Verizon isn’t just teasing us with Droid material, they are launching the BlackBerry Storm 2 this week. The new Storm hits on October 28, and the refreshed phone has Wi-Fi, making it much better than the original Storm. Owners of the original Storm needn’t fret, as Verizon has released the next major version of the BlackBerry OS today for that phone. OS 5.0 has a big list of improvements and changes, and the browser performs much better in particular. Storm owners should see the new OS version available in the Blackberry Desktop Software. Full Storm 2 press release after the jump.
A POWERFUL NEW STORM ROLLS ONTO VERIZON WIRELESS’ NETWORK ON OCT. 28
New Operating System for Existing BlackBerry Storm Customers
BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and WATERLOO, Ontario – Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that the BlackBerry® Storm2™ smartphone will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications stores, online at www.verizonwireless.com, and through business sales channels beginning Oct. 28. The BlackBerry Storm2 with BlackBerry® OS 5.0 evolves the BlackBerry® touchscreen platform with hundreds of hardware and software enhancements – including new SurePress™ “clickable” display technology and built-in Wi-Fi® – delivering the exceptional multimedia experience and communications capabilities customers have come to expect from their BlackBerry smartphones.
Key Features:
- Smooth design and premium finish with sloped edges, chrome accents, glass lens and stainless steel backplate
- Large (3.25″), dazzling high-resolution 480 x 360 display at 184 ppi
- Capacitive touchscreen with integrated functions (Send, End, Menu, Escape) and new SurePress technology that makes clicking the display practically effortless
- 3G and global connectivity support for making phone calls in more than 220 countries and accessing data in more than 185 countries (with more than 80 destinations in 3G)
- Network Connectivity: EV-DO Revision A; UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz); and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
- Supports Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
- 256 MB of Flash memory
- 2 GB of onboard media storage and a microSD™/SDHD memory card slot with a 16 GB card included
Software Updates on BlackBerry Storm2:
- Features BlackBerry OS 5.0, which includes typing accuracy and selection improvements, as well as usability and visual enhancements such as inertial scrolling, spin boxes that make it easier to set dates and times, gradient shading on buttons, and more use of animation
- BlackBerry® Browser is improved with faster JavaScript and CSS processing as well as support for Gears and BlackBerry Widgets
- Customers running BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0 will gain the ability to set follow-up flags, manage e-mail folders, access remote files (Windows Shares), forward appointments, view calendar attachments, and more
Additional Features and Specifications:
- 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, Image Stabilization (IS), flash and video recording capabilities
- Premium and easy-to-access phone features, background noise suppression technology, loud distortion-free speakerphone and face detection (proximity sensor) that prevents accidental clicks and blanks the screen while the customer is on the phone
- Media player for videos, pictures and music, plus support for BlackBerry Desktop Manager for both PCs and Macs, and BlackBerry® Media Sync, for easily syncing Windows Media® Player music with the smartphone*
- 3.5 mm stereo headset jack and dedicated volume controls
- Bluetooth® (v2.1) capable with support for Secure Simple Pairing, hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals
- Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications, as well as photo geotagging; and Verizon Wireless’ VZ NavigatorSM service is pre-loaded
- V CAST Music with Rhapsody
- Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry smartphones, with categories including games, entertainment, IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more
- Support for Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service
- Removable, rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides up to 5.5 hours of talk time or up to 11.2 days of standby time
Pricing and Availability:
- The BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone is available beginning Oct. 28 for $179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an Email and Web feature or an Email and Web for BlackBerry plan. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. Data plans for the BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan.
New Operating System for Existing BlackBerry Storm Customers:
- Existing BlackBerry Storm customers will be able to update their handsets to the new BlackBerry OS 5.0 software via Web software load (www.blackberry.com/update), BlackBerry Desktop Manager, or from Verizon Wireless’ download site (www.verizonwireless.com/storm). The software is available today.
- For additional information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers can contact their Business Sales Representatives at 1-800-VZW-4BIZ.
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Palm's experienced some much-needed success with the introduction of the Palm Pre this year. Unfortunately, that success has been limited due to Sprint's exclusivity of the Pre. Well, I've got good and bad news for AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers interested in getting Palm's first webOS smartphone. First off, gray market retailer eXpansys is now offering an unlocked edition of the Pre to U.S. consumers. This version, unlike Sprint's CDMA/EV-DO edition of the Pre, leverages GSM technology, which is compatible with America's second and fourth largest mobile operators' networks. That's the good news. Unfortunately, the keyboard layout is not QWERTY. It is QWERTZ, which swaps the Z and Y keys. This makes sense since the version offered by eXpansys is the German edition. That's a minor quibble. In addition, the German version of the Pre does not support U.S.-style GSM 3G; so users are limited to the much slower 2.5G EDGE standard when sending and receiving e-mail and surfing the Web over a carrier's wireless network. At least there's still Wi-Fi for when a hot spot is nearby. Worst of all is, perhaps, the asking price. eXpansys is asking $715, much higher than Sprint, for the Pre. 
