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Keepin' it real fake, part CCIX: Fake BlackBerry Storm adds some gold trim, beats the Storm 2 to clickscreen-free living
Well, no need to wait around for the Storm 2 to right all of the BlackBerry Storm's wrongs, the Cool9500 is here to make it all better. Namely, the Cool9500 brings the all-important gold trim, something we always felt was a major shortcoming of RIM's first stab at this form factor. There's also an all-important TV tuner -- another wild misstep in the original. Sure, we'll miss SurePress and the usable software, but we'd say Cool9500 really hit RIM where it hurts with this impressive followup.
BlackBerry Storm 2 dropping SurePress screen?
When we brought you those exclusive Storm 2 pics and details just a short while ago, we touched upon the "new approach to text entry," but unfortunately didn't have any details. However, lightning has struck again, and our source has gotten back to let us know that the Storm 2 does indeed have a stationary screen "just like the iPhone's," which lines up with what Boy Genius Report is hearing. That's right, it looks like RIM is axing its SurePress technology in favor of a more conventional touchscreen, though our tipster says the model he has may allow for some type of haptic feedback to be enabled. This should be great news for all you folks having dust-under-screen issues on your first-gen Storms, but obviously, we'll have to wait and see until this thing gets, you know, legit.[Thanks, BBninja1389]
Exclusive BlackBerry Storm 2 shots!
What's this we have here? A trusted source just hit us with a slew of beauty shots of the Storm 2 that leaked a little bit ago. Not much else to say at this point until we can get one in our hands -- the photos really speak for themselves. But seriously, what are you still doing here? Get over to the gallery and see all the tasty (and frankly, familiar) shots! [Thanks, BBninja1389]
BlackBerry Storm 2 gets pictured early
We knew it was coming, and just like its relatives the Onyx and the Gemini, yet another unreleased model has managed to escape the confines of RIM's Waterloo headquarters. This time, however, it's the Storm 2, which we've heard has been internally codenamed "Oden." We've also caught wind that this model pictured is of the GSM flavor, and yes, it's indeed packing WiFi in addition to GPS according to one of our sources. As far as that rumored "new approach to text entry," it sounds like the keyboard has been tweaked but isn't a radical departure from the first generation. From the photos, it seems that RIM has advanced in the war on buttons and axed the bottom four in favor of some touch-sensitive controls. The real improvements, however, appear to be under the hood, as the whole device reportedly runs much faster and smoother than the current model. We can't confirm these specs, but with the Tour coming this summer, and the Storm 2 hopefully making an appearance before the holiday shopping season, looks like you Verizon BlackBerry fans might not have to be that jealous of your GSM brethren after all.
RIM CEO confirms a new Storm is brewing
It's not like we're surprised to hear this, but RIM CEO Jim Balsillie just told Reuters that the company is hard at work on a successor to the BlackBerry Storm. According to Jim, the consumer market is "large and untapped," and the current Storm is a "huge success in terms of sales and adoption." Sure, sure -- it's hard to scoff at a million units sold, after all -- but with rumors of an entirely new approach to text entry flying around, we'd say there's a good chance the Storm 2 doesn't so much build on the Storm formula as start over entirely. Thoughts?[Via PhoneScoop]
RIM CEO on BlackBerry Storm: "nobody gets it perfect out the door"
If there's one two things we love, it's hearing RIM's own Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis open their gaping traps. While the former was sufficiently panned back in January for exclaiming that buggy smartphone software was simply the "new reality," his partner in crime may have just done him one better. In a recent sit-down with Laptop Mag, Mike was specifically asked to address that aforementioned quote. His response? "That's our first touch product, and you know nobody gets it perfect out the door. You know other companies were having problems with their first releases." If you're struggling to translate that into layman speak, allow us: "Tough luck, early adopters!"As the interview progressed, the co-CEO took the opportunity to snub Apple on its inability to get Push Email out early on, noting that BlackBerry OS has "constantly been underestimated" and was "designed to multitask from day one." He also stumbled all over himself when it came to speaking about the BlackBerry's web browser, stating that "by writing our browser in Java, that provides our CIOs and wireless managers the assurances they need, to allow the browser to access internal information at the same time it accesses external information." We've literally meditated on that for a solid half-hour, and we still have absolutely zero idea what it means in English. Nevertheless, the whole thing is a pretty great -- if not comical -- read, so give it a look and share your colorful opinions in comments below.
WiFi-equipped BlackBerry Storm 2 coming to Verizon in September?
Looks like you might be able to cross at least one bullet point off of your Storm 2 wishlist. According to unnamed source who SlashGear swears is the bee's knees, the successor to BlackBerry's touchscreen smartphone will add WiFi support for faster home / coffee shop web browsing. The informant hinted there's other surprises on the horizon but wouldn't give specifics, so for now you'll just have to keep dreaming about that SurePress touchscreen that doesn't slow down your texting. As for when we should expect the sequel, the report pointed to a release sometime in September on Verizon's network.
