We have a sneaking suspicion most Vodafone faithful have been focusing on other matters, but those who've kept HP's iPAQ Voice Messenger in the front of their mind can finally celebrate. Yep, the Windows Mobile-based smartphone -- which is about as "all-business" as they come, might we add -- is finally available for order at Vodafone UK. It can be claimed right now for anywhere between free and £85.11 ($126) depending on plan.

[Via coolsmartphone]

For handset lovers over in Australia, we know you've been paying close attention to all the Storm action in other corners of the globe. Now, you can finally make the decision to buy in or keep looking on your home turf, as Vodafone Australia has finally launched RIM's first touchscreen BlackBerry. For consumers who signed up early for information on its availability, the carrier has sent out an email offering them exclusive access to order their Storm online (and get a free 8GB microSD card to boot). The email does note that stock is limited, so there's still no telling when they'll be available Down Under to the public at large. We are told that it's being sold as cheap as free on plans starting at $69 per month for two years, so at least you've something to plan towards.

[Via BlackBerry News]

Earlier in the summer, some words from Verizon chief Ivan Seidenberg led us all to believe that he wanted his firm to take full control of Verizon Wireless. Now, Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao has made clear that his outfit had precisely zero plans to sell its 45% stake in VZW, though he did mention having an "open mind" about the future of said stake. Just in case that wasn't definitive enough for ya, he stressed that staying put was "the best thing" for Vodafone right now, and given just how many Storms are flying off of US shelves, we can't stand to disagree.

[Via mocoNews]

Think you need to go all-in on a postpaid contract to get the best crap a carrier has to offer? Well, quite often you do -- but not on Vodafone in the UK, where its recently-announced Christmas lineup contains perfectly decent fare like the Samsung Steel and Omnia for £80 and £400, respectively. Granted, that's a little (okay, a lot) more than you'll pay on contract, but at least the options are there, right? Those two comprise part of a monstrous 16-phone lineup announced to lead Vodafone through the holiday sales rush, which includes the high-horsepower Sony Ericsson C905 and X1, the Nokia N96 16GB, and the BlackBerry Storm on contract, among a host of others. Voda sweetens the pot for buyers of the Samsung G600, Nokia 6500 Classic, and Sony Ericsson K770i by throwing in a digital photo frame, which particularly comes in handy with the G600's respectable 5-megapixel resolution. All told, the lineup's a little overwhelming, but if we had to choose between an overwhelming lineup and an anemic (read: American) one, you know which one we're picking ten times out of ten.

No, not that Storm silly -- that storm. As cellphone users around the globe put off that once imminent upgrade purchase in order to make the mortgage and feed the family, (most) handset makers are obviously feeling the pinch. A fresh report from The Wall Street Journal pretty much reiterates much of what we've already heard, but still dives deeper into which companies are best positioned to escape the madness. As predicted, HTC, Apple and Nokia were all pinpointed as being able to make it through tough economic times without losing their proverbial hats, but both Motorola and Sony Ericsson could be facing insurmountable odds. Granted, it's not like either firm has really been killing it of late, but it's a pretty bad time to be struggling, regardless. The takeaway? Don't be shocked to see some wild stuff go down in the mobile space -- all bets are off at this point.

[Image courtesy of DayLife, thanks JagsLive]

Just how badly do you want a Storm? Badly enough to pull up your long-established roots, fly for half a day, and take residence in a foreign land thousands of miles from home? For Americans who absolutely cannot wait another week for RIM's first touchscreen device to launch on domestic soil, that's the only option; for Brits on Vodafone, though, heaven is but a single shop trip away. The BlackBerry Storm has now officially launched in the Old Country and can be had for as little as zilch on a Voda plan, so do let us know how your experiences go, yeah? Your yankee friends thank you in advance.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

