With the BlackBerry Storm2 getting nice and official over night, we here at BGR thought that it would be nice for us to take a moment and focus on just what its launch means for our loyal readers that aren’t living in The New World. Earlier this week, UK-based The Guardian proclaimed that the Storm2 would be announced by both RIM and Vodafone this week. Clearly this was the case as we now know it will be arriving on or around the 26th of October, but its report missed out on one huge revelation — Vodafone’s exclusivity on the device will only last “a few weeks”. This of course paves the way for other carriers such as O2, Orange and T-Mobile to get in on the Storm action. While all of the aforementioned Storm2 candidate carriers have remained mom mum on the matter, The Guardian is hedging its bets on Orange carrying the Storm2 in time for Christmas. What does this all mean for the UK? Well, when one considers that every major carrier is going to be offering the iPhone 3GS and has the option of picking up the Storm2, it looks as if a major price war is about to erupt in time for the holidays.

Read

While it’s certainly not much to go on, The Guardian is reporting that the BlackBerry Storm 9520 aka Storm2 will be announced this week by Vodafone UK. Specifics are scarce and it is not entirely clear as to when consumers will actually be able to actually purchase the next-gen Storm, but at the moment we’re more interested in another matter. You see, The Guardian seems to think that Vodafone subs will be able to walk away with a new Storm for free on all tariffs over  £30 ($47.40 USD). Now, whether or not these contracts are for the standard 18 months or painfully long (for the UK) 24 month affair might be an issue for some, but the fact remains that Vodafone seems to be clearly targeting O2 and its much more expensive Palm Pre.

Read

The walls of exclusivity are crumbling in the UK. Less than 24 hours after Orange UK announced that it will be getting the iPhone, Vodafone UK and Vodafone Ireland have jumped on the Apple bandwagon as well. Voda’s “coming soon” pages are now live for the iPhone 3GS and interested parties can sign up for updates. No pricing or tariff details are available but rumors place the launch in early 2010. The best part of course, is with three major carriers soon to be promoting the iPhone in the UK, prices on the handset and its accompanying tariffs are expected to fall. Competition? iPhone? Hell must be getting pretty chilly. Oh and one last thing, before you start asking: the answer is “no” — Vodafone getting the iPhone does not necessarily mean that Verizon Wireless is next.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Read

Remember that mysterious LiMo-powered smartphone we exclusively showed you a week back? Well today it was made official alongside another handset as well as a new internet service, Vodafone 360. The two devices, manufactured by Samsung, have been dubbed the 360 H1 (the device we showed you) and 360 M1. The 360 H1 looks to be an all around solid device with a 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, 16GB of internal memory, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA. The 360 M1, on the other hand, leaves a little bit to be desired but still packs a bit of a punch with a 3.2-inch touchscreen display,  1GB of internal memory (expandable by microSD), GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 and HSDPA. As for Vodafone 360 platform, what we previously told you was correct in that it incorporates more or less the same sort of social media approach as webOS and MOTOBLUR, but with a slightly stronger emphasis placed upon games, apps and music. Nothing too crazy, but it’s something we think every smartphone should have as we draw nearer to a new decade. Of note, Voda’s 360 services will also work on dozens of Nokia and Sony Ericsson handsets so if this new dynamic duo isn’t your thing, rest easy. Oh, and just one more thing… The H1 and the M1? H1 and M1? H1M1? A bit too close for comfort.

Read (360 H1)
Read (360 M1)

Windows Mobile fans take note — 30 new handsets powered by your mobile OS of choice will supposedly be debuting before you again sing a drunken version of Auld Lang Syne. Benjamin Tan, senior director of the GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China, let loose the rumor that an avalanche of new Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets from HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Acer, Toshiba, HP and more will be released in the waning months of 2009. Carriers who have jumped on board this Window Mobile bonanza include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMO, Softbank Mobile,  SKT, Telstra and Telus. Bottom line: no matter where you are located or what you prefer in a smartphone, there will apparently be a Windows Phone to suit your needs in 2009.

