BlackBerry Storm: First Look!

I had the pleasure of playing with the BlackBerry Storm for about an hour today and was unsure what to expect going into the demo. It would either be REALLY good or REALLY bad and it all hinged on whether the “Touchscreen Button” worked as advertised…

It did and let me tell you, the BlackBerry Storm absolutely ROCKS!

The idea is that merely touching the screen highlights the selected area but doesn’t initiate the selection. You have to press the entire screen “in” and your selection is made. I’m sure you can see why I was a bit nervous going into the preview- I was skeptical as to whether this could even work “as advertised”.

Take a look at what most would consider the 3 biggest on (and soon-to-be on) the market… the BlackBerry Storm, T-Mobile G1 and Apple iPhone side-by-side-by-side:

The technology in the BlackBerry touchscreen is called SurePress and the first time you use it is almost an odd/eerie experience. Why? Because it works exactly like it is supposed to. When you press the screen in the area where a visual button is… it feels like you’re pressing an actual, physical button in that location!

I was pretty amazed by the Storm and am kind of wishing I could be playing with the TouchScreen right now… it all seems like a figment of my imagination.

The only downside of the SurePress touchscreen is that it seems as though the speed of typing/texting may have a ceiling. In portrait mode everything is fine.. you’ll mainly only be texting with 1 hand in this case. But in Landscape mode, using two thumbs… you can’t type TOO quickly because the entire screen is a button. I predicted this might be a problem but its really not much of an issue… the gains of SurePress far outweigh any minimal loss of speed… mainly because the portrait QWERTY works quite flawlessly.

Verizon Wireless is going to hit a homerun with this device and customers who MAY have been wooed to T-Mobile or AT&T for the G1 or iPhone have a great reason to remain loyal. On top of the amazingly cool touch screen is a 3.2 Megapixel digital camera with auto-focus, image stabilization and FLASH (thank god). All too many camera phones lack flash and it renders the camera useless for practically 12 hours of the day.

These days they’re saying, “it’s all about the applications” and Verizon Wireless is addressing this need as well. In addition to VZ Navigator and a Verizon branded goodies, the BlackBerry Storm will have access to the VZAppZone which is essentially Verizon’s answer to the iPhone Market. At the moment the App Zone is only enabled on the Moto Q and Moto Q9c but it should see a ton more action once the masses flock to the BlackBerry Storm.

Check out more information on the VZAppZone directly from Verizon’s website: http://support.vzw.com/faqs/VZAppZone/faq.html

You can bet it probably won’t have near as many applications as the iPhone App Store and/or the Android Market but this is a great step forward for Verizon in terms of software and plenty of needs will likely be fulfilled.

In addition to the touchscreen success you’ll find RIM’s highest resolution screen ever, a loud and vibrant speaker phone, a world phone that will work in dozens of countries and… the phone comes PRE-PACKAGED with an 8GB MicroSD Card. Oh yeah… and praise the lord they’ve included a 3.5mm headphone jack to make life lovely for music goers. Thanks for that… its the details that win people over!

Browsing the web was pretty enjoyable… even without the typical “trackball” that RIM is known for. Instead, there is a touchscreen option that toggles between a hand and a mouse pointer. Use the “hand” and you’ll be navigating as you would any touchscreen phone. But use the mouse and drag it into position, clicking the screen in on a link you desire and voila! Definitely a cool feature that will enhance web browsing… we’d like to see this on more phone’s as it worked like a charm.

The HARDWARE that we tested the Storm on was production level but the SOFTWARE was beta… and  you could tell. The browser wasn’t very quick and there appeared to be some slow glitches… restarting the device fixed that at one point. But thankfully it was Beta Software and they should get most of those main issues resolved in time for a November release.

Regardless of everything else we’ve always said the success of this phone will be 100% dependent on whether or not the “touchscreen button” (SurePress) works or not. If it DOES work then the phone will be a HUGE success because we know that with the rest of the details, RIM & VZW can get enough right to make this thing a winner. If it DOES NOT work then the phone will flop - who wants an all-touchscreen phone that doesn’t “touch” very well.

