A new name would make since as the Storm namesake doesn’t exactly have a good reputation and RIM has been known to switch up names before the launch. The 9630 Tour was once called the Niagara. We’ll just have to wait and see when either RIM or Verizon finally announces the phone.

Dave Zatz quickly ordered-up the Blockbuster OnDemand streamer when it launched and now states that the device isn’t ready for primetime. (his words, not mine) While I won’t steal all of his thunder, the above image is popped up when he tried to play his first rental.

I’ve only rented one flick, the latest Indiana Jones installment. The initial download automatically restarted a few times while attempting to retrieve a license. During the download, video can be watched but transport controls (rewind, fast forward) are disabled – so I waited for the completed download watching. Later in the evening I was greeted by the above DRM error message, requiring a few hard reboots (and WPA2 key reentries). 

Christmas is right around the corner and the device’s $99 price with 25 movies sounds like an attractive Christmas gift. You can only imagine that suits pushed out the box before the techs said it was ready. Give it a few firmware updates and a couple of nasty blog posts until the box is really ready for mass consumption. Too bad companies don’t fully test and debug products before releasing them anymore. *cough* BlackBerry Storm *cough*

The BlackBerry Storm is launching soon – hopefully – but the latest intel states that the Storm will thunder into VZW stores on November 24th, 2008 rather than the previously stated 17th. Plus, there will be a mail-in rebate dropping the end price to the ever-so-important $199 price point which should draw numerous iP3G comparison. 

Verizon Stores are anticipating that this phone will be hot and so they will open one hour early on 11/20, 11/24, and 11/25 with the first date reserved for high-end small business users with preorders and demos. Everyone else will have to wait until the later dates to buy their Storms though.

So I don’t know how they did this but as far as I can tell they didn’t spoof the domain and that someone in London was dumb enough to leave this page up. It seems to talk about the actual phone, which is odd, but obviously the images are a bit cheeky. We all know what to expect touchscreen, iPhone-alike, RIMmish, but what the heck is going on here?

Anyway, BlackBerry Storm AKA Thunder now announced, it’s flat, it’s pretty, and it’s trying it’s darndest not to look like just another feature phone. No availability or pricing.

BLACKBERRY TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM ON THE MOST RELIABLE NETWORKS IN EUROPE AND THE U.S.

Verizon Wireless, Vodafone and RIM Deliver the Power of a Smartphone with the World’s First Tactile Touch Display on a BlackBerry

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., NEWBURY, England, and WATERLOO, Ontario – Verizon Wireless, Vodafone Group (NYSE and LSE: VOD) and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that the BlackBerry® Storm™ will be available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers in the U.S. and Vodafone customers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand next month.
Designed to appeal to both consumers and business customers, the BlackBerry Storm combines the powerful communication features and productivity tools of a global BlackBerry smartphone with revolutionary technology that provides for easy and precise touch screen typing on the world’s first tactile touch display that responds like a keyboard and combines multi-touch and gesture support for intuitive selection and application navigation.
In the U.S., BlackBerry Storm customers will benefit from the nation’s most reliable wireless voice network and the pervasiveness of Verizon Wireless’ reliable high-speed Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A (Rev. A) network for rich Internet browsing. Building on the strong business heritage of BlackBerry, the Storm offers consumers a host of fun and practical features, including:
• Large high resolution screen coupled with a rich multi-media suite
• Text (SMS), picture messaging (MMS), the ability to watch 30-second video clips, instant messaging and access to popular social networking sites
• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time and 15 days of standby time.