Read

If you’re a glutton for the punishment that Windows XP on a mobile phone likely is, then ITG has exactly what you need. The “world’s first mobile phone that runs Windows XP” is now available for pre-order from ITG’s English website. Looking rather big and boxy (is this a new trend?), the xpPhone packs some impressive specs inside its brushed aluminum frame:

• AMD Mobile CPU
• 4.8-inch, 800×480 pixel touchscreen display
• QWERTY keyboard
• 512Mb/1GB memory
• Dual hard drives: SSD (8/16/32/64GB) and HDD (30/60/80/120GB)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth
• GPS
• WiMAX (optional)
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA (HSDPA/HSUPA), CDMA/CDMA2000, CMDA 1X/EV-DO, TD-SCDMA, TD-HSDPA
• 7 hours of continuous use with standard battery, 12 hours with extended battery
• Windows XP OS

The substantially-sized slider supports nearly all major 3G networks and can be configured from the ordering page to be compatible with AT&T, Vodafone or Orange. No word on pricing details or launch date for the time being, but is anyone out there thinking about taking the plunge?

[Via Pocketables]

Read

We’re not at the final OS build (haven’t even updated this to latest available OS) and that’s always something to take into consideration. With that said, however, the Storm 2 really makes SurePress a viable touchscreen mechanism that people will enjoy using. This obviously should have been done the first go around, and there’s big bad all-touch-screen smartphones to battle, but we like where RIM has gone with it and we’re eagerly awaiting an official announcement. More photos after the break!

Thanks, Mark!t

UPDATE: Had a chance to load a more recent OS on here (5.0.0.224) and it’s improved the screen feel immensely. Any wonkiness and erroneous screen taps seem to have gone away. Plus, you know… there’s threaded SMS now.

Vodafone subscribers, Samsung fans and mobile enthusiasts in general — we hope you’re sitting down. Behold: Exclusive live shots of a previously unheard of Samsung handset supposedly due to be announced soon by Vodafone. Details for the time being are a bit limited — we don’t even have a name for you yet (UPDATE: as a commenter points out below, this may be the Samsung Riedel l8305 that recently received Wi-Fi certification) — but our ninja managed to score some extremely solid images and a handful of specs that are definitely noteworthy. First things first: We’re apparently looking at a Samsung-built Vodafone exclusive here that is powered by Voda’s own LIMO-based OS (Linux mobile). Beyond the brushed steel case sits a nice big OLED touchscreen display complete with haptic feedback. We’re also told the handset will sport an 8 megapixel camera and it will launch alongside the upcoming “Vodafone People” service. Details in that department are scarce as well but rumor has it the service involves Voda’s acquisition of Zyb last year; active contacts, location information, status updates, various integration with other social networks like Twitter and Facebook, etc. You can get a pretty good idea of what’s in store from the images below but basically, it’s what Google should have done on Android with Jaiku. Last but not least, we’re not sure exactly when Vodafone plans to make this guy official, though we’re hearing rumors of a special event that may be held in London on September 24th. Hit the jump for more shots and if you live in Vodafone land, get ready for what really could be a game-changing handset/service combo.

It looks like Vodafone subscribers may be among the first to get their hands on LG’s virgin Android offering as the handset has reportedly just made its first official public appearance. Spotted at a Vodafone booth at the IFA trade show in Germany, the Etna appears to be a decently-spec’d Android phone, though all we have so far is a sliding QWERTY, 3-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth and a 5 megapixel camera. This all strikes us as odd of course, considering “Etna” was the codename for AT&T’s LG Neon feature phone when it was first explored back in February. Maybe LG liked the name so much, it decided to reuse it as the launch name on its Android phone? We imagine the details will all be ironed out soon enough but in the meantime, let’s all just keep our finger’s crossed that LG’s Android phone finds its way to the US sooner rather than later — we could certainly use the variety.