Well that issue is now put to rest - at least in my mind. The SurePress TouchScreen is nothing short of brilliant and I can almost guarantee that you’ll love it when you use it. It takes the functionality of a normal touchscreen and brings it to a COMPLETELY new level. Huge props to RIM on this!

The BlackBerry Storm has just made its rounds on the FCC website so we know that a relase is imminent.

And it looks like something may be imminenet from BestBuy as well… BGR has scooped up an internal inventory sheet that lists the BlackBerry Storm as being “in-stock” on November 16th. So when will it go on sale and where? Still a mystery but it looks like the folks at BestBuy will get it at SOME point.

On top of that, Verizon themselves unleashed a TON of content about the BlackBerry Storm that include some of our favorite type of media… VIDEO! Engadget has them all embedded in one page so we figured it would be easiest to send you there for the goods!

Motorola AURA: $1,999 and No 3G

If you pay almost 2 thousand dollars for a phone you would expect it to have cutting edge technology, right? I mean the iPhone, G1, Storm, etc… are all clocking in at less than $300 and have a world of options and features. But style seems to be the only focus for the brand new Motorola AURA.

Designed to look like the mobile phone version of a luxury watch, the Motorola AURA has a circular screen with an astounding 16 million colors (300 dpi) and is protected by a 62-carat saphire crystal that prevents scratching. Does it look worth it?

While most new phones have a double-take factor, the first thing someone with an AURA is likely to say is, “It cost me $1,999″ while a iPhone or G1 customer’s first comment would typically be, “Check Out What It Can Do.” And my comment to anyone buying this is, “Do you really have that much money to waste or are you just stupid?”

The thing doesn’t even have 3G. Sure, it looks nice but Moto… come on!!!

Have a look-see at the specs and see if you think this “opportunity” is as ridiculous as we do:

The phone alone ain’t bad, but combined with the price… yuck!

[Via UnwiredView]

Android Rap Song!

Don’t you hate Mondays? Well we’ve got a little way we might be able to cheer you up… an Android Rap Song! That’s right, a funny, spooferific rap song about the T-Mobile G1 and the Android Operating System that powers it:

Not quite G-Unit… G1-Unit?
[Via phandroid]

MotoZine ZN5 Headed To T-Mobile Nov 3rd

It looks like the Motorola Zine ZN5 will officially be landing on T-Mobile come November 3rd. This is a nice little bit of info for T-Mobile customers who are craving a decent camera phone - the 5 MegaPixel shooter in the ZN5 is rumored to be pretty robust.

I wonder if it can take pictures of itself, cause it looks pretty darn good too:

And as for the specs? Not too shabby either:

[Via BGR, IntoMobile]

Sony Ericsson 2009 Phone List!

Sony Ericsson just can’t seem to keep a lid on it… we’ve got word of not one, not two… but 7 (COUNT ‘EM, SEVEN) SE Phones that are planned for 2009 release. Don’t bet any money on all these being released as Sony Ericsson has a track record of leaving some models in the dust. But you can be pretty sure that we’ll see at least SOME of these in the next 12 months.

Lets hope they don’t make us wait forever:

[Via SEMC Blog, BGR]

Sony Ericsson Xperia: Try It NOW!

Unfortunately, I can’t magically send you an Xperia through the interwebz and have it slide through your monitor and onto your desk. In fact, we don’t even have on ourselves. But we DO have a link to a pretty cool online simulator that will allow you to test the Xperia X1 for yourself!

Step right-up and click on the image below to enter the one, the only, Official Xperia X1 Xperience Simulator!

[Via Sony Ericsson]

BlackBerry Storm Video… Meh

When we saw there was a commercially produced promotional video for the BlackBerry Storm we got pretty hyped. How would they show, describe and illustrate the “touchscreen button”. Ummm… they pretty much wouldn’t.

For a device so hyped and a feature so unique, this promotional video passes as nothing more than elevator music. I’m not sure if its poor video quality or if the UI is laggy but it doesn’t look all that impressive, especially after playing with the G1 for the past week.

