Business Anywhere Blog

Here is an excellent hands-on review of the Blackberry Storm that Verizon is launching this week. The reviewer has done a great job of highlighting the key features of the phone and is definitely worth the 6 minutes or so to review it if you are in market for the Storm.

[Via Crackberry.com]

Originally Best Buy had indicated that it would be selling Blackberry Storm starting November 16th. Unfortunately for them, Verizon Wireless and RIM decided to launch the Storm on November 21st. Consequently, Best Buy will now start selling the Storm in their stores on November 23rd. On the positive side of it, they will be able set up the Verizon contracts for you in the store, so you won’t have to shell out $599 to purchase. You can get it for $199 with 2-year contract.

Folks, the wait is over. No more speculation, no more rumors. Verizon Wireless has finally announced the launch date for Blackberry Storm. Mark your calendars, get ready to form lines and carry $249 dollars on you, because that is what you will need to get this phone. There is a $50 mail-in rebate that you will get when you buy the phone, thus bringing the price down to $199 with 2-year contract.

Update: According to Engadget, the price could just be leftover pricing from the testing. They also think it could be simply the copy of the record for the Blackberry 8830 World Edition Smartphone which retails at $219.

Verizon Wireless has just got one step closer to releasing the Blackberry Storm. They have put up the pricing on their test site which you can see here. Make sure to change your location to 85001. According to that site, the Storm will cost $219 with 2-year contract and $289 with 1-year contract. The full retail price is $519. That is pretty cool considering that price is not discounted with rebates and discounts. As far as the release date goes, it is still unclear, however, Verizon Wireless is expected to make an announcement any day now.

Thanks, BGR.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

It appears that Verizon is going to launch the Blackberry Storm on November 15th in its own store according to VZW E, a tipster on Howard’s Forum. Best Buy will launch it on November 16th and will be available everywhere else starting November 17th. The Verizon corporate stores will open an hour earlier during the launch week to accomodate customers. According to the tipster, the delay is due to firmware issues which are being resolved. He also has a list of accessories that will be available at launch.

[Via Phone Arena]

FCC quietly approved an unnamed RIM device. I think this is the Blackberry Storm. Why do I think that? Take a look at Exhibit A, the image that FCC approved.

Now take a look at this video that Verizon released yesterday.

I rest my case:). So, now that a major FCC hurdle has been crossed, we just got that much closer to the launch. Let’s see when Verizon and RIM announce the launch date.

Here are some videos that Verizon released about the upcoming Blackberry Storm. This is probably as close as you can get without getting the phone in your hand. So, enjoy. Also, rumors continue to flow that Blackberry Storm will be available at Best Buy by November 16th. I talked to the Best Buy rep over the weekend and he was non-committal about the date except to say that it would be available before Thanksgiving.

Overview:

Back View:

VZ Navigator:

Internet Browsing:

Phone Dialing:

Email:

Verizon Wireless has scheduled launch events for Blackberry Storm starting in late October all the way through a week before Black Friday. A few blogs think that this could mean delayed launch. I have to agree given that the Verizon Wireless rep said so the other day. However, I believe this is their marketing effort to ensure robust sales during the holiday season. Here is why I say that: First, looking at the cities where the launch events are being held, these are all in midwestern states. Second, if that was the case, why would they launch their marketing campaign more than a month in advance. Not to mention, Best Buy reportedly shows the Storm available November 16th (that may well change). Finally, RIM cannot afford to delay the launch of this phone. Because, if RIM blows the launch for the Storm, like it has done with the Bold, it will lose much more than market share. They better start getting the company in shape for acquisition if that happens.

Here are couple of videos of Blackberry Storm. The first is a viral video of average users using Blackberry Storm and giving their reviews, via Boy Genius Report.

The second is the Verizon commercial for Blackberry Storm that ran on CBS last night, via Engadget.

Over the weekend, there was a frenzy of Blackberry Storm/Thunder related posts over at Boy Genius Report including user guide and copy and paste feature overview. However, the best post was the detailed internal positioning document that BGR managed to get its hands on. Amongst the gems that document included were the upcoming Blackberry Apex and the types of consumers attracted to the Blackberrys. Another gem was the comparision between the Storm and various competitors like iPhone, Viewty, N85, etc. which you can see below.

Also from the price perspective, the Blackberry Storm/Thunder will be its second priciest device and is sqaurely targeted towards prosumers.

Great Job, BGR!