As promised, Vodafone has officially announced a November delivery order date for its BlackBerry Storm -- November 14, to be specific. Pre-orders are being taken (as they are in the States), so if you want to be in the first batch of Brits to rock this thing, it might be a good idea to go ahead and get on a list lest the throngs of humanity trying to get one on launch day end up harshing your chances. On a related note, Vodafone's better (or worse) half Verizon has come forward with a surprisingly affordable data plan -- GlobalEmail -- that'll allow unlimited web browsing, MMS, and visual voicemail both in the US and a laundry list of countries around the world for $69.99 (or $64.99 when tied to a voice plan). Speaking of voice, Verizon's also announced a new Global Value Plan that hooks you up with discounted minutes abroad for $4.99 a month. Seeing how the Storm is Verizon's first handset with global 3G, this new action should see some serious play.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Read - Vodafone release date
Read - Verizon's global plans

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]

Looking for another way to get your laptop on Vodafone's mobile broadband highway, are you? Splendid news -- the aforesaid carrier has just introduced an all new USB model, the easy-to-remember USB Stick Pro. Boasting a simple black design, retractable USB connector and an inbuilt 4GB micro SD card, this here stick is capable of sucking down bits and bytes at up to 7.2Mbps (theoretical) with upload speeds at up to 2Mbps. Better still, the modem will be gratis on select price plans. Tough to beat free, huh?

Remember that mysterious LG KS500 we spotted slouching at the FCC's main desk back in August? No? It's all good -- Vodafone is apparently looking to remind you by introducing the decidedly so-so slider with its own logo. Obviously, there's still a great chance we North Americans see this one over here in due time, but whatever ends up happening, this here handset boasts tri-band GSM connectivity, dual-band UMTS / HSDPA support, a QVGA display, 3-megapixel camera, 100MB of built-in memory, a microSD card slot, aGPS and an optical touchpad that should make navigating through menus a bit more enjoyable. No mention of a price just yet, but it ought to start filtering out in some form or fashion in Q4.

[Via GSMHelpDesk]

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]

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.

There are, shall we say, certain "advantages" to driving a race car sponsored by global wireless behemoth Vodafone. Fame, fortune, and a free account (seriously, all the minutes and kilobytes you can eat!) definitely rank high on that list, but it all pales in comparison to this. It seems that Formula 1 wizard Lewis Hamilton has been gifted with a Voda-branded Storm, a great publicity play for the carrier -- particularly as he's sitting in front of a camera describing how "wicked" it is. Clearly, the video is little more than a PR stunt, but the phone genuinely seems to be his, and at least we can get a clear look at how fast, fluid, and pretty the interface appears to be. So, anyone know where he leaves that thing when he's out racing? Check the full action after the break.

A storm's arrival typically isn't something to celebrate, but we're going to make a notable exception here seeing how the BlackBerry Storm is less of a destructive weather pattern and more of an incredibly hot smartphone -- arguably RIM's hottest to date. Fit to its business-savvy roots, the long-rumored handset comes equipped with the most comprehensive global roaming capabilities of virtually any wireless device you'll find anywhere, featuring EV-DO Rev. A, quadband EDGE, and 2100MHz HSPA for Europe. Beyond that, the Storm becomes RIM's very first touchscreen phone, mounting a 3.26-inch 480 x 360 glass display on a unique clickable surface so that the entire thing can be pressed downwards -- just like a real button -- for tactile feedback when making selections. It includes a full HTML finger-navigable browser, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint editing capabilities, Bluetooth 2.0, 1GB of on-board storage with an 8GB microSD card bundled in the box, 3.5mm headphone jack, automatic orientation and ambient lighting sensors, and a 3.2-megapixel autofocus cam with dedicated flash, making it a legitimate jack-of-all-trades that seems likely to be able to handle even the most chaotic personal and professional lives users can throw its way. It'll allegedly do 15 days of standby or 5.5 hours of talk time on either GSM or CDMA networks. No word on pricing yet -- we're told all will be revealed "in the coming weeks" -- but it'll launch on both Verizon and Vodafone in November.