In this video, the BlackBerry Storm comes across as the first ever BlackBerry Touchscreen that should have come out with last year’s technology… and still not been cutting edge. I’m not hating on the Storm here but more the VIDEO. I mean, if you’re going to make a video for the Storm DO IT SOME JUSTICE.

Do people agree with me here or am I missing something. I just don’t get it… disappointed to say the least.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 User Guide

It seems like FOREVER we’ve known about the Xperia X1 and we’ve been yearning a good run at it ever since it was rumored. So much time has gone by since then that the launch of the User Guide isn’t too big of a deal… we already know the vast majority of the details in there.

Nevertheless we know there are plenty of Xperia fans out there so you can download the User Guide here: Download Link

AT&T Holiday Handsets

Well you know what they say you’re supposed to do for Christmas… make a list for Santa Claus. Well if AT&T plans on being Santa they’ve got it backwards… they gave US the list of phones they’ll have for the holidays.

Not too bad… but I don’t see anything that is in the ranks of say… an iPhone, G1 or Storm which will likely be 3 of the hottest phones not only for the holidays but for many, many months afterwards.

[Via BGR]

HTC Touch HD Graces Us With Presence November 6th

We’ve heard a never ending number of bloggers cry bloody murder that the HTC Touch HD wasn’t the phone released as the first ever Android Phone. Why? Because it could quite possibly be the most beautiful mobile hardware on the planet. And it looks like November 6th will be the day you can get ahold of one.

Starting off with a 3.8-inch WVGA screen with 800 x 480 pixels shows you what ballpark this phone is in. Actually, its not in the ballpark… this phone probably eats ballparks for lunch. Its going to be a mean phone. It also has an appetite for your wallet… it’ll be pricey. Here are some of the other specs you’ll be paying for:

[Via UnWired View]

Samsung Gravity: For The Down To Earth

Not everyone in the world wants an elite phone that can do anything they ask it to. In fact, some people can appreciate the simple things in life. If you’re one of those then the Samsung Gravity is likely for you. Whether or not the name was meant to sound “cool” it certainly makes sense - if you’re a down to earth cell phone shopper this phone could be yours.

No… those aren’t papa phone and mini-me - the images are just different scales. The Gravity will be a candybar phone with numeric keypad on T-Mobile, but it slides out to reveal a full QWERTY. Its 1.3 megapixel camera and camcorder kind of drags it down but if you never use your camera anyways I guess who cares, right?

[Via MobileBurn]

Verizon Omnia, Samsung Saga Revealed By Rebate Form

Pretty much the only thing we ever hear about the Omnia is how great it looks, how buggy it is in the limited locations it is available and of course… how few places its available. But all that may change if a Verizon Wireless Rebate Form that popped up on Howard Forums is to be believed.

Not only does the Samsung Omnia get singled out, but it also comes with a rebate date of 11/15/2008. While we’re not sure how much weight that actual date holds, it looks promising that a release SOMEtime in 2008 is more than likely. Hopefully they’ve worked out all the annoying bugs that they dropped like the plague on Singapore and other lucky folks who realized they were unlucky after the fact.

If the kinks can get worked out, this could be one bad mamma jamma.

Oh yeah… the Rebate form also mentions the Samsung Saga which - I think - has not been previously mentioned. We shall see!

[Via HoFo]

BlackBerry Storm Goes On Tour

Everyone has been waiting to try out the BlackBerry Storm and its crazy new touchscreenish button. So instead of the regular old news leaks that we would usually see, Verizon & RIM are playing the part of rock stars and going on tour… tech geek style:

If you live in one of these cities, you’re ready to rock. Otherwise, save up some gas money or shoot on over to priceline.com and start practicing you’re sick day excuses. If any MobileRoar readers are in the Omaha area… bring a video camera and report back!

What about the fact that its at an URL including “RSVP” and is a “Business Event”? Dress nice and act like you know somebody. Cmon… the Techie version of Wedding Crashers.

