It was mentioned in one of our whispers and now it’s here: Verizon has released a Push-To-Talk application for its fleet of BlackBerry smartphones. Free to download but requiring a monthly fee of $5 to use, Verizon’s BlackBerry PTT app allows for unlimited nation-wide calls to other PTT devices. Other key features include:Make group calls with up to 50 participants.Use Presence to see who’s available for Push to Talk calls.Manage Push to Talk contacts for your entire company online.Access email...

Verizon seems to be planning on expanding its prepaid line-up and options for current and would-be customers by throwing BlackBerry into the mix. Word is that within the next three months, prepaid BlackBerry plans will become available, though we’re not sure if all devices would be included. Rumor is that the plan adds $35 on top of the voice package, which isn’t so bad when compared to other carriers and most post-paid plans. We’ve also received word that the prepaid bundles would match Ver...

Verizon Storm users have reason to celebrate tonight because they’re part of a very special user base — the first BlackBerry users to recieve BlackBerry OS 5.0. We’ve already gone over the benefits of OS 5.0 a whole bunch, so all there is left for us to do is tell you how to get the goods. Either fire up BlackBerry Desktop Manager for PC or Mac and accept the prompt to update your handheld, or visit www.verizonwireless.com/storm. We’re just in the process of updating our 9530, but in t...

While the launch of the BlackBerry Storm2 on Verizon is widely expected to take place on October 28th and the Bold 9700 is so close we can almost taste it, owners of current generation BlackBerry smartphones  — the Pearl Flip 8220/8230, Curve 8330/8350i/8900, Bold 9000, Storm 9500/9530 and Tour 9630 — should be pleased to note that RIM is all set for the launch OS 5.0. Specific dates aren’t easily pinned down as it more or less depends on the device one has and the carrier one is with, but ...

It’s only a small matter of time now before the BlackBerry Storm 2 officially hits the streets, but Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam has been seen flaunting the goods a little early in New York City. Apparently, McAdam has been carrying the device for weeks now and feeling it out. To put it to the test, he showed it to some NYU students and it was well-received according to the New York Times:“I let them play with the second-generation Storm device,” he said. “They came back and said ‘Oh, my gosh.’ T...

It seems like only yesterday that Verizon gave the general public a first taste of the BlackBerry Storm, RIM’s first and currently only touchscreen phone. If you’re a late adopter, we have awesome news for you: Verizon has reduced the price of a brand spankin’ new Storm to just $49.99 on a 2-year contract. Oh, and the latest buy-one-get-one-free deal we scooped is still going on, too. So what’s with all the BlackBerry deals intended to clear store shelves? At this point it seems pretty...

In case you still need convincing that a new Storm is on the horizon and Big Red-bound, Verizon just initiated a price drop for the BlackBerry Storm 9530 once again. This time, the clickable touchsreen-touting handset lands at $99.99 on a 2-year deal. Come to think of it, we’re pretty sure the Tour being $199.99 has more to do with the Storm’s price drop than Verizon’s hopes of gradually burning through inventory over the next few months until the Storm 2 drops, but that’s beside the p...

Wondering what happened to the Storm OS .141 update we said should have dropped late last month? We had heard rumors of some problems with the OS but over the weekend we got word from a trusted ninja that the much anticipated OS .141 has failed Verizon Wireless’ testing. Oh. No. Too many glitches remain, so this update is supposedly dead in the water. There is no word yet on a new OS version nor any expected release date for a future update. The big question now is what RIM and Verizon will do with the ...

Day two of WES 2009 has come and gone and with its passing we have a few bits and pieces of BlackBerry news to report. While a lot of people were tired from a long night of eating free food and drinking free booze as will.i.am performed on stage, the symposium continued on Wednesday though there really wasn’t much in the way of announcements from companies. Nonetheless, we’re here on location and there’s more to report so hit the jump for the skinny. (more…)

We’re not too sure how much truth there is behind this one, but we just got a tip from a Verizon ninja who received an email memo regarding a much needed OS update for the BlackBerry Storm 9530. The memo mentions that OS 4.7.0.141 “is here” and that customers would be receiving alerts during the day telling them to upgrade. We haven’t been able to confirm this yet, but this ninja has proven himself to be a reliable source of VZW information in the past. Oddly, we have yet to come acros...

According to iSuppli, the cool cats that live to shed insight on the total dollar value of components in electronic devices, RIM’s BlackBerry Storm has about $203 worth of mediocrity jammed into its bulky frame. Want some specifics? $15 for the SurePress screen, $35 for the Qualcomm MSM7600 and $13 for the 3.2 megapixel shooter. $203 might not sound like too much, but it’s significantly more than the $169 of the Bold or the $174 of the iPhone 3G when you consider how many of these things are being...

This one is somewhat dedicated to all of the Canadian men out there. Know how your wife/girlfriend/mother/daughter/sister is always giving you hard time because you shop at the last minute when stores are packed and everything worthwhile is sold out? Don’t worry, because your friends at Telus have got you covered. Apparently the carrier has received a rather large shipment of Storms from RIM which which are filling store shelves across Canada just in time for you to buy one, activate it, send a quick li...

Not wanting to be left out of the party, Bell has followed Telus’ lead and announced that it too has released the BlackBerry 9530 Storm in Canada. Available today in the Greater Toronto Area, the Storm will be “widely available at stores” across Canada tomorrow. If you live in a more rural area and prefer to order your phones online, then bell.ca won’t be listing the Storm until tomorrow. As for the cost of the phone, Bell is asking for 3-years and $249.99 in conjunction with a minimum...

While it goes without saying that the BlackBerry Storm is going to be one of the hottest handsets this holiday season in Canada, Telus wants everyone to know that if they’re planning on either giving or receiving a Telus Storm on Christmas Day that it must be ordered no later than December 17th. A launch date hasn’t been officially announced, but there is a lot of buzz on the interwebs pointing to a release this Friday (the 12th) or Monday (the 15th).Update: It looks like Telus is soft-launching t...