[Via Phandroid]

Read

In case you were wondering, yes, the flood gates are open. Windows Phones — or handsets running Windows Mobile 6.5, for the marketing impaired — are raining down left and right since Microsoft’s official announcement that Windows Mobile 6.5 is set for takeoff on October 6th. LG promised three Windows Phones right off the bat with 10 more to come in the near future, and now the second piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. If the GW550 wasn’t your cup of tea, perhaps we can interest you in a slightly stronger brew dubbed the GM750. This full touchscreen handset features WinMo 6.5 of course, along with LG’s S Class UI, a 3-inch display, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi and an accelerometer. While pricing hasn’t yet been made available, the GM750 will launch on October 6th in seven Vodafone markets (Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and the UK).

Read

And yet another oft-leaked BlackBerry has become official as Research In Motion has finally announced the BlackBerry Curve 8520. Heading to T-Mobile USA and Vodafone UK in August, the BlackBerry 8520 is RIM’s latest attempt at luring in the average consumer to its line of smartphones with a very budget friendly price. In the UK, Vodafone UK subscribers should be able to get the 8520 at no charge provided they take on a contract with a monthly tariff of £25 or more (considerably cheaper than the average BlackBerry plan) while in the USA T-Mobile clients will have to wait a bit longer to find out just how much it is that they’ll be asked to pay. Since we’re sure that you’re all more than familiar with the specs of the 8520 by now, let’s just focus on one thing that that’s super cool about the 8520 — it’s compatible with OS X straight out of the box. Does this mean that the Mac version of Desktop Manager will debut before its scheduled September release? It certainly looks as if this is the case.

Read

According to a post from likely soon-to-be-ex-Vodafone forum moderator Ev from Vodafone, Vodafone Ireland has a few tasty morsels baking in the oven. First and foremost, the mod claims Voda will not be picking up the new Nokia N97 due to the high price point of the handset. Instead, the carrier will pick up the unannounced “N97 Mini” considering the device’s “competitive pricing”. Ev also states that Vodafone will offer the BlackBerry Storm 2 later this year, a foregone conclusion. Last but not least, the big mouthed mod suggests that due to exclusivity with a competitor, Vodafone will not be offering the Palm Pre. All of this falls into the rumor category for the time being of course, but it’s pretty interesting none the less. Will Ev elaborate? Will (s)he be gagged and locked in a basement? Keep your eye on the read link to find out.

[Via Mobileburn]

Read

Nokia and Vodafone today announced the exclusive launch of the new Nokia 6730 classic. This mid-level S60 3rd edition handset features quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, dual-band UMTS/HSPA, 2.2-inch QVGA display, 3.2 megapixel auto-focus camera, GPS/aGPS, FM radio, Bluetooth 2.0, 48MB of internal memory and microSD expansion. Vodafone will be the exclusive carrier and will start offering the 6730 classic across all markets in June. Pricing is yet to be determined but we highly doubt this handset will break anybody’s piggy bank — this little guy is destined to be a freebie on most contracts.

Read

HTC’s flagship Windows Mobile Professional device, the Touch Pro 2, has made its debut on Vodafone’s UK website. And yes, Voda has gone ahead and named the handset Touch “Pro 2″ while HTC refers to it as the Touch “Pro2″. Listed in the business section, the qwerty keyboard packing Touch Pro 2 is displayed only as coming soon. No pricing details have been revealed yet but, as is the case with most European phones, expect it to be heavily subsidized when higher tariffs are chosen.

[Via wmpoweruser]

Read

In a move that is sure to give executives and customer service reps from other carriers a major headache, Vodafone UK has announced that it will be doing away with all roaming charges. The change applies to both Pay As You Go and Pay Monthly customers from June 1st until the end of August, and applies to over 35 European countries. The only catch is that customers must sign up for Vodafone Passport in order to enjoy calling, texting and picture messaging at the same rates as at home. As for which countries are included in the Summer promotion, it seems that every major European destination is covered: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Channel Islands, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroes, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Vatican City, New Zealand, and Australia. To opt into the promotion, text “Passport” to 97888 if you are a Pay Monthly customer or 2345 if you are on Pay as you Go.

