radiation straight into your head. That's about all the info we've got from this fairy secretive approval report -- which doesn't even specify the name of the device -- but the label placement diagram shows off the back of the phone, with appropriate lines, button placement and world-roaming SIM slot that all point to Storm. "November-ish" can't come soon enough!
BlackBerry Storm in action, ad nauseam
Just can't get enough BlackBerry Storm minutiae? Well, Verizon's popped out a few reels of B-roll that should just about do it. Check them all out after the break, with enough screen clicking, device rotating and battery installing to crack even the most hardened of RIM fanboys.
Vodafone demonstration video shows you how to use the BlackBerry Storm
Not that you really needed any additional instructions on how to operate the BlackBerry Storm, but just in case you're a little slow on the uptake (or just want to be ultra-prepared come launch day), you'll certainly want to direct your attention to the video after the break. Yeah, it's a Vodafone Storm, so those looking for the typical Verizon garb will be a tad disoriented at first, but we're sure it'll be of assistance in the long run. Run along and study, kids -- release day is, um, soon... ish.
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%
Vodafone debuts BlackBerry Storm 9500
We're still waiting on Verizon to stop teasing us about this thing, but Vodafone (who's been hinting at the phone since last month) just announced the BlackBerry Storm, RIM's touchscreen flagship. As if you didn't know already, Vodafone is confirming a 3.25-inch 480 x 360 touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, automatic orientation flipping, 1GB of built-in storage and a host of multimedia capabilities, including iTunes sync.[Thanks, Bob]
First Blackberry Storm commercials air on CBS
Get ready, Blackberry fans. After weeks of leaks and goofy internal videos, it looks like the Storm's finally a-comin' -- the first ads for the RIM's touchscreen wonder aired on CBS tonight. We're on the lookout for a better video, but even at this low res we can't help but notice how chunky this thing looks -- but we're totally willing to trade some heft for some sweet, sweet copy / paste action. Video after the break.[Thanks, Jerry and deltajam]
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?
