With Project Dark now shown the light, we thought T-Mobile would be keeping things on the down-low for a bit until the new line of Christmas phones would be coming out.  Not so.

T-Mobile has launched a new program called T-Mobile Complete.  With T-Mobile Complete, interested folks can pick from four cell phones, including a Blackberry CUrve 8520, pick their plan, and away they go.  This is the first time we have seen a prepaid Balckberry from these guys.  Phones will start from $60 with plans starting from $50/month.

No information is up yet on T-Mobile’s web site, but it won’t take long for them to remedy that.

It will be interesting to see if buyers will take the gamble on T-Mobile, especially with all the buzz surrounding Verizon and the Droid.  T-Mobile definitely has an advantage with the best customer service rating of all the carriers, but will that give enough people cause to give them a try.

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The BlackBerry Bold 9700 will be out this week. With 3G, a high res screen and a 3.2 megapixel camera it look great. At $200 under contract it looks even better.

The 9700 builds on the current Bold’s specs but has a smaller form-factor that many will appreciate. At the same time it retains the angled keyboard I have grown to love which makes it a solid consideration for anyone looking to get a BlackBerry.

From my perspective, while the idea of a smaller device is certainly attractive (let’s face it the Bold 9000 is BIG), I would be hard-pressed to give up the spacious, easy-to-use keyboard I currently enjoy on the 9000.

The BlackBerry 9700 is out on T-Mobile November 16. It will be on AT&T a week later.

via Engadget

Today marks the start of Walmart’s Holiday Values Bundle Sales. Perhaps the most notable thing is the $100 Gift Card with the purchase of any BlackBerry and Service Plan. They’ve got BlackBerrys for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon, but according to BFAds, “there are early reports though that the online sale is better than the advertised in-store sale.”

Walmart has around 40 BlackBerry phones available including the newly released Verizon Storm 2 for $148 (not including the $100 gift-card) and the Sprint Tour 9630 for $99 (not including the $100 gift-card), you can see them all here.

If you are in the market for a new smart-phone (specifically a BlackBerry), this sale can not be beat. Additionally, for all phones that are not free with the new service agreement, you can take an additional $25 off your order with the coupon code 25rafpcver1.

This looks like a great deal for anyone who has been eye-balling the new BlackBerrys; kudos to Walmart for the discount!


via BFAds

Ritz Camera has this brand new BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8229 (Black) on sale for $99.99. While it’s not the newest BlackBerry – it still packs an ok feature set. You’ll have Wi-Fi plus T-Mobile UMA capabilities, all of the standard BlackBerry functionality plus a 2 MP camera. This phone does not require a contract but is locked to T-Mobile for service and if you want BlackBerry push email you’ll have to pay for a data plan. There’s no sales tax and shipping is $9.95.

T-Mobile BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 – $99.99

When the original BlackBerry Storm was introduced last year there was no shortage of  positive (though not glowing) reviews. At least one major web site proclaimed the device as Verizon’s best smartphone. My how quickly fortunes and opinions can change in a year. Despite the almost universally hated SurePress touchscreen input method and  lots of smack talk about the original Storm in reviewers’ private twitter feeds (where the REAL reviews happen),  most sites seemed happy to recommend the original  Storm  (three cheers for David Pogue who was one of the few to loudly stand up and call the device “BlackBerry Dud”). Fast forward a year and the love affair seems to be over. Not only does Verizon seem to be turning it’s marketing muscle away from the device toward the Droid but RIM appears to have taken a page from Hollywood’s playbook and skipped sending review devices to several influential sites.  Phone Arena is a site that obtained a Storm 2 and they’ve just posted their  review with photos of the new screens and samples from the camera.

BlackBerry Storm 2 Review

Wayne informed us this morning that the Blackberry Storm 2 is now available.

Verizon Wireless has also released its first commercial for the new device and they couldn’t help but take another shot at AT&T.

Take a look at the ad.

Verizon’s BlackBerry Storm 2 has appeared right on schedule on Verizon’s site and for the expected $180 2 year contract price. What’s interesting is there’s also a BOGO (buy one – get one) sale running where you can also get a “free” BlackBerry Tour 9630, Gateway LT2016u Netbook, MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, UMW190 USB Modem, BlackBerry Curve 8330, BlackBerry 8830, BlackBerry Storm 9530 or Storm2 9550, BlackBerry 8703, BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8230, or USB760 wireless modem when you purchase a Storm 2. Naturally the monthly data service and calling plan is extra per line but you already expected that, right?