Screen Grabs: Nelly Yuki sees Yale acceptance email on BlackBerry Storm
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. We had a feeling that cast-wide Verizon contract on Gossip Girl would eventually lead to at least one BlackBerry Storm showing up, and sure enough, it's Nelly Yuki proving our assumptions correct. Ms. Yuki made good use of her touchscreen 'Berry too, showing off her Yale acceptance email to her closest pals and one fuming Blair Waldorf. Meanwhile, all the other rich girls get stuck with Verizon's free-on-contract lineup -- what's up with that?
The BlackBerry Storm ad that might have been
This, shall we say, confrontational BlackBerry Storm ad by NY ad agency Guava has been making the rounds today, depicting a blackberry "bullet" taking a violent path through a familiar-seeming piece of fruit. An anonymous source told us that RIM considered it but eventually got cold feet -- and we can understand why. Nonetheless, it's an awesome bit of smack, so hit up the break and check it out for yourself.[Thanks, Michael]
Unify4Life AV Shadow app to soon turn BlackBerry Storm into remote
Apple's iPhone probably has too many remote apps for its own good, but Unify4Life is looking to provide RIM's BlackBerry Storm with just one -- the best one, in fact. The company's admittedly impressive AV Shadow software, which we happened to experience ourselves at CES, is reportedly coming soon to RIM's first ever touchscreen 'Berry. How soon? Try "later this week." If you're interested to know precisely what you're waiting for, give that play button above a push.
Switched On: The "phonetastic four" versus Windows Mobile
Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Barring any disruptive portfolio shifts prior to its introduction, the Palm Pre will complete a new competitive handset dynamic that began with the introduction of the iPhone. Each of the four major U.S. mobile operators will be emphasizing a capacitive touchscreen smartphone. Curiously, none come from any of the top five global phone manufacturers. And even more curiously, each will be powered by a different operating system as the Pre at Sprint jockeys with the iPhone at AT&T, the BlackBerry Storm at Verizon Wireless, and the T-Mobile G1. These signature handsets go beyond exclusives or even strong identification with the service provider. They bear the burden of attracting consumers looking for the coolest phone experience or at least minimizing the impact of the other signature handsets. In return, carriers lavish marketing dollars on them. Their role exemplifies a transformation of the market from the days when the RAZR was every carrier's "it" phone and operators competed on their particular shade of pink . The carriers' selection of their signature handsets must be disappointing to Microsoft, which cannot claim a Windows Mobile device among them. Indeed, the single mobile operator Microsoft highlighted at Mobile World Congress as being an exceptional partner was France's Orange. It's not as if an operating system must be exclusive to the device as there are other BlackBerrys out there (although, as Verizon Wireless tirelessly notes, the Storm is the first touchscreen BlackBerry). And it is only an accident in time that has made the G1 the exclusive Android handset. It certainly isn't about application support as incredibly all of the current signature handsets will have debuted without extensive third-party programs available. Regardless, though, and despite efforts by HTC, Sony Ericsson and Samsung to skin Windows Mobile as well as Microsoft's own improvements in Windows Mobile 6.1, there is a perceived cachet to these four signature phones that the best Windows Mobile devices are not yet delivering.
Google Maps update allows Verizon BlackBerry Storm to access integrated GPS
We were skeptical when Verizon said it was going to start unlocking the GPS in its phones, and then Pearl and Curve users saw support in BlackBerry Maps. Now Google Maps for the Storm has been updated to allow access to the internal GPS -- something that probably couldn't be done without Big Red's blessing. Oddly, Pearl and Curve users are still forced to rely on triangulation to get their Latitude on, but at this point, we'll really take whatever we can get. Either way, this sure looks like progress, and as long as this continues we'll go ahead and cut the carrier some slack. Storm users feel free to hit the read link and stick it to the man while making the most of your device as the BlackBerry gods intended. [Thanks, Ryan]
Haier shows off mysterious "NetBooks," Android phones
Haier's offerings are always an adventure, and this year at MWC they didn't disappoint. They were showing off an interesting assortment of MIDs, confusingly dubbed "NetBooks," including a mini-laptop of sorts (left) that falls somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, we're totally short on specs, release dates or other sorts of relevant informations, so what you see is pretty much what you get. On a similar note, Haier had two Android-based devices at the show, dubbed the G1 and the G2, along with a BlackBerry 8900 look-alike we didn't see, and another phone that even the PR person wasn't sure what it was. These two "Googlephones" (their word) were sadly out of battery when we went for a demo, but one of them bore more than a passing resemblance to the BlackBerry Storm, though it happens to be lighter, smaller and runs a new OS... maybe RIM can call up Haier for some pointers.%Gallery-45365%
RIM's BlackBerry Storm -- how would you change it?