[Via BlackBerry Sync, Engadget, VZW]

T-Mobile Launches BlackBerry Flip

As if T-Mobile didn’t already have enough going for it with the Android enabled G1, they have just launched another phone - the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 - that should prove to be a work horse in terms of sales. As the first ever BlackBerry flip phone, T-Mobile will attract a the more typical, mass market consumer who has grown envious of the ever growing base of BlackBerry addicts.

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip phone has mostly everything your typical BlackBerry phone would have, but coupling it with the familiar flip form factor gives it the idea of a “dumbed down” device that the more “everyday” consumer can feel comfortable with.

Here is the Press Release from T-Mobile with specs and stats in the bullets at the bottom:

T-Mobile USA Launches First BlackBerry Flip Phone

New BlackBerry Pearl Flip Features Most Popular Mobile Phone Design in U.S.

Bellevue, Wash., and Waterloo, Ontario—Oct. 13, 2008—T-Mobile USA, Inc., and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM: TSX: RIM) today announced the BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8220 smartphone—the first BlackBerry flip phone—is now available in the U.S., exclusively from T-Mobile.

The new BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone maintains the popular features and benefits of the BlackBerry Pearl; plus it packs numerous enhancements into the sleek and popular flip design. The spacious keyboard allows easy typing and dialing while the flip design helps protect the large, vibrant internal screen and provides the satisfying finality of ending a call by closing the phone. Customers will also appreciate the external display for previewing calendar reminders, e-mail, text messages and phone calls at a glance.

“The flip phone remains the vastly dominant and preferred design for mobile phones in the United States,” said Leslie Grandy, vice president of product development, T-Mobile USA. “Being the first company in the U.S. to offer the unique BlackBerry experience on a flip phone is a huge benefit for T-Mobile customers.”

The combination of rich multimedia capabilities and RIM’s powerful mobile e-mail solution together with support for text messaging, picture messaging, enhanced Web browsing and built in Wi-Fi® makes the BlackBerry Pearl Flip ideal for balancing a busy lifestyle by enabling customers to share pictures, check the latest sports scores or access social networking sites, including Facebook® and Flickr®.

“The BlackBerry Pearl Flip takes all the advanced features and refined usability that customers have come to expect from BlackBerry smartphones and makes them available in a friendly and innovative design,” said Mark Guibert, vice president of corporate marketing, Research In Motion. “Whether they are sending text messages or e-mail, listening to music or simply making phone calls, customers are going to love using this phone.”

In addition to the new flip design, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip also provides an advanced multimedia experience through video recording and playback, a 2.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom, stereo Bluetooth® support, and an easily accessible external memory card slot.

The Wi-Fi-enabled phone provides connectivity for both voice and data, as well as support for T-Mobile’s Unlimited HotSpot Calling service offering unlimited, nationwide calling over any accessible Wi-Fi connection including T-Mobile® HotSpot locations nationwide and great in-home coverage.* Whether through a Wi-Fi connection or the T-Mobile network, customers can quickly surf the Web, view pictures, send and receive messages, download documents, and access attachments.**

Key features of the BlackBerry Pearl Flip from T-Mobile include the following*

  • First BlackBerry smartphone to offer popular flip design
  • Wi-Fi-enabled (802.11 b/g) supporting Wi-Fi calling and fast Web browsing
  • Support for Unlimited HotSpot Calling, offering unlimited nationwide calling over accessible Wi-Fi networks
  • T-Mobile’s myFavesSM support to stay in touch with those who matter most, with quick, one-click access for instant messaging, e-mailing, texting or calling to your Fave 5 SM from the Home Screen
  • Enhanced SureType® keyboard to support text messaging, picture messaging, instant messaging (six popular clients), personal e-mail (access up to 10 supported e-mail accounts), and corporate e-mail
  • 2.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom, built-in flash and video recording (requires microSD card)
  • Advanced media player for pictures, music and video with full-screen video playback
  • Stereo Bluetooth® support (A2DP/AVRCP) and 3.5mm stereo headset jack
  • Media management software included on the BlackBerry Tools CD, which allows transfer of music files including sync of desktop iTunes music files***
  • Enhanced HTML browser for high-performance browsing with a more desktop-style depiction
  • Internal QVGA 2.4-inch diagonal screen, 320 x 240 pixels and supporting 65K colors
  • 128 MB of flash memory, 256MB microSD card included, and support for up to a 16 GB microSD/SDHC card
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi network including support for international roaming
  • Dimensions: 3.9” x 1.96” x 0.68”
  • Weight: 3.6 oz

