Filed under: Cellphones

One might think that the BlackBerry Bold and the BlackBerry Storm could get along together, but similar to twin brothers who both aspire to graduate Magna Cum Laude from an Ivy league school, these two aren’t exactly the most loving of siblings. Oh, and toss in that iPhone 3G — which played a huge role in helping Apple sell more phones than RIM last quarter — and you’ve got yourself a bona fide mess. Check out all three getting shoved up on one another in the name of comparison just after the break. It’s a little uncomfortable at first, but you’ll get used to it.

Continue reading iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Storm and Bold compared on video: awkward…

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Filed under: Cellphones

Look, we love finding out the pre-release minutiae just as much as anyone, but this is getting a little absurd. Yesterday we spotted a Storm slide pack, just this morning we ran across a sneak peek of RIM’s BlackBerry Application Center, and merely hours later we’re being treated to the BlackBerry Storm User Guide. What’s next, internal information on how to best polish the casing? C’mon Verizon, get this thing out in the open already!

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Filed under: Cellphones

At this point, you’re probably wondering what section of the Storm’s UI you haven’t seen. Enter a few new sneak peeks, this time showcasing the purported BlackBerry Application Center. Granted, these shots are from the Vodafone edition, but we don’t suspect the Verizon version will look much different. Reportedly, the Application Center will be available on v4.7 Storm devices, and carriers themselves will be responsible for hosting the data and sending updates; additionally, the download / installation will be handled by the browser in the first release, meaning that the software cannot restart the app or download intelligently. Give the read link a look for a few more tidbits / pictures.

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Filed under: Cellphones

RIM’s BlackBerry Storm 9500 / 9530, which is more affectionately known ’round these parts as the Thunder, is definitely within striking distance. Still, just because you don’t have too much longer to wait doesn’t mean you aren’t anxious to get your hands on as many details as possible beforehand, right? The Boy Genius has managed to procure a few mundane stacks of PowerPoint slides that just so happen to contain some pretty scrumptious information on the touchscreen-based BlackBerry, and while there aren’t any mind-melting surprises in there (like, confirmation that it can indeed read and reply correctly to each e-mail automatically), it’s not the kind of data any real RIM fan would want to overlook. Go on and hit the read link, what exactly are you waiting for?

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Filed under: Cellphones

Well, it’s not quite as big as that gigantic promo Bold, but dummies of the Blackberry Storm have started appearing in Verizon stores, and it’s looking a lot, uh, more robust than we remember from all those leaks. Specs include an appropriately multicultural photo of happy people, non-functioning buttons, and a list of Verizon talking points. Still no hard release date, but we’re guessing something this big can’t be contained for much longer.

[Via Blackberry News]

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Filed under: Cellphones

It was redirected for most the of the day, but Verizon’s BlackBerry Storm page just went live, hopefully meaning we’ll be see RIM’s first touchscreen phone make its debut sometime soon. All you can do at the moment is sign up for an email alert, but we’ve got you covered with the internal promo video, box art, talking points, and even a ninja-themed hands-on — yeah, let’s get this released, guys.

[Thanks, Nick]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Yep, that’s the BlackBerry Storm, with Verizon branding and everything — too bad there isn’t a shot of the pricetag or release date. Soon, please? Check two more at the read link.

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’re still waiting on Verizon’s official launch of the Blackberry Storm, but the anticipation is running high, especially since we just received a list of specs and talking points distributed to store reps about RIM’s first touchscreen phone. As expected, the 9530 Storm will feature that controversial “click” touchscreen with built-in tactile feedback, GSM connectivity for global use in addition to EV-DO, visual voicemail, a 3.2 megapixel camera with video, and a full HTML browser. Sadly, there’s no pricing information or specific release date, but we’ve got a feeling we’ll get those soon — stay tuned.

[Thanks, HTCKid]

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Whoa, looks like HTC is going full-device touchscreen in a hurry. We don’t know much more than what we can scrape off the screen, but this BlackBerry Thunder(storm)-like handset looks to be running TouchFLO 3D atop WinMo 6.1 and a Qualcomm 7201a processor kicking 528MHz. But that display, WVGA, please HTC we want to believe. One more after the break, plenty beyond the read link.

Continue reading HTC Touch HD takes 480 x 800 pixels fullscreen

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Filed under: Cellphones

BREW Ninja, who readily (and oddly for a ninja) enough admits that he’s a mobile QA engineer over at Yahoo! Mobile, just scooped 3x phones in this quickie 4 and half minute video. The HTC Coke — a variant of the HTC Touch Pro — and tiny LG Lotus with full QWERTY for Sprint are both interesting, but it’s the hands-on video of RIM’s touchscreen Thunder that blows our doors. At about 2:50 in, he reveals the BlackBerry Thunder for Verizon (AKA, Storm 8350) saying, “I don’t like it, it’s, it’s an ok phone.” His biggest concern seems to be the touchscreen (something we’ve heard before) which acts like a button — you have to actual push the screen, hard, unlike most capacitive touchpanel devices. See for yourself after the break.

