Verizon has announced the official release date and pricing for the BlackBerry Storm. As predicted, the Storm will launch just in time for the holiday rush on November 21, and sell for $199.99 USD after a $50 USD mail-in rebate and the signing of a two-year service contract.
Verizon officially announces prices and street date for BlackBerry Storm.(IMG:J.Anderson)
Late yesterday evening, Verizon sent The Tech Herald the official press statement.
“The BlackBerry Storm (model 9530) – the first touch-screen BlackBerry Smartphone with the world’s first “clickable” touch-screen – will be available beginning Nov. 21 in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at www.verizonwireless.com for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. For additional details and specifications about the BlackBerry Storm, please visit: www.verizonwireless.com/storm .”
The highly anticipated BlackBerry Storm is the stuff of dreams for some mobile gadget geeks. Until now, if you wanted a sleek touch interface, you were left with the Apple iPhone or one of Verizon’s LG offerings. In the case of the iPhone, while Apple's smartphone is great, AT&T’s network isn’t, so some users are avoiding the switch.
BlackBerry users have long wanted something on par with the iPhone, and based upon the hands-on test we performed at the launch party in Indianapolis, The Tech Herald can safely say that Canadian handset manufacturer Research In Motion (RIM) has delivered.
The price is similar to other BlackBerry offerings, and comes into the market just before Black Friday and the Christmas rush. While the iPhone is setting new records for sales and use, Verizon and RIM might gain some ground with the Storm; especially if the business and BlackBerry-addicted consumer (CrackBerry) markets get their way.
As a recap, here are some of the features for the BlackBerry Storm:
Multimedia – On the Storm you can sync iTunes files as well as Rhapsody music to the device and use it as a music player, video player, or both. The Storm will ship with an 8GB SDmicro card, and holds 1GB of internal storage.
Photos and Movies – The Storm comes with a 3.2 mega pixel camera. You can use this to take some decent pictures, and then, thanks to built-in Flickr access and Facebook access, upload them online.
Browsing – 3G access on Verizon’s network makes the Storm a rather impressive Internet device. The browser, taking advantage of the touch screen, offers a killer Web surfing experience. You can stream media to the phone, update a blog, or just wander the Web aimlessly.
E-mail – E-mail support, including the standard POP and IMAP access, is featured here, and businesses can take advantage of Exchange settings. E-mail attachments, such as PDF or DOC files, can be viewed. In addition, the Storm comes with the ability to edit Excel, Word and PowerPoint files.
Instant Messaging – AIM, MSN Live, and Yahoo are all supported.
Applications – The Storm will be the first BlackBerry device to take advantage of the Application Store, which offers personal customization. The Application Store will take advantage of Verizon’s OPEN developer network.
Video © RIM 2008 
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