There are some pretty solid rumors out that the BlackBerry Storm2, although still not officially announced by Verizon, will launch on October 28th for $179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2 year service agreement. The BlackBerry Storm2 launching next Wednesday sounds great. Having to shell out 28o bucks up front, even with the $100 mail-in rebate, sounds a bit expensive.
Verizon and especially Research in Motion need the BlackBerry Storm2 to do very well with consumers and if $279.99 plus a $100 mail-in rebate is indeed where the pricing will be set when the Storm2 launches I’d be willing to bet that there will be a price drop of at least $50 to $100 before Black Thursday. I’d also venture that third party retailers such as Amazon and Wirefly, etc., will offer the Verizon BlackBerry Storm2 for less at launch.
I am not quite sure what the marketing game plan is for Verizon when it comes to thethe BlackBerry Storm2 9550. The second edition touch screen device was officially announced by Research in Motion a week ago, however, Verizon has yet to say anything officially about the device.
Not having officially acknowledged the BlackBerry Storm2, hasn’t, however, kept Verizon from setting up a BlackBerry Storm2 Emulator on their site. If you would like to get a look and feel for how the Verizon BlackBerry Storm2 operates, have a look.
One would have to imagine that if BlackBerry Storm2 dummy display units are starting to appear in Best Buys stores that it probably isn’t going to be too long before they actually start selling the device. It’s kind of odd that Verizon, who hyped the first BlackBerry Storm more than any other BlackBerry that I’ve seen, hasn’t even officially announced the Storm2.
Kind of makes me wonder if Verizon is just dragging the ball, or, if they perceive issues with the Storm2 and don’t want a repeat of the nightmare that was the release of the original Storm.
It is really no secret that the BlackBerry Storm 2 is coming to Verizon even though RIM nor Verizon has officially announced the device. An official announcement, however, hasn’t kept Verizon CEO, Lowell C. McAdam, from telling the New York Times that he has been carrying around a BlackBerry Storm 2 for a few weeks.
Lowell C. McAdam, the chief executive of Verizon Wireless, has been carrying the revamped device for a few weeks, looking for any evidence that this time it will catch on. Mr. McAdam said that while he was recently visiting the Verizon store in New York’s SoHo district, he started talking to a couple of students from New York University who were shopping for cellphones.
It is expected that the BlackBerry Storm 2 will be announced is within the next couple of days. Even though the first BlackBerry Storm received overwhelmingly poor marks (for good reason) in just about every review it received, it still sold well over a million units. The Storm 2, on the other hand, has received quite a bit of praise, so, it will be interesting to see just how well it does. I am guessing that it will do extremely well…
The Ultimate BlackBerry Ninja, Solomondrin, has gotten his hands on the most recent build of the Verizon BlackBerry Storm 9550 with OS 5.0.0.287 and he says that this mix of hardware and software, if not already ready for prime time, is awfully close to it.
The latest update I did to the phone made the phone a solid device. This is exactly what RIM had in mind when they decided to put out the phone. We are back to the screen becoming solid when its off, but now the buttons on the bottom of the phone (send, end, app, return) are able to bring the screen back to life as well.
It shouldn’t be too long before the Verizon BlackBerry Storm 9550 is officially announced and then released. I am torn, however, on whether or not I want to get one of these the first day it comes out. I, personally am not dissatisfied with the touchscreen on the original BlackBerry Storm and Wi-Fi is not the killer feature for me that it is for a lot of people looking to get their hands on this device.
I may actually hold off on getting the BlackBerry Storm 2 until after OS 5 is officially released for the Storm that I already have… Of course, I say this today before I am able to actually walk into a Verizon store purchase the darn thing. If past history is any indication, I will probably get the Storm 2 around lunch time on the day that it is released.
Verizon commercial taking it to AT&T when it comes to nationwide 3G coverage. The Map illustrates the differences in the two biggest wireless carriers perfectly.