[Via Electricpig]

Read

Nokia’s 5800 XpressMusic might have first appeared in The Dark Knight but as much as our Finnish friends love product placement, it looks like its first S60 5th Edition phone might be making another cameo on the big screen. Nokia has just revealed it will be releasing a special Star Trek edition of the popular touchscreen phone — which will be free on contract with Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and O2 — featuring special Star Trek animated screen savers, three Star Trek wallpapers and eight exclusive Trek-themed ringtones. It also packs an exclusive phaser application but sadly, no teleporting capabilities. The 5800 Star Trek edition might not be able to beam you anywhere but all your Trekkie pals will surely be envious when you brandish it at the next Star Trek convention. Just make sure you sneak away to a corner when you use it to call your mom for a ride home.

Read

Eight days ahead of its expected launch in the UK, Vodafone’s HTC Magic page has suddenly gone live in Spain and ordering of the latest android handset has commenced. The Spanish Magic will come with a slightly higher price tag than its UK counterpart, ranging from 199€ ($261USD) with a 21€ ($28USD) monthly plan down to 19€ ($25) with a 62€ ($81) monthly plan. Being able to flaunt the latest and greatest Android handset earlier than anyone else comes with a cost, no?

[Via Phandroid]

Read

This news makes us so jealous, we toyed with the idea of packing up our bags and moving our entire operation to Jolly Ole’ England. Well, not really, but we’re still green with envy this morning. You see, not only is the HTC Magic going to make its debut next month at no cost to most subscribers, but now Nokia’s upcoming flagship N97 will be hitting Vodafone this July as well. 3.5″ touchscreen display, sliding full-QWERTY keypad, 5 megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, 32GB of internal memory, 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity, S60 5th Edition — all subsidized from a carrier. The one thing that gives us solace is knowing that our $700+ N97s will be clean as a whistle while our friends across the pond will be sporting handsets with the Vodafone logo plastered all over them. That makes up for it, right?

[Via Engadget Mobile]

Read

Good news for those of who live in the UK as you won’t have to wait too much longer to get your hands on the latest Android-powered handset. Vodafone has posted information on its website stating that anyone who pre-orders an HTC Magic should receive the Cupcake-packing touchscreen device on May 5th. Better yet, the Magic will be offered up for free on all tariffs over £30, something sure to make all of the Yanks jealous when they’re asked to produce a fist-full of cash when their Magical day arrives. So, friends across the pond, what are you waiting for?

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

[Via Phandroid]

Read

On Monday, April 20, Panasonic and NEC are expected to unveil nine devices that run on the Linux-powered LiMo operating system. While not much is known about the soon-to-be-announced devices at this time, proponents of open source operating systems will apparently have plenty of cause for celebration in 2009. Current members of the LiMo Foundation include Motorola, NEC, Panasonic, LG and Samsung, though the latter two have yet to unveil a single LiMo device to date. Still, the foundation does have an all-star line-up of carriers backing it up as NTT DoCoMo, Orange, SK Telecom, Telefonica, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone have all announced they will be carrying LiMo devices at some point this year. While there might not be too much to account for at the moment, the LiMo picture is apparently about to get a whole lot clearer.

Read

Vodafone and HTC came together today to announce the HTC Magic, the latest Android handset we named and outed yesterday. As the world’s first touchscreen-only Android phone, the Magic isn’t that much of an improvement over the G1 though it does have a nicer look to it and some spec improvements behind it. Details as to when the Magic will launch are hazy at best but the Vodafone UK website states it will be “Arriving in April.” Being a Vodafone exclusive, customers in the UK, Spain, France and Germany will be the first in line to get the Magic while Italian mobile aficionados will be able to purchase the Magic as a non-exclusive. After that it’s anyone’s guess as to where else thing thing will show up, be it under the Vodafone name or otherwise. Here’s to hoping it makes its way to this side of the world as soon as possible. Now to the specs:

• Android OS
• Quad-band EDGE / dual-band 7.2Mbps HSDPA (900/2100 MHz)
• 512MHz Qualcomm® MSM7201a
• 512MB ROM / 192MB RAM
• 3.2″ HVGA touchscreen display (though the presser and Voda say QVGA, Android does not play nice with QVGA displays)
• Virtual QWERTY keypad, trackball
• 3.2 megapixel camear w/ AF (no flash)
• WiFi 802.11 b/g
• GPS
• Bluetooth 2.0
• microSD
• 1340 mAh battery
• Talktime: 400 min 3G / 450 min GSM
• Standby: 660 hours 3G / 420 hours GSM
• 113mm x 55mm x 13.65mm, 118.5g
• Available in black and/or white depending on market

Not bad and not great, but we’re happy the Magic is a bit more refined compared to the banana-faced G1. Some of the basics however, such as a 3.5mm audio jack and an LED flash are unfortunately still MIA. Why HTC, why?

