All the rage behind the BlackBerry Storm seems to be the clickable screen. It isn’t the OS, email capabilities, or media player but the clickable screen so the obligatory teardown focuses on that mystery. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that RIM developed any screen clicking magic rather installing a a single button underneath the screen’s backplate. The disassembly also found the source of the sluggish OS is the slowish Qualcomm MSM7600 CPU. So there you have it on this Monday morning, kiddies; some circuit board pr0n.
Here come some numbers with decimals, so get ready. BGR is speculating that batches of the BlackBerry Storm that had been shipped with OS version 4.7.0.82 may have caused some sort of glitch. And when BGR asked Verizon about the official OS version, Verizon told them it was 4.7.0.65 – that’s lower than 4.7.0.82, mind you.
Now that the BlackBerry is a 200 person line-inducing device, there is bound to be a steady stream of accessories. The most novel of the first round appears to be this the BlackBerry-branded charging and syncing dock that’s inverted for video viewing. Neat-o and it’s only $29.99 on sale down from $49.99.
According to a Reuters report, there was 200+ CrackBerry addicts waiting this morning at the mid-town Manhattan Verizon store for the BlackBerry Storm and most of them were turned away due to supply levels. The report then states,
The angry customers caused a ruckus and police came to restore order.
Really? The police had to be called to calm down middle-aged suits? What’s wrong with these poeple. Plus, did anyone read all the crappy reviews?
We ran a poll here on the site and 44% stated that they had purchasing plans for the Storm, but a 200 person line is iPhone-impressive. Even though Verizon ran out of the Storm, they still took peoples money and promised a next day Fedex delivery.
Anyone snag a pic or have first hand accounts of this situation? Send ‘em to us: tips AT crunchgear DOT com
Just in case your Verizon contract has the New Every Two feature that allows you to get $100 bucks off a new mobile phone every two years, you could score the Stormtoday for only $99 after the a $50 mail-in rebate. Not a bad price for BlackBerry’s dreary attempt at a touchscreen phone. Props to James Kendrick for pointing this out.
The BlackBerry Storm is now available and this is the day that countless CrackBerry addicts have been waiting for. At least until they read all the lackluster reviews about their supposed Jesusphone slayer. (Speaking of reviews…anyone see a super positive one?) Many Verizon locations are opening early today for the important launch so if you’re BlackBerry thumbs are itch’n for some touchscreen action, we’ll excuse you for a few hours.
The BlackBerry Storm (our review) launches tomorrow and speed tests are no doubt going to be conducted many times over comparing the latest BlackBerry against every phone out there, but here is real world test of the top two touchscreen phones. Without spoiling the results, lets just say the BlackBerry does just fine against the Jesusphone in a real world test. There isn’t anything scientific about the test as the tester was waiting for his flight at LaGuardia but the results speak for themselves louder than the background noise – just turn down your speakers before hitting play.
Love it or hate it, you have to give it to Dave Ciccone of Mobility Today: the boy knows how to video review a phone. His 29 minute opus is so thorough that I felt like I was in his pocket, nestled up against his car keys.
Eric Zeman, my favorite Phonescoop editor after Rich, wrote a fairly cogent article debunking the flame bait put out by CIO magazine comparing the Storm to the iPhone. Read More
The hottest news on the interwebs right now is the official release date and price of the BlackBerry Storm – Nov 21 @ $199, btw. It is getting nearly as much press as the iPhone and even though it’s a hot handheld, are you planning on buying the latest CrackBerry now or in the near future?
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.
Verizon needs to get this BlackBerry out before the holidays as some suits will want to treat themselves to a new CrackBerry as a stocking stuffer. Plus, Verizon does not have a true iPhone killer yet and while the Storm will not slay the king, it’s the closest thing on the market so the price must be close to the iP3G’s $199 entry price.
Once again, none of this is confirmed but Verizon must be close to releasing this BlackBerry. What are they waiting for?
Look, I like BlackBerries just as much as the next guy, but this is beyond fanboyism. This is just plain stupid. TJ from Toledo, OH, fails to realize (maybe) that his tattoo, which probably cost him anywhere from $200-$400, is way more than what the Storm will likely retail for. Is the Storm so great that you couldn’t wait a couple weeks and possibly save a couple Benjamins?
Kudos to CrackBerry for getting this moron to agree to it. Video after the jump. Read More
We still don’t know one very important thing about the BlackBerry Storm: how much is the thing gonna cost? Vodafone, which carries the Storm in the UK, may have just provided us a few hints.
Pricing plans for the phone have leaked, and the phone itself goes as low as €49 ($62) with the most expensive monthly plan.
That brings us to Verizon Wireless, which, you’ll remember, is a joint venture between Verizon and Vodafone. If Vodafone is willing to to sell the first touchscreen BlackBerry for as low as $62, how low will VWZ go? Say, $0, maybe? Not likely, but don’t be surprised to see the Storm selling for a tantalizing low amount.
Again, as if I need to remind you, take all of this with a grain of salt. Then, with the same grain of salt, enjoy your weekend.
Why is it that the BlackBerry Storm doesn’t have Wi-Fi? If you believe BoyGenius—and how could you not!—it’s because Verizon Wireless doesn’t want it to have Wi-Fi. That’s a fine conspiracy theory, yes, but consider the following:
• Name one CDMA BlackBerry with built-in Wi-Fi. You can’t.
• Doesn’t VZW require you to have a BlackBerry data plan? So it’s not like having built-in Wi-Fi prevents VZW from making money
Now, whether or not VZW was concerned with battery life and/or performance is another matter, but to imply that VZW is some James Bond villain hoarding all the Wi-Fi is silly, I think.
My buddy Scott had a Storm watch for teaching. Instead of glancing at his watch while he was at the lectern he would wear an earlier model of the Storm and check the time only when absolutely necessary because the central iris closes when you’re not checking the time.
This new model, which costs about $180 has updated styling and seems to mimic the Hublot Big Bang without that whole “this costs $100,000 for no reason” thing.
The iPhone. Not that it matters much, but the stinking iPhone brought home 2008 Gadget of the Year, Best Mobile Technology, Most Stylish Technology and Technological Innovation of the Year from the British Technology Awards. The iPhone has been sweeping similar award lists like LOTR: Return of the King did in the 2004 Academy Awards. Apparently ‘coss the Pond, 2008 is already done and over with, leaving phones such as the G1, BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Storm, and HTC Touch HD out of the running cause they didn’t launch within the first 10 months of 2008. Just saying.
In case you didn’t notice, a new BlackBerry launched today and while we have already covered the device from top to bottom, here is a quick video that shows off the Storm.
There are some sweet mobile phones coming out over the next few months and a BGR crony turned up release dates for Best Buy’s hotest upcoming phones. The info comes off of a PowerPoint slide and reveals quite a bit.
Coming October 26th:
Sprint – Samsung M540 “Rant”, available in black, purple and red
Granted, wireless carries and manufacturers alike tend to push release dates around a bit, but this should give you a general idea when you can use your Best Buy Reward Zone points on one of these new phones.
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