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After plenty of rumors, hope and speculation, the official details for the BlackBerry Storm have been announced.  The Storm will be priced at $199.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate and along with a two-year agreement.  As for availability, November 21 will be the day when it will be both online and in stores.

The Storm, as noted in the short and to the point, press release will be the “first touch screen BlackBerry smartphone with the world’s first “‘clickable’ touch screen.“  Which despite the price not coming in quite as low as we would have hoped for, (lower than the iPhone 3G) should still be low enough to sell more than a few.

A few interesting tidbits from the Verizon Wireless announcement show that the Storm will be running software version 4.7, that it will be shipping with an 8GB microSD card and also that it will be able to function as a wireless modem for your notebook.  Of course, Verizon does not specify the extra cost for the tethering, simply stating that the Storm has “3G modem support.“

Keep reading to check out the full (and short) press release below…

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Nothing yet in terms of a launch date, however some new information has been released and also revealed about the BlackBerry Storm.  To begin with, RIM has officially release the interactive online “User Guide” for the Storm. 

The guide is what most geeks would typically ignore, and covers everything from the basics of setting up your device, to using the Storm, and even some “advanced” topics such as the desktop software and switching from another handset.  If nothing else, the online guide does offer some nice images of the Storm and should prove to be a good read for that reason alone.

Moving on, we have some additional information regarding the pricing of the Storm.  We should point out that this information has not been made official, and although it seems to be along the lines of what we have previously mentioned, it should still be considered a rumor. 

The pricing information comes courtesy of some screenshots that were taken from an internal Verizon website.  Based on the images, it looks like the Storm will set you back $519.99 at full retail, or $219.99 with a two-year agreement and $289.99 with a one-year agreement.  All-in-all, if these prove to be accurate they Storm could see some very nice sales.

Keep reading to check out the screenshots of the pricing information below…

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Some poking around on the scavenger hunt website for the Verizon BlackBerry Storm has revealed some interesting pricing info.  According to some of the fine print, you know the stuff that most people ignore, the listed average retail value (ARV) of the Storm is $499.  Of course, those willing to sign that two-year agreement can expect to see a nice drop from that price.

As of now, it looks like Verizon is still on track for a November 16 release.  However, we are still awaiting the official confirmation from Verizon.  That date does fit in nicely with the ending of the scavenger hunt contest which wraps up on November 15.

Via [RIMarkable]

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Verizon Wireless has just become the latest carrier to add some new pink BlackBerry models. The new additions to the Verizon lineup will be the Curve 8330 and the Pearl 8130. Features of both will be the same as their current silver counterparts and according to Verizon “the hip, pink colors give students added flair when they are at school or interviewing for an internship or job,“ of course we would most likely suggest leaving your BlackBerry at home or in the car while interviewing, regardless of the color.

Anyway the pink Curve 8330 and the pink Pearl 8130 are currently available for order online, and will be in retail stores beginning August 15. The Curve 8330 will retail for $99.99 and the Pearl 8130 will be $79.99. Pricing for both models comes after a $70 mail-in-rebate and along with the standard two-year agreement.

Read [PR Newswire]

• Verizon employees suspended for accessing Obama’s call records
• iPhone is number 1 in mobile ads
• Who’s On Crack in tech: 11.21.08 edition

Visual Voicemail has proved to be an effective way of receiving and checking your voicemail, now instead of listening to every message you can listen to just the important ones, and save the rest for later.

This is a feature that we first saw on the iPhone with AT&T, however since then Sprint has also begun to offer it on the Samsung Instinct and now Verizon has become the latest with their LG Voyager.

The visual voicemail will come as part of a new software update and will be offered free of charge for current owners. It will also be included on a new model of the Voyager that has been dubbed the Voyager Refresh.

Verizon has also stated that the visual voicemail feature will be available for other models, but have not given any information on which will be included or when we can expect it.

Read [Verizon] Via [PhoneArena]

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We first saw the UTStarcom TXT8010 hit the FCC back in mid-April using the codename of Elvis, since then it seemed to have disappeared, that is until now. The TXT8010 has resurfaced with Verizon and is now known as the Blitz.

The handset details are coming courtesy of a leaked Verizon Wireless Equipment Guide and what that means is we have some nice clean images, but lots of details are still missing.

The Blitz is a slider style phone that offers a full (albeit small looking) QWERTY keyboard, 1.3-megapixel webcam, stereo Bluetooth and a microSD card slot. It looks like the Blitz is headed for the prepaid market, and its expected to be launched at Wal-Mart on August 8 and Best Buy on September 28. No mention of pricing, however it does not look like a handset that is going to break the bank.

Via [Engadget Mobile]

• It’s official, Verizon’s $199 BlackBerry Storm coming November 21
• Verizon employees suspended for accessing Obama’s call records
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Some will be sad to see it go, but at the same time many are wondering why its still around. According to a spokesperson from Verizon, the Palm Treo 755p will be phased out over the remainder of the year.

The first thing you will notice is the now much lower price, they have dropped it down to just $99, which of course comes along with a rebate and two-year contract. In addition Verizon will be removing the display units at many of their retails stores and also beginning to reduce the available inventory.

They were also quick to point out that while its being phased out the support will continue for those who either currently own, or purchase the device.

Personally, if I were looking for a Palm device at this point, this may be a good time to react, because as compared to the Centro, which is also $99, I would much rather have the Treo 755p.

Via [TreoCentral]

• Verizon employees suspended for accessing Obama’s call records
• Rumor: Palm Treo Pro coming to Sprint this January
• Make Android more like iPhone visual voicemail