[Via Crackberry]

Continue reading BlackBerry Thunder caught on video, with a ninja

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

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?

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Filed under: Cellphones

If you’re a BlackBerry fan feeling the need for relief from the throngs of iPhone lovers, the cats at CrackBerry may have uncovered a solution to your problem. The RIM aficionados have gotten their hands on the first ever live pictures of the phone-maker’s touchscreen device — the Thunder — and it’s looking pretty darn sweet. Feast your eyes on the above photo (featuring the much-discussed “tactile” keyboard), and hit the read link for another look.

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Filed under: Cellphones

According to the folks over at CrackBerry (who, let’s be honest, might be a little biased when it comes to a certain brand of cellphone), Research In Motion’s upcoming touchscreen phone — the infamous Thunder — will feature a virtual keyboard so realistic you’ll swear you’re sitting in front of 1986 IBM Model M. CrackBerry says “reliable sources” have told them that the device’s screen will utilize a number of advanced technologies to create such an effect, including localized haptic feedback, which allows the screen to be literally pushed in while rewarding you with a vibration and click sound, and the option of a full QWERTY or SureType layout (depending on the phone’s orientation). We can’t speculate too much until we handle the device ourselves, but we’re expecting this thing to blow our minds out through the front of our heads. That’s not asking too much, is it RIM?

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Filed under: Cellphones

If the old saying that you can’t believe everything you read holds true, then it must be doubly so for images you see on the internet. Such is possibly the case in the latest batch of leaked pictures doing the rounds on the old information superhighway. Lately (i.e. today) shots of RIM’s new touchscreen phone — the Thunder — have surfaced showing off what’s supposed to be a new version of the BlackBerry OS (4.7) running its media player. Now we’re not saying these pics aren’t really real, but what we are saying is that these shots look an awful lot like renders to us, and since no one can verify them beyond an “anonymous source,” we’re just going to recommend a healthy dose of you-know-what, okay?

[Via MobileSyrup]

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Filed under: Cellphones

Here’s a little something that might put the brakes on some buyer’s 3G iPhone dreams this week — a real, live shot of the forthcoming BlackBerry touchscreen phone, the Thunder. There’s not much info to glean from this image, save for the fact that it will be practically loaded with buttons (including send, end, back, menu, dual convenience keys, volume, lock, and play / pause) and will be headed to Verizon. If the UI is a spin-off of the one we’ve seen on the Bold, RIM could be striking gold here.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

A retailer taking pre-orders for phones that haven’t even been announced is considered business as usual, but there’s something just a little out of the ordinary with Horizon Wireless’ listing for the alleged touchscreen superphone outta Waterloo, the BlackBerry 9500 “Thunder” — it’s accompanied by a somewhat believable picture of the thing. Extreme blur always adds a healthy dose of credibility (we kid), but more importantly, the picture shows no telltale signs of being a render and looks essentially like what everyone’s expecting it to look like. BlackBerry addicts who’ve been desperately fighting the urge to go to the dark side, consider this your shot of willpower for the day.

[Thanks, Yasim M.]

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Remember how the BlackBerry Thunder (RIM’s rumored touchscreen device) was said to possibly come LTE-ready? An eye-brow raiser for sure since the US networks won’t deploy LTE until 2010. Nevertheless, here’s how it could be done. ASOCS and Fujitsu just announced what they are calling the “world’s first wireless Multicomm processor.” The system-on-chip can run up to three wireless air interfaces such as GSM/EDGE/GPRS, WiFi, HD Mobile Digital TV, and GPS concurrently. Better yet, device manufacturers “using ASOCS ModemX technology can ship a single-chip mainstream MultiComms baseband solution in parallel with LTE development and later add LTE as a low-risk software upgrade.” Get that? LTE or pretty much any other wireless service added via software update. Hot damn!

[Via Thumb Report]

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Filed under: Cellphones

The industrious Boy Genius has apparently unearthed more juicy tidbits about that rumored BlackBerry touchscreen device. Word from BG is that the new iPhone-ish handset is now internally dubbed the “Thunder,” and will come to Verizon and Vodafone as an exclusive device. The phone will reportedly have four physical keys (send, end, menu, and back), sport a hybrid CDMA EV-DO Rev. C / GSM HSPA radio, and could come equipped with a 4G LTE component. Outside Waterloo’s labs, the device could be known as the BlackBerry 9500 — though it’s possible that designation could change. BGR has included a self-made mockup (above) of what the device may look like, but as of now, no one has laid eyes on this mythical creature.

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