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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!
BlackBerry Storm 2 appears on Verizon pages
While we haven't seen iron-clad proof of an October 21 (read: tomorrow) launch date, all signs do point to something imminent. And this next item is due to make all of you Storm 2 chasers positively giddy: yes, Verizon has posted the definitive Flash demo for the handset. So hit the read link to 'ooh' and 'ahh' your way through 360 degrees of spine-tingling render -- just try not to get dizzy. [Thanks, Marc-Anthony]
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.
Storm 2 hitting Verizon with 'MiFi capability?'
We can't confirm this Verizon Infomanager screen at this point, but if true, when the BlackBerry Storm 2 launches on the network, one of the big touted features will be its MiFi capabilities for sharing 3G internet over WiFi. It'd be smart branding move, sure, but MiFi is also the name Novatel uses for its hardware, so either we're talking here about an application of some sort or it's just internal communications short-hand. Also mentioned here is an October 21st launch, although it's been noted by Crackberry that the date's apparently been replaced with TBA. Without a doubt, we can confidently say we'll know for sure in the next, oh, 52 hours or so. [Thanks, Marc-Anthony S.] Read - Intranet snapshot Read - Launch date pulled
Walt Mossberg leaks the BlackBerry Storm 2
Well, well, looks like Unkie Walt accidentally programmed his calendar to publish a combined preview of the Motorola CLIQ and the BlackBerry Storm 2 a little earlier than everyone else. Nothing particularly insightful on the CLIQ, but Mossy says RIM's latest is a big improvement over the original Storm -- mostly because of the revamped touchscreen, which provides "faster, smoother typing." Yep, that's pretty much what we were expecting. Walt's also high on the inclusion of WiFi and the portrait-mode keyboard, but ain't nothing gonna make that BlackBerry browser any good, and the big guy says the touch interface still feels tacked to the rapidly-aging BlackBerry OS. So Walt -- now that you've confirmed RIM and Verizon's big holiday launch, what can you tell us about pricing and availability? "Likely to appear in November at around $200," you say? Thanks, buddy. You're always so dependable. Video that we took of a broken Storm 2 prototype in May after the break, tons of pics in the gallery %Gallery-75606%
BlackBerry Storm 2 up to something "this week," socially promiscuous in November
The New York Times has a lengthy piece on RIM's and Verizon's failed attempt to upset the iPhone's dominance with the BlackBerry Storm launch. Interesting, but not as interesting as this little nugget: "This week, Verizon and R.I.M. are trying again with a Storm do-over, the Storm 2." What that means, isn't exactly clear but it would seem to point to an official Storm 2 announcement this week, possibly today. Mike Lazaridis, RIM's co-CEO was also paraphrased as saying that RIM was "about to release" version 5.0 of its BlackBerry software. Meanwhile, RIM's other CEO, Jim Balsillie, boasted of plans to "shake up the market" in November when it opens it private communication network to social network updates and entertainment content from outside sources. A move that could swiftly bring an end to the BlackBerry's "for suits only" reputation, like, totally forever.[Via Phonescoop]
BlackBerry Storm 2 up to something 'this week,' socially promiscuous in November
The New York Times has a lengthy piece on RIM's and Verizon's failed attempt to upset the iPhone's dominance with the BlackBerry Storm launch. Interesting, but not as interesting as this little nugget: "This week, Verizon and R.I.M. are trying again with a Storm do-over, the Storm 2." What that means, isn't exactly clear but it would seem to point to an official Storm 2 announcement this week, possibly today. Mike Lazaridis, RIM's co-CEO was also paraphrased as saying that RIM was "about to release" version 5.0 of its BlackBerry software. Meanwhile, RIM's other CEO, Jim Balsillie, boasted of plans to "shake up the market" in November when it opens it private communication network to social network updates and entertainment content from outside sources. A move that could swiftly bring an end to the BlackBerry's "for suits only" reputation, like, totally forever.[Via Phonescoop]
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXIX: Genuine Android shipping on a counterfeit Storm
Looks like someone in Shenzhen had time to kill overnight at the Storm factory -- and they've put it to good use. Instead of giving us a faux-BlackBerry with a horribly mangled KIRFed-out UI (or at most WinMo) what we have here is a genuine clone with a trackball thrown in for good measure running honest-to-goodness Android 1.5. Dubbed the Broncho A1, this guy features a 600MHz CPU, 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS, and an FM radio. That's the good news. The bad? 128MB RAM isn't going to do much for you, app-wise. Oh, well. Price and ship date to be announced at a later date. Get a closer look in the gallery below.%Gallery-75447%[Via Cloned In China]
