Verizon Wireless Blackberry Storm to retail for $219 with a 2 year contract
The Blackberry Storm hit the Verizon Wireless staging testman website with pricing and details! It’s coming in about where we expected – $219 with a 2 year contract, $289 with a 1 year contract and whopping $519 for full retail. Remember, this is just the staging site so it’s entirely possible that things will change. In fact, the price does not include any rebates or New Every Two discounts so the final price out the door on the launch date will surely be lower. Sweet! Unfortunately, the page does not contain a release date but we expect a formal announcement from Verizon very soon now that it’s up on the test site. Check out the read link to see for yourself (enter 85001 as your zip) and hit the jump for some more screen shots showing the 1-year and full retail pricing.
Thanks, Matrix 2004!
[Via Howard Forums]
For what it’s worth, rep told me today (11/12)that the Storm’s launch-date-du-jour is now 11/23.
@Likeabite: I didn’t just make your point for you because I didn’t list wifi as one of the reasons. Millions of people bought the original iPhone without 3G BECAUSE it had wifi. And again your are wrong. Many people waited to buy the 3G iPhone because they knew the Apps Store was coming and it was a gaming device at release. On the release date, there were something like 250 gaming apps. And the best part is, the original iPhones weren’t left in the cold. They received the same upgrade for free. Not many manufacturers bother to do that.
Having wifi doesn’t have to be the MAIN point of any device. It just really makes it a more attractive device. I don’t care was some of the sour grapes posters say, “blah, who needs wifi”, but we all know , the more features the better.
For what it’s worth, reps rarely know a damn thing before we do.
@Paul
You just went on and on and on for a whole lot of nothing.
You told me and everyone else things that we already knew. When I posted I do recall saying that they had ONLY been working on it for months and months. I never said that they started working on it before Apple. NEVER.
And who cares if Apple had an app store first? Everything has to start somewhere. It’s not that RIM is playing catch up; it’s that they noticed that having an app store is convenient for their customers so they too decided to make one. Just because one company has something first you can’t down and damn every company after that for doing it.
For example, are you going to hiss at every fast food place for having fries (after all, they had to of started somewhere, with one company). NO, you are going to be happy that no matter which fast food place you go to, you can get fries. That being said, why in the hell is it such a bad thing that RIM is going to have an app store? That just means that not only iPhone users but also BB users can share that joy.
And of course Apple has thousands of apps, how long have they had their app store? As I’ve said before, everything has to get started somewhere. RIM isn’t just going to jump out of the bushes with 100,000 apps. They will work their way up there just as Apple did.
Soooo, I hope you feel like an ass. Never once did I down Apple for having an app store (I merely made the comment that someone would probably down RIM for having one because it was “the creation of apple” – and you made my statement correct – thank you).
Personally, I think the more the merrier. I’d be nice if all brands had ‘em. It would then give customers more options. We like options.
P.S. You are very wrong about the number of apps and the fact that there are “NONE for the Storm.” It was at the STORM EVENT yesterday that RIM themselves told us about the store and told us there would be a pretty little app store button SPECIFICALLY ON THE STORM. Idiot.
@Geewiz
HAHAHAHAHAHA-and so on.
“as it appears you never bothered to shop. You just write your check out to VZW for whatever they ask for and YOU gladly pay the amount.”
I’m almost certain that is the FUNNIEST thing I have heard on this entire forum. If you knew anything at all or paid attention to any of my posts, including one of the most recent ones, your incoherent ass would have comprehend that I am currently an AT&T customer that will be switching to VERIZON this month when my contract is up. Say it with me – current AT&T customer.
You would also know that not only do I sell Verizon NOW, but I USE to sell AT&T. If working for both carriers, knowing both carriers pricing and customer service inside and out isn’t enough for you I don’t know what is.
Soooo, with that being said, I do believe I’ve done my fair share of shopping and no – I don’t write my check out to VZW for whatever they ask for me. I currently write my check out to AT&T and soon to write it to VZW. Maybe you shouldn’t just make assumptions about people you don’t know. You know what they say about people that make assumptions don’t you?
Moving on – Okay, rollover minutes, eh? You even said it yourself that “as almost all users NEVER go over the monthly fee and have minutes in the bank they do not lose at the end of the month” You know what that means right? If every single month you are constantly having rollover minutes it means that you are paying too much for your plan because you consistently have more minutes than you use. If you have minutes left over month after month you should probably just go down on your plan and pay less. It just makes sense. I’ve been an AT&T customer for the past 7 years and not once have I used a single roll over minute.
“Next, AT&T offers FREE WiFi at over 20,000 hotspots in the US and 90,000 globally. They exist at most major airports, Starbucks, Bookstores, Restaurants, Hotels, etc etc.”