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip is now available in T-Mobile retail stores and select authorized dealers, online at http://www.t-mobile.com or by calling 1-800-T-MOBILE. Available at launch in black, the phone is also planned to be available in red in the coming weeks.

[Via T-Mobile PR]

Is This The LG Incite?

Nothing is positive - hence the question - but sleuthing EngadgetMobile dug up FCC records from July that seem to document the LG Incite with a pic to boot. Lets go over some of the details:

DING DING DING! It looks like we have a winner… and here it is… the LG Incite for AT&T:

[Via EngadgetMobile]

AT&T Fuze (aka HTC Touch Pro) Seen In Wild

The HTC Touch Pro is unarguably one of the hottest phones to hit the market in the past year. So, when AT&T got their little mittens on the phone for their lineup, they rebranded it as their own “AT&T Fuze”. They didn’t stop there - in live pictures found on XDA Developers it seems AT&T platered their branding all over the device.

That kinda stinks… but in no way blemishes the spectacular looks and functions with which the original HTC Touch Pro is blessed: VGA touchscreen, WiFi, GPS, 3G data connectivity, slide-out QWERTY… yeah, we’ll live with that AT&T logo just fine.

Its looking like the phone is awaiting final approval later this month and, if all goes well, will be released by AT&T in early November.

[Via XDA Devs, IntoMobile]

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic MicroSite Launches

If you’ve been following the launch of what was the Nokia Tube and now is the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, then you’ll be excited that Nokia themselves have released virtually all of the details in the form of a MicroSite for the phone.

It really, really looks the part - pretty gorgeous and includes:

And a lot more. But why let us tell you? Get it straight from the horse’s mouth. To visit the microsite: Click Here

Samsung Propel Will Push Teens to AT&T

At first it was dubbed the “Samsung Sangria”, but seeing how under-drinking-age teens were likely the main target, it appears this slick sliding QWERTY will actually be called the Samsung Propel and headed to AT&T in a matter of a few weeks.

Why is it a great fit for teens?

It isn’t a spec powerhouse or anything, but it finds a nice middleground that will probably please a lot of people… including parents who don’t want to spend a million bucks on a cool phone for their kid in these trying economic times.

[Via EngadgetMobile]

Samsung Eternity: Omnia & Vu Super-Mashup

What was once thought to be the Samsung Mirage may actually be called the Samsung Eternity, but whatever it is we know its the Samsung a867 headed to AT&T next month and we’ve got some juicy details.

First of all, this thing looks a LOT like the Omnia… which is a good thing:

Or is it the Instinct it looks like? Either way, it looks dead sexy and Samsung is really pushing everything they’ve got with sleek looking touchscreen phones… we’re not complaining.

We’ve got rumored specs as well… but keep that “rumored” bit in mind:

So many phone in so little time… well done Samsung and lucky you AT&T!

[Via EngadgetMobile]

HTC T8290: First WiMax Phone (Russia)

Details of the first ever WiMax phone have been released and it appears to be coming courtesy of HTC and destined for Russia. WiMax is the super fast 4G wireless network that Sprint says will revolutionize the mobile Internet - which is probably true. WiMax is the technology and XOHM is Sprint’s WiMax brand… the WiMax in Russia is branded as “Yota”.

But you want to know more about the device, right?

That’s a good start. How does it look?



Nice… any way we can get this to work in Baltimore via XOHM please?

[Via Nedge2k]

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