“The BlackBerry Storm offers our customers more ways to stay connected to both their personal and professional lives – whether in their community or around the globe,” said Mike Lanman, vice president and chief marketing officer of Verizon Wireless. “The BlackBerry Storm combines the reliability of our network with the dependability and network efficiency of the BlackBerry platform to deliver our customers the ultimate wireless experience – all in one of the coolest smartphones available on the market today.”
The Power is in The Touch
The BlackBerry Storm comes with a unique touch screen that gives a distinct ‘click’ confirmation when depressed ever so slightly, very similar in experience to a keyboard-based BlackBerry smartphone. An easy to use menu adds support for multi-touches, taps, slides, swipes and other gestures, so customers can easily select, scroll, pan, and zoom for smooth navigation.
The tactile touch screen display gives customers worldwide a choice of virtual keyboards – RIM’s SureType® layout in portrait and a full QWERTY* layout in landscape orientation. Relevant features such as cut and paste are only a touch away for the ultimate smartphone experience.
World Class Smartphone
The BlackBerry Storm is a top of the line mobile phone with global connectivity. In the U.S., the BlackBerry Storm gives Verizon Wireless customers EV-DO Rev. A/CDMA – technology – and (2100Mhz) HSPA/UMTS as well as quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM for global use. The BlackBerry Storm 9500 from Vodafone supports (2100Mhz) HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks.
Browse the World Over
Customers will enjoy a full HTML high performance browser that works in either portrait or landscape orientation. Navigating Web sites is fast and easy with the touch screen interface that lets users tap to zoom in and slide their finger to scroll. Icons along the bottom of the display allow for quickly accessing “Favorites”, opening the virtual keyboard to enter text, switching between “Page View” and “Column View”, as well as the ability to toggle between “Pan” mode and “Cursor” mode. The enhanced browser supports file downloading, streaming audio and video, and with its built-in RSS support, new content from supported Web sites can be automatically pushed to the user.
Packed with Additional Features
The BlackBerry Storm, exclusively from Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, also includes the following features and functions:
• BlackBerry® Internet Service, BlackBerry® Unite!, BlackBerry® Professional Software and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support for seamless integration with corporate email systems and the security and IT policy controls that enterprise customers require
• Edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset
• 3.2 megapixel camera, with variable zoom, auto focus, and a powerful flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video; the camera records video in half-VGA resolution (480×320) or at 176×144 for MMS
• 1 GB of on board memory storage and 8 GB microSD memory card included in expandable memory card slot
• Media player that can find content on the handset in an instant, display pictures and slideshows quickly, play movies smoothly in full screen mode in any orientation, and manage an entire music collection; playlists can be created directly on the handset and there’s an equalizer with 11 preset filters – including “Lounge”, “Jazz” and “Hip Hop” – for customized audio ranges when using wired headphones or external speakers
• Sleek, elegant design with contoured corners, stainless steel back and chrome side-accents that frame its large (3.26”), touch sensitive, glass lens display; its exceptional 360 x 480 resolution at 184ppi, offering the highest resolution display ever introduced on a BlackBerry smartphone, is crisp and colorful with clarity that’s easy on the eyes
• A sensor automatically adjusts to ambient light for ideal screen viewing and an orientation sensor allows customers to use the handset in a portrait or landscape position

Additional details related to availability and pricing will be announced in the coming weeks. To learn more, visit www.verizonwireless.com/storm.

CrackBerry Forum user BBerry. got a little playtime with a Storm dummy tonight at VZW store and here’s what he had to say about it:

I was at the verizon store and me and my dad were talking about upcoming phones and we were talking about the touch diamond & when the verizon guy shows us this thunder dummy he had laying around so i got to mess with it and boy is it heavyy, but the back steel part feels nice and cold on your hands :] well here are some shots of the phones. Oh and that push button screen thingy yeah its not as hard actually its pretty easy to press.

Word is circling that a Verizon internal email foreshadows some “exciting news” tomorrow, September 15. Forums are abuzz that the news really is the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm announcement derived from the emailed image showing clouds and a fingerprint. We already knew that the Storm’s launch was pushed back to November-ish so a possible announcement timing does fit the schedule. For all we know, it could be a new super-spy movie produced by Verizon Wireless that takes place in a fog. On the other hand, the fingerprint image could refer to a new sign-in method that’s going to be installed at all VZW stores. Whatever it is, we’ll find out tomorrow.

HowardForums via BGR

BoyGenius is reporting that at least a birdie or two dropped by with a bit of bad news for those anxious for the BlackBerry Thunder Storm: it’s facing delays.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch >>

Well, that touchscreen RIM device that we’ve been waiting for is one stop closer to becoming official on Verizon. EngMo received renderings of the Storm 9530 aka Thunder’s packaging and reveals some details that were unsubstantiated in the past. The Storm 9530 will be a world phone and includes a SIM card, an 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled (huh?), but no signs of Wi-Fi.

In the past RIM’s touchscreen device has been called the Thunder and Storm leading some to believe that they’re different devices, but the truth is that the Storm will be the moniker for the domestic version while overseas carriers like Vodafone and our neighbors to the north Rogers will use the Thunder name. Hope that cleared things up.

Apple’s iPhone 3G has the App Store, 3G connectivity and legions of fans. RIM’s BlackBerry has business class ubiquity, a physical keyboard and the not-so-unfortunate fact that it rhymes with crack. Pros and cons on both sides of the smartphone fence, but Apple is making inroads as an enterprise solution, the traditional breeding grounds of the BlackBerry.

One of the biggest differentiators between the two phones is the virtual keyboard used by the iPhone, while the BlackBerry utilizes a physical QWERTY keyboard. No small difference, as form and function collide head on when considering the needs of a massive audience. If the virtual keyboard gains the respect of enterprise, RIM could be in some pretty deep water. Recent reports have shown their touchscreen interface needs work. However, if they decide to follow in Apple’s footsteps, they very well could end up in the dustbin of obscurity if not irrelevance. Who would want to bother with a repeater when you could side with an innovator?

Ars Technica is running an opinion piece dealing with what RIM must do to counter the massively popular iPhone. Besides highlighting the issue of the virtual vs. physical keyboard, battery life and price are other major differences RIM would need to focus on to remain relevant.

One other factor remains that is sort of an X factor: The App Store. The fact that Apple has a massive and loyal fan base practically guarantees users are going to be addicted to clever, new apps for the foreseeable future. Did you know? RIM has one too, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that Apple’s is a mite more popular.