REALLY? Are you serious or are you just pulling my chain… Ohhhh wait, hold on, Verizon may not have as many Wi-Fi capable phones at AT&T, but they do offer them (XV6800 for instance). You know what that means right? If Wi-Fi is such a necessity for you – and just to clarify, that is an understood you, not meaning YOU – then it’s probably a good idea to get one of the devices that are Wi-Fi enabled. They (customers) do have that choice. So, that argument of yours is out the window for the simple fact that it is only plausible if VZW had NO Wi-Fi enabled phones. Certainly not the case.
As for your argument on Navigation, that isn’t relevant either. Verizon is not tying your hands behind your back and slapping 10 bucks onto your bill because THEY want to. If you want VZ Nav – you pay for it, if you don’t – you don’t. How hard is that? Just the same as SOME AT&T phones, if the phone you choose doesn’t have built-in navigation then you CHOOSE to pay the same $10 fee for the use of their Nav. So, buying a phone from AT&T w/ the built-in navigation doesn’t make Verizon more expensive. It only makes it to where those certain AT&T customers don’t have to pay the $10 b/c once again, if said AT&T customer would have purchased an AT&T phone that didn’t have it, they too would be required to pay the SAME amount if they want it.
“Choice of a music store other than VCAST is a no-no on most all of VZW supplied phones.”
Okay, then what about Rhapsody, and the fact that Palm has their own store and that on the Storm you can sync and download from iTunes?
“VZW charges double the price of most all other music store for OTA downloads!”
With Verizon you can pay $14.99 a month and get access to MILLIONS of songs and unlimited music transfers on up to THREE devices. With Rhapsody you can purchase music over the air, on a PC or transfer music from your PC to your device. With AT&T you pay $14.99 a month and get 50 credits. Let’s see here, Ringtones are 4 to 5 credits. That means for the same price you can download about 10 ringtones… WOW. I’m getting excited now.
As for single OTA downloads – VZW charges $1.99 per ringtone plus the data sent and received OTA and AT&T charges $2.49 per ringtone plus the data sent and received over the air. Okay, so to start off, Verizon is cheaper because their ringtones are cheaper. Now for the data sent and received. Once again, VZW charges by the MB and AT&T charges by the KB. VZW charges $1.99 per MB and AT&T charges $0.01 per KB. If you do the math correctly (1024KB=1MB), that means AT&T charges $10.24 per MB which is $8.25 more than Verizon. With all that being said, I do not understand how on earth AT&T is cheaper? It appears to me that VZW is cheaper in both aspects.
” Finally, I think if you were actually interested, you can check to see AT&T, T-Mobile offers less expensive data plans and family plans. Yes they are cheaper.”
Okay, here we go yet again… Let’s start off with family plans, Verizon and AT&T BOTH charge 69.99 for 700 minutes for the first two lines and 9.99 for each additional line after that, they both charge 89.99 for 1400 minutes, 109.99 for 2100 minutes, 149.99 for 3000 minutes, and yet again BOTH charge 199.99 for 4000 or for unlimited. If I’m not mistaken, I do believe they both charge the EXACT same thing for their family plans. Once again, you were wrong.
Now for data plans (I would just like to mention that my fingers are getting awfully tired from proving you wrong). With Verizon you would pay 29.99 for unlimited e-mail and web for either a BlackBerry or a Smartphone. With AT&T it just so happens to be $30 for unlimited data w/ access to your e-mail and web w/ BB or a Smartphone.
In conclusion, if Verizon is the “most expensive” carrier, then AT&T is “the even more most expensive” carrier because either they charge the same damn thing as Verizon or they charge more.
And DONE!
@ JustMe:
You asked, I answered. It was your question. You just do not like the answer. That is OK with me. Plenty of other readers will see what you are all about.
Every cost savings on any other carrier can be “spun” anyway you like. Fine with me.
We saved money when we switched. Rollover minutes that are polled on our family plan as saved us plenty of money. I was able to actually lower our minutes without fear over expensive overages!
WiFi is a need for me yes. Verzion offers almost NO WiFi phones so I guess they are not so smart-phones are they. WiFi has saved me time and money. I have many times used VoIP when traveling from a FREE hotspot. Verizon has ONE WiFi phone currently available and AT&T offers THEIR 90,000 hotspots FREE to THEIR customers. Used it yesterday at a Starbucks. Saved me time and money to get some work done FREE and faster. Also made plenty of VoIP calls last week when out of the country without an International plan and cost be zip!