Jeté the jump for the full press release.

Vodafone and HTC unveil Android-powered HTC Magic

BARCELONA — Feb 17, 2009 — Vodafone and HTC Corporation today announced the HTC Magic smartphone, Vodafone’s first Android-powered mobile, which will be available in the spring.

The stylish new handset is exclusive to Vodafone in the UK, Spain, Germany and France (SFR) and available on a non-exclusive basis in Italy. Customers can ensure that they are the first to receive information about the HTC Magic’s availability, pricing and pre-ordering by registering their interest via their local Vodafone website from today.

The introduction of the HTC Magic is the result of a successful relationship between Vodafone and HTC, and Vodafone’s joining, late last year, of the Open Handset Alliance.

A tablet-style device, with a sleek design and unprecedented compactness for a smartphone featuring the Android platform, the HTC Magic enables a superior mobile internet experience, providing broad flexibility for personalisation via the application-rich Android Market. Available in white in the UK, Spain and France, black in Germany and in both colours in Italy, the HTC Magic will be for sale in several other Vodafone markets over the next few months.

“Delivering an unbeatable mobile internet experience for our customers is a priority for Vodafone, so we are very excited to be introducing our first Android-powered smartphone in the spring,” says Patrick Chomet, Global Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group. “Following our joining of the Open Handset Alliance, we have worked very closely with HTC to bring this cool new phone to the market. Our customers want to access a wide range of the most attractive mobile devices to help them make the most of their time – the HTC Magic helps meet that need.”

“The HTC Magic embodies the compact style and sophistication for which HTC has come to be known, with the powerful and intuitive internet experience for which the Android platform was designed,” says Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corporation. “We are proud of our partnership with Vodafone and excited about making the Android-powered HTC Magic available to Vodafone customers in Europe.”

“The announcement of the HTC Magic is an important step for Android and the Open Handset Alliance,” says Andy Rubin, Senior Director of Mobile Platforms at Google. “With it, Vodafone is opening up the mobile web for consumers across Europe and giving more third-party developers a platform on which they can build the next wave of killer applications.”

Available from free on various price plans, the HTC Magic has a 3.2” QVGA touch screen display and features a trackball and navigational buttons for quick, easy access. The HTC Magic includes a variety of email options such as Google Mail™, POP3 and IMAP as well as Google Talk™ for instant messaging.

The HTC Magic has a variety of powerful mobile internet capabilities beginning with an Android-optimised Webkit browser. It also features the popular Google™ applications, Google Maps™ and Google Search™ as well as favourites like YouTube™. In addition, Android Market allows for quick and easy downloading of games and applications utilising Vodafone’s fast and reliable network.

Full details of availability and pricing will be available in the future in local Vodafone markets.

Read

Y’all might know the next Android phone from HTC as the G2, but around these here parts we know it as the HTC Magic. An exclusive to Vodafone in Europe, the Magic is of debatable sexyness when compared to the T-Mobile G1 (and looks very Sony Ericsson, does it not?) and just happens to be one those phones that we’re just dying to know more about. But for now we can safely say that the Magic will feature HSPA, WiFi and GPS connectivity along with a 3.2 megapixel camera — sans flash — and of course come with a healthy dose of that sweet, sweet Cupcake that so many of you G1 users are clamoring for. Now we can’t say with absolute certainty when this thing will released or even announced, but since MWC is going on and with CTIA just around the corner, now is as good a time as ever to steal the spotlight from those damn pesky competitors. Oh, one more thing… don’t be too shocked if the name Magic is replaced with Pioneer. Just sayin’. Hit the jump for some more shots.

