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9350 posts

Verizon tells us all about the BlackBerry Storm's "WOW factors"

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 23rd 2008 @ 11:35AM

Flashy new slides circulating among Verizon staffers are calling out the Storm for everything that makes it just so darned Stormy, and the list is pretty impressive -- particularly the bit about the radios. As we've heard before, the Storm will pack CDMA / EV-DO Rev. A, quadband EDGE, and 2100MHz HSPA, making it one of the most global phones ever to hit the market. The list of "WOW factors" (Verizon's verbiage, not ours) doesn't stop there, though: we've also got a 3.25-inch 480 x 360 display dubbed "1/2 VGA+," which puts it just a notch above the Bold's 480 x 320 setup. The screen offers tactile feedback and auto-rotation to boot, plus you've got that 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera with flash, 1GB of onboard memory with microSD expansion -- an 8GB card is included in the box -- and "enhanced background noise cancellation." Turning our attention to software, RIM calls the Storm's web browsing experience "best in class," which is a good sign if those guys really know their competition, and we've got AGPS and visual voicemail (post-launch, sadly) in the pipe. Still no solid date on a launch for this blasted thing, but we'll be listening for... ahem, thunder.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Gallery: Verizon tells us all about the BlackBerry Storm's "WOW factors"

BlackBerry Storm 9530 for Verizon gets boxed

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 27th 2008 @ 9:59PM

So we might not have a physical device here, but these packaging renderings are pretty solid evidence of exactly what BlackBerry fans on Verizon -- particularly those jealous of the Bold -- can expect in a few weeks' time. It looks like RIM's first foray into the scary world of touchscreens will be officially branded the 9530 Storm, will be global (it includes a SIM card, after all), and will feature an 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled. Wondering what happened to the Thunder name? Turns out that'll apparently be reserved for the version of the phone launching on Rogers up in Canada and on Vodafone across the pond. Those Storm users on the screen there sure look happy, don't they?

Gallery: BlackBerry Storm 9350 for Verizon gets boxed

BlackBerry Thunder getting October 13 date with destiny on Verizon?

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 9th 2008 @ 7:48PM

We guess the BlackBerry fanfare is still focused on the Bold until we get past a whole bunch of launches around the world, but beyond that, the biggest news has to be the Thunder, RIM's first full touchscreen device (and indeed, its first touchscreen device period). Like the KickStart-to-Pearl metamorphosis, the Thunder name is anything but set in stone -- in fact, we'd venture to guess it'll be something else by the time it launches -- but it now seems that we can at least nail down a model number: 9530. Verizon documentation leaked to Boy Genius Report is showing a "RIM BlackBerry BB9530 Global" in its ranks, which is allegedly scheduled for an October 13 launch. Of course, we all know how this works: even if the October 13 date is legit, a whole host of contingencies could end up slipping the date by days, weeks, or even months, so don't plan a vacation around it just yet (and don't even act like you've never taken a day off to play with a new cellphone, you gadget lovin' son of a gun).