Verizon BlackBerry Storm 2

BlackBerry Storm users can officially download version 5.0 of their operating system today. New features include improved power/lock button functions, interactive home screen, face detection for dimming screen, popup keys when SurePressing, better cursor and key controls. The download is free and you must cable your monster instead of the typical over the air download.

BlackBerry Storm OS 5.0 and What’s New List (RIM)

If there’s a smartphone company more blessed than Research in Motion I don’t know them. RIM’s made a hugely successful business out of basically selling the same damn phone in a zillion different configurations with tiny differences between models. Carrying on the tradition is the just announced BlackBerry Bold 9700 (aka Onyx). Look for it to hit AT&T and T-Mobile during November for about $199 after contract. At first this device looks cool until you notice it has the same processor as the Bold it replaces – and a mere 256 MB onboard memory versus the 1 GB of the Bold 9000. Respectably RIM axed the greaseball in favor of track pad and ROM gets a boost from the prior Bold’s 128 MB to 256 MB so now you’ll only reset your memory 4 times a day versus the 6 you were used to. For the rest of us these specifications look an awful lot like a BlackBerry 8900 with a 3G modem squeezed inside or a Tour with Wi-Fi.

AT&T and T-Mobile via BGR

Want to complain about your BlackBerry browser, or do you want to actually do something about it?  Now’s your chance.   If you have the skills, it looks like RIM has some openings for WebKit Developers.

RIM’s previously made their intentions to completely re-do their browser known through recent acquisitions.  Are they “too little, too late?”  Most BlackBerry users are already flocking to use 3rd party browsers, like Opera Mini.  Meanwhile the iPhone, Palm Pre, and Android devices have long made use of WebKit based browsers.

The onslaught of new devices coming out will certainly be giving BlackBerry a run for the money.   Perhaps you can be the guy or gal who can put “I made the BlackBerry browser not suck” on your resume

[via MobileCrunch]

The BlackBerry Storm is a touch screen device that users either love or hate. It seems the love/hate line is often drawn between those who’ve never used a BlackBerry before (love) and those that have spent time with the BlackBerry devices that include keyboards (hate). The big deals with BlackBerry Storm 2? Updated BlackBerry OS 5.0, WiFI, ability to press two keys at once on the keyboard (increases typing speed) and a different method to using the touch screen which no longer requires as much physical pressure to move the screen up and down as you type. Read the full review below to find out all the new features added to the Storm2. And, no, there’s still no official Verizon release date though the Storm2 is now live on their site here.

BlackBerry Storm 2 Reviewed

The Gartner group has predicted, via research, that Android based phones will overtake the iPhone and jump into the number 2 position in popularity in as little as two years.

Currently the iPhone sits in the number 3 slot behind Blackberry and Symbian.  Gartner further suggests that RIM, makers of the Blackberry, will lose close to 7% of their market share at the same time Android sees a 12.9% increase.  This would leapfrog Android into number 2 and leave the iPhone at number 3.  The loss RIM would take on would cause them to drop down to the 5 spot behind Windows Mobile.

These are nothing but predictions, but they are ones which are seriously making me want to try out an Android phone.

Via Yahoo

I was excited to see the release of Blackberry Desktop Manager for Mac a few hours earlier than expected. Of course I immediately downloaded the application which is relatively small — the DMG file is just 28 MB. And they did a great job with it!

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RIM, makers of the wildly popular BlackBerry smartphones, reported earnings for Q2 yesterday that fell short of expected levels. The company blamed the settlement of patent litigation with Visto for lower current quarter earnings and set the stage for reduced Q3 earnings. During the earnings call RIM said that 80% of all new subscribers were from non-enterprise markets. While that growth in non-business users is impressive it also could be dangerous since RIM’s aging operating system seems to perpetually play catch up with other phones such as iPhone, Windows Mobile and Android in terms of features and applications. One new tidbit to emerge from the earnings call was the mention of a new “services” platform but unfortunately no details on what that platform will include or when it may arrive.

RIM via Business Insider image via ChrisD.ca

BlackBerry users with OS version 4.5+ can download upgraded versions of RIM’s Instant Messaging clients for BlackBerry. Versions are available for Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, Google Talk and AOL Messenger. New to these programs is the ability to create a standalone contact icon on the BlackBerry Home Screen, search saved conversations and add contacts and display pictures or avatars to the address book to easily instant message, email, SMS, or call right from the address book or conversation box. For easy over-the-air downloading guide your Berry over to http://mobile.blackberry.com

BlackBerry Instant Messaging 2.5