Anxiously awaiting the hot new handsets from HTC? The wait might not be over but the mystery of what handsets HTC has in store for us in 2009 has certainly been solved – compliments of Arlen at PPC Geeks, the entire 2009 lineup for HTC has been leaked. The new HTC handsets include the Touch HD Pro which will make its appearance on Verizon and Sprint, the HTC Iolite and Iolite II, HTC’s Android offering, the HTC hero, the Tungsten for T-Mobile and the HTC Jasper for Sprint. AT&T will apparently be getting the Topaz and the Barium. There are 25 handsets in all and include the following:

• Whitestone W
• Magnet (Iolite II)
• Jasper C (for Sprint)
• Firestone
• Beryl (Jade 2)
• Twin (CDMA + GSM)
• Willow W
• Thoth (Athena 2)
• Sapphire (VF)
• Saphire 2.0 (TMO)
• Sapphire 1.5 (DCM)
• Memphis
• Hero (Android Hero)
• Tungsten W (Sprint)
• Rhodium
• Rhodium W (VZW)
• Topaz
• Topaz (AT&T)
• Topaz C
• Tungsten (TMO, TMUS)
• Barium (AT&T)
• Cedar W
• Iolite
• Maple (3G Excalibure)
• Citrine

Some of the handsets appear to be new offerings while some are updated versions of current HTC handsets like Touch Diamond and the Touch HD. Hit the jump for a snapshot of each phone and make sure you lean back a bit to avoid getting drool on your keyboard.

[Via wmpoweruser]

Read

Two of the biggest names in the new wave of personalized internet radio, Pandora and Last.fm, have announced new mobile offerings this week that are sure to please subscribers. For those who aren’t familiar with these services, we’ll give you quick rundowns: Pandora is a free ad supported service (with an ad-free subscription option) that delivers custom radio stations based on the tonal qualities of each song. The user starts by entering an artist or song and Pandora continues the stream with songs of similar musical quality as determined by a panel of 50 analysts who have spent years listening to and cataloging songs. Last.fm on the other hand, is a similar free service (with enhanced subscription option) but it has a much bigger focus on social networking. It creates custom stations with similar tracks like Pandora, but relies on socially-applied tags when offering up new songs.

On to the topic at hand, Pandora released an official Windows Mobile client that brings the Music Genome Project straight to the hands of HTC Touch and Motorola Q9c users. The client is completely free and it allows users to create and stream Pandora stations to their Windows mobile handsets via the phone’s data connection. Moving away from Windows mobile, Last.fm announced that it has launched its first official Symbian client via a carrier. Vodafone customers with S60 handsets can now enjoy Last.fm for free on the go. S60 users did already have a free Last.fm streaming option in Mobbler but it’s nice to see Last.fm embrace S60 and offer an official client. All in all, it’s been a good week for smartphone users but we still have a long way to go – how about a couple of BlackBerry clients fellas?

[Via All About Symbian]

Read (Last.fm)
Read (Pandora)

With many of the Verizon users who took advantage of the leaked OS upgrade for their version of the Storm reporting vast improvements, it’s only understandable that a lot of Vodafone Storm users are upset about the lack of a new OS available through legitimate means or otherwise. Thankfully Vodafone Germany has stepped up to the plate and has officially released a software update for the 9500. Reported to improve accelerometer lag and touchscreen accuracy among other things, OS 4.7.0.78 is sure to make many disgruntled European Storm users happy. Grab a copy of OS 4.7.0.78 here and let us and the world know how you and your Storm are fairing.

Read

We figured that instead of making you comb the internets trying to hunt down the latest information on the BlackBerry Storm, we’d compile a nice recap of sorts. Some of it is new exclusive information, and some of it is just other things that have been floating around. Let’s get into it…