BlackBerry Storm 2 double feature: Vodafone display and Verizon training video sighted
We're not saying BlackBerry's Storm successor is due for release just around the corner. We're not saying that, but we have been seeing a number of telltale signs that piezoelectrified touchscreen device is soon for this world. Herein we present the two latest pieces of evidence, a Vodafone display found at Carphone Warehouse and a leaked, very blurry Verizon Wireless training video that contains a scraps of details. It'll launch with BBOS 5.0, unsurprisingly, and come packaged with a 16GB microSD card and 2GB internal storage, a Bing search app, and City ID app. See it for yourself after the break -- excited yet? [Via Berryscoop]
Indie game 'Storm' strikes XBLA, PSN, WiiWare, iPhone
Terence Lee, creator of Storm, joins the growing list of independent game developers lucky enough to find a publisher. His game, created specifically for an independent games competition at 2BeeGames.com, will find refuge on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, WiiWare and iPhone next year via a new publishing deal announced by Zoo Games. We talked with Lee about the indie games scene, and what we can expect from the console version. What is Storm? How did the concept come about? Storm is a game where you use weather elements, like wind, rain, and lightning, to solve physics puzzles. I had been playing around with some physics sandbox games, like Garry's Mod, and I found that these games were all based on experimenting with mechanical interactions. I wondered if an organic style could also be fun. And what's more organic than a storm? Plus storms bring lightning and every game needs explosions. %Gallery-74679%
Motorola Sholes to launch by holidays, along with the BlackBerry Storm 2 and Nokia Booklet 3G
Well well, it looks like the Android-powered Motorola Sholes will be out on Verizon by the holidays. That's at least the impression we're getting from a bunch of leaked Verizon retailer documents posted up by Boy Genius Report, which also indicate the BlackBerry Storm 2, Curve 2 and LG Chocolate Touch will hit Big Red in time for eggnog, along with an unspecified netbook -- we're guessing this Gateway number. Speaking of netbooks, a similar document from Best Buy Mobile also leaked over the weekend, and it looks like the Nokia Booklet 3G will be exclusive to Best Buy and compatible with AT&T 3G. Oh, and the Pixi is coming, but you already knew that. Here's the real mystery, though: "There are multiple Android launches across multiple carriers, along with some new technology that doesn't exist today." That's certainly open for interpretation, so we leave it to you -- is Best Buy Mobile about to start selling teleporters, or what? Read - Sam's Club and Target Verizon docs Read - Best Buy Mobile docs
SciPhone smells success with Android-powered clones, orders up an army
You know that N12 we were thrilling about back in June? After faking Android with the Dream G2+ as a skin over its regular OS, SciPhone decided to put real Android on the N12 much to our surprise. Now in the works are the N16 (a phone that looks so much like the Magic that SciPhone just stole the real Magic's press shot instead), the LG-styled N17, and a Storm-esque N19 (pictured). At least the N12 and N16 have 624MHz Marvell processors and 3G, while the N19 sounds to be a non-3G phone running a mere 400MHz chip and 128MB or RAM. The N12 is due this month wherever clones are sold, no word on when the rest will follow. [Via PMP Today]
BlackBerry Storm gets a freshly leaked upgrade to OS 5.0
Will Verizon release an official update to 5.0 for the current generation of the Storm? Maybe -- it's a total crap shoot -- but even if they do, your children's children could be having midlife crises before it's actually released considering the glacial pace that Verizon typically gets new hardware and software to market. Of course, that's partly thanks to an infamously back-breaking testing regimen that helps Verizon consistently earn high marks for network quality and generally keeps customers off the support lines, but for those of us who want nothing more than to live on the edge, it's good to see that another packaged 5.0 update for the 9530 has hit the wires -- this one versioned 5.0.0.230. We imagine this one's leaps and bounds more stable than the nearly unusable stuff from earlier this summer, and initial reports from users seems to indicate as much -- the camera works (always a good thing) and there seem to be countless minor tweaks and fixes that folks are describing as "promising." As always, your average BlackBerry user who relies on the phone day in and day out might want to wait for something a little less leaky -- but like we said, it could be a bit of a wait.
