BASKING RIDGE, NJ, NEWBURY, England, and WATERLOO, Ontario — Verizon Wireless, Vodafone Group (NYSE and LSE: VOD) and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that the BlackBerry® Storm™ will be available later this fall, exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers in the U.S. and Vodafone customers in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Blackberry Storm

Blackberrry Storm features a 3.25-inch touch screen which is responsive just like the iPhone. Unlike iPhone, the touch screen for Blackberry comes with an added feature of confirmation before launching an application or initiating any process during which the full screen becomes a large button that confirms a user’s selecting when pressed, while in iPhone it just swipe or errant tap can launch an application or action.”Consumers and business customers alike will appreciate this unique combination of a large and vibrant screen with a truly tactile touch interface,” said RIM co-chief executive Mike Lazaridis.

Blackberry Storm comes with a full HTML browser, GPS, a music and video player, a motion-sensing accelerometer, and a menu that responds to swipes and taps for panning and zooming. It will soon offer a VZ App Zone that will sell established BlackBerry applications and, in the future, applications built specifically for the Storm using a software developer kit released today. It has a removable battery, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capture, stereo Bluetooth, cut-and-paste editing features and built-in picture messaging. In addition to handling two bands of EVDO Rev A high-speed service, it supports four bands of Edge and one band of HSPA, making it available to users in more than 200 countries.

Rich Garwood, a Verizon Wireless regional president, said that mix of consumer and corporate functionality should make the Storm a big seller with a wide range of customers. “When you look at the design and high-tech and multimedia features, we think this will appeal to consumers,” Garwood said. “But we’re also getting a huge response from enterprise customers, people who have used BlackBerry in the past and are comfortable with the security and e-mail of BlackBerry.”

Quick Smart Features

1. Touch Screen:
   With the BlackBerry Storm smartphone, select and type using touch technology—the screen is the keyboard. Typing is easy—highlight the letter on the touch screen and press the screen to make it appear in your message or document. And navigation is a breeze. Like a mouse, your fingertip moves the cursor across the screen.
2. Multitask Processing:
   BlackBerry Storm smartphone’s 528-MHz processor combine to support your need to multitask. Designed to provide access to voice and data services at the same time. Take phone calls while sending and responding to email or browsing the Internet, Maintain GPS-based directions or maps on your display even while taking a call, Snap the perfect picture and send it out even when you’re already on the phone.
3. Communication:
   Wireless email for your personal/web-based and business accounts, voice activated dialing, conference calling, speakerphone and voicemail attachment playback4, Instant messaging and text messaging (SMS and MMS), Access social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
4. Multimedia
   At 3.2 megapixels with auto focus and auto flash, 1 GB of built-in memory—add up to 16 GB more using microSD cards6* Sync your desktop iTunes music files using BlackBerry Media Sync7,8,9,10* Use Roxio Media Manager to help create your own personal juke box
5. Global Position System & Maps
   The BlackBerry Storm smartphone features built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities. Designed to work with BlackBerry Maps and other location-based software, use it to help determine where you are and how to get to where you need to be.3,11,12 Enjoy large, clear maps on the HVGA touch screen.Stay in the know even when you’re on the go with access to the mobile versions of news, television and other media sites. Interested in a funny clip from YouTube or the incredible play from last night’s game? The built-in mobile streaming capabilities on the BlackBerry Storm smartphone are designed so that you can watch online clips like these or even listen to streamed music broadcasts.13

Specifications

Features Available

• Wireless email
• Organizer
• Browser
• Phone
• Camera (3.2 MP)
• Video Recording
• BlackBerry® Maps
• Media Player
• Built-in GPS
• Corporate data access
• SMS
• MMS

Size and Weight

• 4.43″/112.5mm (Length)
• 2.45″/62.2mm (Width)
• 0.55″/13.95mm (Depth)
• 5.5 oz/155g (Weight)

Data Input/Navigation

• Touch Screen Navigation, with ClickThrough for user selection
• On screen keyboard: portrait SureType® and Multi-tap, QWERTY landscape

Voice Input/Output

• 3.5mm stereo headset capable
• Integrated earpiece/ microphone
• Built-in speakerphone
• Mono/stereo headset, hands-free, phone book access profile and serial port profile supported (Bluetooth® technology)

Media Player

• Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
• Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus

Display

• High resolution 480 x 360 pixel color display
• Transmissive TFT LCD
• Font size (user selectable)
• Light sensing screen

Notification

• Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones
• MP3 ringtones
• Vibrate mode
• LED indicator

Approximate Battery Life

• 15 days (Standby time)
• 5.5 hours (Talk time)

Memory

• Expandable memory – support for microSD™ card
• 1GB onboard memory
• 128 MB Flash (flash memory)

Modem

• RIM® wireless modem
• Tethered modem capability

Email Integrations

• Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange
• Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for IBM Lotus Domino
• Works with BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Novell GroupWise
• Integrates with an existing enterprise email account
• Integrates with existing personal email account
• Integrates with optional new device account

Device Security

• Password protection and screen lock
• Sleep mode
• Support for AES or Triple DES encryption when integrated with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server
• Optional support for S/MIME

Wireless Network

• UMTS/HSPA: 2100 MHz
• North America: 850 MHz GSM®/GPRS networks
• North America: 1900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• Europe/Asia Pacific: 1800MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• Europe/Asia Pacific: 900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
• Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/Ev-DO networks

Video Blackberry Storm

Other Reviews & Posts.

• Press Release by Verizon Wireless
• Blackberry Storm First Hands On
• Guardian Blackberry Storm