• We’ve heard that Vodafone UK has absolutely no intention of selling the Storm to BES users until 2009. We’re not exactly clear on this (since the two Vodafone Storms we have were converted to a business BES account after purchase), but we believe it means that there will be no direct-to-business sales of the handset. Not that you couldn’t as an individual purchase one and simply add a BES plan and convert it to a business account. We’re told that the reason of the hold-up is that Vodafone is worried the device, with the on-going hardware and software issues, isn’t up to snuff for their corporate users.
• For more information on the issues with the Vodafone BlackBerry Storm, hit Vodafone’s forum. You’ll see an enormous amount of complaints about signal reception, buttons falling off, and software issues.
• BlackBerry Storm OS 4.7.0.75 seems to be floating around in some circles. There’s been a ton of misinformation out there, but the update appears to be real, and is currently NOT — let’s stress the word, “NOT” — available to the general public. As many times as you might try to check for updates in Desktop Manager or in the Upgrade portion of Options on your device, you won’t get anything at the moment. We’ll obviously keep you updated on this, but don’t get your hopes up just yet.
• Some BlackBerry Storm users have complained about the difficulty of pressing edges of the touch panel on their devices. It’s a mixed bag, and out of the five Storms we’ve had, two were perfect and three were terrible. We noted this in our review, and the remedy seems to be inserting business cards or paper (you believe this?) underneath the battery or on top of the battery under the battery door. Don’t bother. Just return them and get them swapped out. It’s not your problem, it’s their problem.
• In terms of unlocking the BlackBerry Storm, you’ll have a much easier time getting the unlock code from Verizon. It’s rather simple, really. As long as you have an account that is current with no past due charges and the device on your account, you can call Verizon’s Global Support number and request an unlock code for the handset. Nine times out of ten they’ll give you the code while you are still on the phone. Easy. As. Pie.

Read [BGR's BlackBerry Storm review]

Read [Vodafone's eForum]

Gather around, kids, because you’re in for the most special of treats! In lieu of unboxing our very own BlackBerry Storm, we though we’d leave it to the real pros: the British working class! Enjoy the best BlackBerry Storm unboxing video. Ever.

Read

Finally some good news for our friends from in the land of tea, top hats and posh accents: the BlackBerry Storm is out and available for purchase through retail channels. Free on all contract-based tariffs over £35 a month, the Storm is reportedly flying off the shelves of High Street shops. If you were one of the smart people who pre-ordered a Storm then there’s a good chance yours will arrive in time for you to show it off tonight at the clubs to anyone within sight. If you weren’t one of the people who had the foresight to pre-order the Storm then chalk this up as life lesson. For those of you who’ve been living under a rock for the past few months and don’t know much about the Storm then here’s the quickest synopsis on the net — it’s a 3G BlackBerry that has a 3.25″ touchscreen with SurePress, GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera with auto-focus and you’ll soon see it everywhere, m’kay?

Read

Our buddies across the pond in the UK, awoke this morning to some great news. Vodafone, via an official press release, launched the Blackberry Storm and announced that it will be available on November 14th. Don’t get too excited as that launch date, nary a few hours old, may have already been pushed back to November 18th. Vodafone’s own Storm pre-order page has been updated to reflect the November 18th date and rumors bouncing around the Vodafone forums also suggest a delay. What is Vodafone doing to us? Adding to the whole Storm debacle is Verizon Wireless who also issued a press release on Thursday and said absolutely NOTHING new about its Blackberry Storm. No launch date, no pricing, just a rehash of how awesome the Storm is. Unbelievable. Is this turning into the world’s worst launch or what?

Read (Vodafone Press Release)
Read (Vodafone Pre-Order)
Read (Verizon Press Release)

If there’s one thing we can say about the Storm pricing Vodafone announced earlier today, it’s that the company definitely provides a nice wide range of options for customers with varied budgets. Don’t expect the same options stateside people, it’s just not our style. Our friends across the pond who pre-order the device online will be happy to know that said orders will be fulfilled on or around November 11. Woo! So let’s talk pricing:

• £300 (US $495): 12-month contract, starting at £40/month
• FREE: 18-month contract, starting at £40/month
• FREE: 24-month contract, starting at £35/month

Wow. Not bad at all considering these are launch prices for one of the most highly-anticipated phones of the year. A free Storm with a two-year contract at $58/month? We’ll take two, thanks. Also of note, customers who snag a Best for Talk or Best for Text plan will enjoy free unlimited internet and email along with a free six-month trial of Vodafone’s Find&Go satellite navigation service.

Read