Mobile users of the world, you have been summoned. This week's How Would You Change just wouldn't be complete without the input of our very own handset aficionados, so head on over and drop your two pennies on RIM's BlackBerry Storm. You know you've got some choice words you'd like to share, right?
How would you change RIM's BlackBerry Storm?
Not sure if you noticed, but RIM's first-ever full touchscreen BlackBerry caused quite the ruckus when it splashed down late last year. While many were thrilled to have the common luxuries found only on a 'Berry underneath a clickable screen, there were quite a few outcries from folks who thought the whole thing just needed a few more days in the oven. Now that it's had a chance to make its way around (most) of the world, we're curious to see how users feel about their purchase. Are you satisfied with the interface? Did RIM deliver as promised? Have the updates quelled any early issues you had? Don't hold back in comments below -- get loud, get proud.
RIM's BlackBerry Storm shows its cheaper side on Amazon
Verizon's BlackBerry Storm is getting a little kick in its pricing courtesy of an Amazon rebate-free rebate. The deal here is that the infamous touchscreen BlackBerry is now $99.99 on a two-year stint, no rebate paperwork, no mailing things anywhere, just shell out cash, get phone, call people. Verizon has a buy one get one free thing going on right now, so if you're looking for two Storms for the price of one -- and that one is still $199 -- you can head on over to see them. Everybody happy now? [Via geardiary]
BlackBerry Blowout: Storm vs. Bold vs. Curve 8900
We decided to take the most recent 'Berrys -- the Curve 8900, Bold, and Storm -- and toss them into a big pile. What would happen? Do they get along? What kind of bruised egos would we see? Read on for our innermost thoughts.%Gallery-43955%
Switched On: With Pre, Palm breaks from the Storm
Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. In a recent interview with Elevation Partners' Roger McNamee, the Palm investor explained that Palm knew it had to step up its game after RIM launched the BlackBerry Pearl, which he described as "the first real consumer electronics product in the smartphone category." The Pearl launch served as the coming out party for the BlackBerry brand among consumers as RIM began stepping up its advertising, and the product's narrower hardware design was a noticeable break with the staid stylings of previous BlackBerry devices. Indeed, back in November of 2006 as Palm rolled out the somewhat consumer-focused Treo 680, I wrote a Switched On column noting that the Pearl broke with the evolutionary path that RIM had been on and served as an example for the kind of hardware shift Palm needed to make. Palm finally answered the Pearl with the Centro, a compact, inexpensive, and successful smartphone that has apparently served as the final resting place of the original Palm OS architecture. However, between the release of those two devices, the entry and subsequent SDK of Apple's iPhone proved a far more significant turning point in the evolution of consumer smartphones. The iPhone's resonance and popularity have provoked responses from many competitors, but there is a particular contrast in the flagship CDMA touchscreen handsets released by RIM and Palm --- the other two smartphone developers that grow their own operating systems -- since then.
Vodafone's Vittorio Colao dreams up "unbeatable" alliance around LTE
And here we go again -- new CEO, same message. Just under a year after ex-chief Arun Sarin urged the industry to rally around LTE, the new bigwig (that's Mr. Vittorio Colao to you) is coming forward with even zanier ideas. In a recent interview with Financial Times, Colao asserted that collaboration between China Mobile, Vodafone and Verizon Wireless around LTE could create an "unbeatable" alliance. More specifically, he noted that the trio could "work more closely... in the management of customers, procurement and service creation," which in some courtrooms may be misconstrued as collusion. All kidding aside (maybe), this master plan makes more sense when you realize that Vodafone owns a 3.2 percent stake in China Mobile and is already involved in VZW via a joint venture. Still, just because Microsoft and Apple could join forces to create an unbeatable operating system factory doesn't mean that laws would allow it.[Via mocoNews]
Days to 1 million: the smartphone wars
In a fit of editorial sobriety, reader Noel just sent us this handy "1 million devices sold" graphic above. The image demonstrates the speed (in terms of days) at which each competing handset achieved the magic milestone. What it leaves out is the footprint at launch which of course, affects the total population able to purchase the device. For example, the iPhone 3G launched in 21 countries simultaneously whereas the G1 launched in the US only. It's also worth noting that the precision reflects that of the announcements made. For example, VZW announced that the Storm hit 1M "through January" which could be interpreted as January 31st or January 27th, the day of the announcement -- and that's just US sales. Still, the table is a valuable tool for the fanboy braggarts and budding marketeers amongst you. Data after the break.[Thanks, Noel F.]