Navigation IS relevant, unless of course YOU want to SPIN to make yourself right. VZW offers no devices with ANY decent navigation (iPhone has excellent navigation) and charge $10 a month for the ONLY choice you have, THEIRS. Gee at $10 a month I can buy a Garmin or a TomTom that is twice as good for the same price after a year. Verizon offers no devices that compete with their core services so they CAN charge you moron. No WiFi, No choice of music store, No choice of navigation. They cripple the devices they sell for a good reason, MONEY! This is relevant to any consumer who has to make a choice and many have chosen another carrier because of this. NOT just me.
Verizon locks all its customers into THEIR music store that is hardly the leader, IT does not even place in the top ten for music retailers. Why do I have to pay $14.99 per month for crippled DRM tracks? You make my point. Verizon charges $1.99 for OTA downloads with NO choices! I do not pay AT&T for ringtones, I have an iPhone and I can easily roll my own for free or use iTunes for $0.99, not $2.49.
VZW has a long history of nickel and dime charges to their customers, so stop acting like you have no idea and you heard me say it first. How about when they sold all those cameraphones and you had to pay just to get your pictures of the damn phone as they crippled bluetooth and USB transfers?
I notice you avoided T-Mobile and others in your rant.
So I guess all the others that also can see a savings and that VZW is the most expensive carrier are also wrong. OK whatever you want to claim, HAHAHA
I was only answering your question, I allowed you to SPIN as I knew you would, that’s what all good FANBOYS do right? HAHAHA
You proved only one thing, that you are a great big fanboy in the worse way.
@ JustMe:
The BB Storm is ALL about RIM playing catch-up. After publicly stating that the mechanical keyboard on the BB was better, they chucked it to copy all they could of the iPhone. They plan on aiming it directly at the same iPhone customers.
After years, there is only about 700 apps for the BB that were scattered all over. The iPhone in just 4 months now has 8,127 on my last look up!
They NEVER even thought of an App Store in all these years, they HAVE little choice now that iPhone app development has passed them by so bad.
Stop being such a fanboy and open your eyes! RIM has little in the way of a good SDK for developers and most of the BB apps are nothing more than Java apps running in a VM. So you are damn right that BB will not be coming out with lots of apps to match the iPhone.
The iPhone has smoked the BB in this regard and the Storm and RIM app store is a hope that the bleeding stops. Can’t wait until next year and watch you fanboys spin why RIM lost!
Geewiz – “I was only answering your question, I allowed you to SPIN as I knew you would, that’s what all good FANBOYS do right? HAHAHA”
Paul – “Can’t wait until next year and watch you fanboys SPIN why RIM lost!”
Anyone see the resemblance here or am I the only one paying attention…Bluehorseshoe do your bidding. There’s nothing left for me to say.
@likeabite
I agree more and more. How convienent that these two are ALWAYS on and able to respond one right after another – with the same dumb comments nonetheless.
It is pointless to respond to their comments because if they are wrong, which is pretty much always, all they do is rant and rave and do name calling – there are never any facts or numbers to back up their arguements. I’m done wasting my time with them/him. I don’t think me you and bluehorsehoe are the only 3 that have that opinion either.
Is this what you do when you have nothing to say? HAHA.
Maybe all you assholes are related it seems you guys group think.
Seems JustMe, likeabite, and BlueHorseshoe all attack in unison! WOW, could it be you are all the same, HAHAHA
You morons made my day. First one of you is an expert on IT as he played with a computer in high school or college, and now the other one or the same one is Sherlock Holmes.
Which one is Watson? Maybe you assholes should read your own comments, seems you are make the same comments.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but I don’t even know anyone on here. HAHAHA! Made my day.
You lost the argument so now this! I guess I was not the only one to tell you that you were a Fanboy, right. How original, TRUST me many people reading this KNOW you guys are FANBOYS, HAHAHA
Yea..I received one of those “VIP” invites to the private sale running from the 17-21st today. So of course I was excited..thinking I may actually get to get my Storm early..boy was I wrong. I called my rep and he told me that he didn’t know why the Storm was on the flyer because they still don’t have a release date for it. That it won’t be available during that pre-sale after all..but that he could put me down on some list and they would call me prio to the phone’s availability. So of course I had to ask when that would be..and he said that the phone won’t be available for 3 weeks! So that puts it at the end of the month most likely. Sadly..I’m starting to think the 1st rep I had talked to a few weeks back was probably right..the storm will be coming out in time for BLACK FRIDAY!