According to Fudzilla, the highly anticipated touchscreen device from RIM will launch on Verizon Wireless on October 8. Let’s take this one with a huge grain of salt since Fudzilla isn’t really known for this sort of thing. We all tend to leave RIM-related news up to BGR and now CrackBerry. Anyway, Fud claims that their moles are saying the Thunder will be equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera, microSD slot and OTA mp3 downloads from Rhapsody. No word on price, but it’s a real shame that Verizon has first dibs on this device. It might be a hot gadget, but Verizon doesn’t really know what to do with hot ticket items. Let’s hope for their sake they don’t mess this up like the iPhone deal.

Today’s Top Posts:

• Blackberry Thunder’s keyboard kicks ass, reportedly
• and that post’s evil twin:
• BlackBerry Thunder isn’t quite ready for production, keyboard stinks
• Japanese company unveils solar-powered wireless keyboard
• Samsung announces YouTube friendly SC-MX20
• 60GB Xbox 360 on the way says leaked e-mail
• Meet Black OX, Gigantor’s rival robot (and pre-order for a lot of Yen)
• Wii keypad on July 18th to our friends across the pond
• Overreaction: DNS flaw could leave you vulnerable to mean hackers!
• Panasonic develops a new kind of lighting device, says it will be as important as LED and OLED
• Video: BGR unboxes the iP3G, nothing to see here, really

That’s what one of our RIM ninjas are telling us! We’ve got the scoop on the BlackBerry Thunder, and contrary to most reports, we’ve been told that the unit is nowhere near being able to enter production, let alone being released. Here’s a quote: “Thunder is in no way shape or form market-ready. If Bold was any indication, Thunder won’t be ready for at least another 4-5 months.” Our source goes on to tell us that the keyboard is incredibly annoying to type on, and the screen actually shows ripples even when pressed ever-so-lightly. There is an accelerometer in here, but it goes “bonkers” when the device is moved. In its current state, the UI blinks and lags when you try to scroll, and for every key press, you have to wait half a second until you get a response. Our guy, when talking about haptic feedback, said that the screen “clicks.” We were informed there are “buttons” on each corner, so when you press the screen, you might feel one click, two clicks, or four simultaneously. We’re told these four independant buttons actually press, so you do “click” the screen. RIM implemented a touch-and-drag approach which is the only way to select on screen buttons at this point. We were also told this was the latest build of the software, and to quote him, “Most of the people who have handled it thinks it’s a joke.”

The “juicy” details include: localized haptics meaning when you pess the screen, it feels like you pressed a button on the screen, and both a full Qwerty keyboard, when the handsets in landscape mode, and SureType keyboard, for portrait mode.

Crackberry also said that according to people who have actually used the keyboard on the handset, its a “really easy and enjoyable experience.”

Word is that Thunder production is expected to start up this week, so more news on the latest iPhone killer coming soon.

Other notables include OS 4.7 and a 360×480 touch display that should be glass ala iPhone, It also appears that the Thunder can go into landscape mode for videos. Too bad it’s going to be a CDMA device. I hope, for RIM’s sake, the Thunder is a “World Edition” device.

Todays Top Posts:

• MGS4: The Milking of the Franchise gets 10/10 from GameSpot
• Hack the Jura coffee maker for fun and profit
• TrojanToWorm makes being a douche easy!
• BlackBerry Thunder, Motorola VU30 to get Verizon’s version of visual voicemail
• PSP 4.0 firmware released
• Review: SteelSeries 7G gaming keyboard
• Texas Instruments intros lamp-free projectors
• Official WiMAX rollout begins in September
• Meet Buzz Buzz Doggy, Japan’s newest disgusting toy
• Dell to begin charging some customers for Windows XP downgrade

While we can’t report that Boy Genius isn’t a freak (”You all know the Thunder right? Well, looky looky who got a cookie. Yeah peoples, live shot of the BlackBerry Thunder right here.”), we can report that he has some more information on the BlackBerry Thunder, the “iPhone-killer” from RIM. Not much new – just a big screen and a bunch of buttons – and I’m not sure BlackBerry users want something sans keyboard, but who am I to judge.

The WSJ is reporting that this should launch in the fall, just in time for no one to care.

After the BGR first announced to the world that Verizon and Vodafone would have exclusivity to the Thunder, the WSJ did a little more digging and managed to find out that the device will launch in Q3. That’s it for now.

While everyone else in the free world is geeking over the iPhone 2, I’m giddy for the BlackBerry Bold. Everyone I’ve spoken to that currently uses a BlackBerry is psyched for this device and 90 percent scoff at the Thunder because we all know how much touchscreen phones SUCK (this goes for all of them not just the iPhone). I’m bummed I have to wait till September, though. *sad clown*

Get excited, Canada, and give Rogers a hug because you’re getting yourselves the dopest BlackBerry to date. Forget all that noise about the Thunder. The Bold will soon be the BB of choice.