BlackBerry Storm, Storm 2 face off on video, result predictable
Every indication we've got is that the Storm 2 is going to foam at the mouth, tear apart the original Storm limb-by-limb, and eat its young when it's released later this year -- and if you want some preliminary evidence of that, look no further than a newly-posted video detailing a few reasons why the new model's so much better. In the event you'd like to spare yourself four minutes of rimshot-worthy bad jokes, allow us to boil down the video to its bare essentials: the star of the show says the Storm 2 looks better than the original (we're hard pressed to disagree), it's got WiFi, you've got considerably more free RAM and Flash on board, the revamped SurePress mechanism makes typing easier, the interface is snappier, and shutter lag in the camera is way improved. At the end of the day, it's still a Storm in every sense of the word, it's just been tweaked and refined in seemingly all the right ways -- which just happens to be a common theme these days. Follow the break for video. [Via PhoneArena]
Verizon blowing out Storms for $49.99 -- you know what that means
Pardon the pun, but we've got the perfect storm here: the Storm 2 is undoubtedly just around the corner, the holiday shopping season is a stone's throw away, and Verizon's probably sitting on a fat pile of stagnating Storm inventory that's gotta go. What's North America's largest carrier to do? Drop pricing on the original through the floor, of course, which means you can now pick up the 9530 for a scant $49.99 on a two-year contract after rebate. If you recall, it went for $199.99 at launch, so it's a decent deal (for Verizon, anyway -- it's been easy to get a free Storm through third parties for a while now), so just don't freak out on us when the replacement hits any month now, alright? [Via PhoneArena]
Possible Palm Pre, Eos, Storm 2, and more revealed in Verizon database
Well would you look at those. Six snaps from Verizon's internal inventory database showing the BlackBerry Storm 2, Touch Pro 2, Omnia II, the Samsung Convoy and a pair of previously unseen Palm devices tagged with "P101" and "P121" monikers. It's just a guess, but we, like PhoneArena, think there's a very good chance that these are the Pre (already shipping on Sprint as model P100 according to the FCC) and its little Eos cousin, respectively. Now, anyone still doubting a Q1 2010 release on Big Red?
BlackBerry Storm 2 -- and its piezoelectric soul -- dissected at last
The leaked photo of the Storm 2's internal board got our juices flowing -- and our curiosity piqued -- but this latest set of photos really takes it up a notch. In addition to showing the rest of the device inside and out, we've got a handful of new pictures showing off that piezoelectronic technology doing its thing. Basically, as we understand it, those four "buttons" which are pictured are more like sensors than buttons. When the device is on, they communicate with the screen, and when it registers enough pressure, the result is the familiar "click" that Storm users know all too well. However, when the device is powered off (or in standby mode we assume), the screen stays put, as there isn't an actual mechanism to move the screen like there was in the original Storm. Of course, we won't know how to judge it until we can actually play with a real live demo unit in the flesh, but you can definitely say that RIM has us interested. At least they weren't lying about that whole 'SurePress is here to stay' thing.
Storm 2, Motorola Sholes, Nokia Twist dated for Verizon, according to leaked doc
We've heard about a good number of these phones were bound for Verizon Wireless already, but if this leaked doc via Boy Genius Report is to be believed, we now have a much better idea when they should be within reach of consumer hands. First up is Samsung Rogue for sometime this month (we previously heard today, but that's looking very doubtful at this point) for an estimated $370 subsidized. Next on the calendar is the "female centric" Nokia Twist 7705 in late September for $230, which more likely than not is the swiveling device we've seen on two prior occasions. Also due out next month is the Samsung Intensity for $130 (screenshot after the break). LG Chocolate Touch was rumored by Best Buy for today, but here it's listed for an October debut, along with Storm 2, a "low cost QWERTY" HTC Razzle / Blitz 2 (XV6175, perhaps?), and the Motorola Sholes "Google Phone," red D-pad likely in tow, all with TBD price tags. Rounding out the list in late November is the BlackBerry Curve 2, which we wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be the 8530. The first one expected for public is the Rogue, replacing the Alias 2 that just launched back in May. What gives Verizon, no love for e-ink textpads?
V CAST Video comes to Verizon's BlackBerry Storm
If you want to watch live hockey games played by NHL teams not owned by RIM's Jim Balsillie -- that would be all of them, by the way -- you need look no further than the warm glow of your Storm's display now that Verizon has brought its V CAST Video service to the device. Starting today, users will be able to download a dedicated VCAST Video application to their Storms, bringing a host of feature-length and live programming that makes us thank our lucky stars for high-limit data plans. Sure, it'll set you back $10 a month and kill productivity -- but isn't wasting money and time what life is really all about?
Video: BlackBerry Storm 2 gets yet another prerelease review
Still not convinced that the BlackBerry Storm 2 is alive and kicking in places outside of RIM's "secure" labs up in Waterloo? How's a seven minute long video showing off this perennially-leaked device for all you skeptics? The blur-free video shows off the updated SurePress screen that only clicks when the unit's actually in use, as well as some size comparisons with the Onyx and Tour. The mystery man behind the camera says that even though his OS is super old -- at least by pre-release firmware standards -- it's much faster than the previous-gen Storm. Also interesting is the fact that WiFi doesn't appear to be present in the "Manage Connections" screen, although we can almost say with 100% certainty that there will be WiFi at launch. The full video's posted after the break, conspiracy theorists: go wild. [Thanks, bighap]