Found these keywords posted on crackberry.com before they quickly removed them: chip, times, cupcake, suit, design, dean, bklyn4, bklyn2, bean, shirts, west, detour, forbid
@ Geewiz Newsflash stupid this is what I do when two idiots are basically the same person trying to attack from different angles to no avail…so both of you responding right after the other and used the same wording by coincidence huh? That’s the difference between you and I…I don’t need a tech degree to make you feel stupid because I have common sense. That’s the problem with tech geeks like yourself. While BG is cool and knows what actually goes on in the world…ur stuck in front of the computer trying to live a life which is not real. You were too busy getting degrees to gain some common sense in the process and common sense tells you none of your degrees are applicable to this post. Again, I repeat they are not applicable to THIS POST. How does your degree matter in the real of the Blackberry Storm cost $220? If you can explain that in scientific or cisco certification terms then your argument would matter. Until then you don’t matter in this post either buddy…Same as it didn’t matter when it comes to the Storm not having Wifi because of Verizon that you still have not been able to address. Go make friends in the Sims or Second Life…this isn’t a playground bitch, lol.
@geewiz
You are just a very immature blogger with nothing better to do than start agruments you can’t win.
Actually, I have yet to see you win one – against anybody. You always go on and on about something that is just YOUR OPINION. You never have any facts or numbers to back up what you say and then when you have clearly been proven wrong you go off on this childish rant with multiple HAHAHA’s and name calling.
As for us “attacking in unison,” maybe that’s because we all know what the heck we are talking about and we want to show you off for the idiot you are – not that you don’t do a good enough job of that on your own.
Just an FYI, I’m not a ‘FANBOY’ of any type. First of all, I’m not even a boy.
On a more serious note, like I said, I’ve worked for both companies and I’m simply choosing the better one – IN MY OPINION. You can go with whatever company and whatever phone you want. It doesn’t affect me in any way.
@ JustMe
Good job! You just wiped the floor with the Geewiz/Paul split personality kid! He’s probably licking his wounds right now and crying to his blow-up doll!
@Stormy
Why thank you.. I do what I can.. lol
@ JustMe…thanks for that>>>I was one of those who wiped the floor his dumb ass so I’m glad someone is pointing out my handy work…I’m kind of ruthless lolol.
@ Stormy…thanks for pointing out the split personality foolishness…those two idiots are really one of a kind.
@likeabite
No problem – I’m almost certain that you, bluehorseshoe and myself are all on the same page in thinking that Geewiz/Paul/Whateverothernamehewantstouse is completely incompetent…
and I don’t know about you, but I tend to get a little bit of joy out of proving him wrong and watching him attempt to squirm his way out of it. Gives me something to do when we are slow at work. lol
It kinda sad that a bunch of adults sit here and waste their time bashing each other…I’m sorry you all feel like you’ve got to defend your turf on the internet and make up for what ever you’re lacking in real life but some of us just want to get on here to learn more about the phone not hear a bunch of “men” try to play who’s a bigger “man.” I think by your statements alone you’re all trying to over compensate for your inferiority…
Well said slightlyconfused: I for one am embarrassed that I let myself get dragged into such mind numbing argument. I only come to the forums to discuss the good and bad of the carriers and devices. None of them are perfect and no one device suits EVERYONES needs. I hate it when you can’t even say, “I like carrier X except for….” and then get pounced by the fanboys.
It’s also sad that these guys think they really “pwned” someone over a cell phone. It’s really sad when a person gets their jollies from life from vigorously defending a cell phone or a carrier.
I think it’s a stretch to call these guys “adults” who sit here and bash each other. I don’t think they are adults by any sense of the word regardless of their age.
Good post and thanks for making me think twice before arguing with these idiots in the future. It puts things back in perspective on just how silly this kind of bickering, hating and name calling is.
@ slightlyconfused…Thanks for your two cents and does make sense that there’s no need for the arguments…I personally do not do it out of spite or anything but rather try and set people straight when I feel they are misinformed but again you are right, there’s no need for it to begin with.
@ JustMe…we really are on the same page…it’s something to pass time and also to correct misconceptions and ignorance lol
@slightlyconfused
It’s not that we sit here and waste time bashing one another.
Well, not all of us do that anyway. Some of the people on here feel as if they can justify their side of the agrument by name calling. However, I justify mine with actual numbers and facts.
It’s very hard for me to just sit here and not set someone straight when they are merely ranting and raving their opinions trying to pass them off as facts.
If you are only on this site to learn, maybe you shouldn’t take the time to read all of our comments. Not once did anyone force you to do so, nor did we force you to take time out of your day to respond.
Last but not least, I am in NO WAY trying to “over compensate for my inferiority.” If you are going to take the time to read a couple of our posts you should probably take the time to read them all so when you feel as if you need to comment about us you know the whole story. It’s called being informative.
Got tired of reading through the people trying to pee on each other to find if this updated information was posted here or not…If it is burried between the boys trying to wet each others shoes, I apologize. If it’s not here, some people may be intersted in this emaiul I received from Verizon.
[IMG]http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q140/g35wtwins/stormemail.jpg[/IMG]
@ JustMe I agree…and if you read you usually have no choice but to pick sides.