BlackBerry storm

• Starting today and running until Saturday Jan. 3, Best Buy Mobile will be offering the 8GB iPhone 3G for $189.99 and the 16GB version for $289.99. — The Boy Genius Report
• Despite hearing rumblings that BlackBerry Storm is not fairing well with customers, Verizon states that the Storm has been its top-selling handset of the past month. — Gizmodo
• The mobile social network Loopt has gone live on three more carriers today, making it now available on Sprint, Verizon, Metro PCS, T-Mobile, and Boost networks. — TechCrunch
• Consumer Reports has picked the Samsung BlackJack II as its top smartphone pick. — Switched
• Boing Boing makes some excellent product suggestions for a helpful tech-buying cheat sheet this holiday season. — Boing Boing
• We're not only giving away one Palm Centro this holiday season — but seven — thanks to our friends over at Palm! Be sure to log in for your chances to win! — geeksugar

• Although the lines are long at Verizon Wireless stores, as people wait to get their hands on the BlackBerry Storm, supply is said to be limited. — RIMarkable
• The iPhone 2.2 software update is now available for download and includes Google Street View and Podcast downloads from iTunes. — Switched
• With a new site called TweetStalk, you can now follow Twitter users without them knowing. Love this! — TechCrunch
• Verizon employees got a peek at President-elect Barack Obama's cell phone records, although no emails or voicemails were accessed. — USA Today
• Times Square is now showing off a 17,000 Square Foot LED Billboard that features 12 million individual LED lights. — Gizmodo

After hearing some ho-hum reviews about the BlackBerry Storm, I was beginning to think that it wasn't going to give the iPhone a run for its money as predicted. But now that I've watched the Storm in action, there's a feature that I'm already in love with, and I think you physical keyboard fans will love it too.

Unlike the iPhone, which is strictly a glass touch screen, the BlackBerry Storm touch buttons actually depress when you touch them, since the entire backside of the screen is backed by springs. You will feel the screen being pressed and will hear a quiet click, just as you would with a keyboard on a Curve or Bold!

The Storm hits Verizon Wireless stores today and costs $199 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

• The next time someone asks you a question that is "Googleable" a new funny site called Let Me Google That For You lets you do a Google Search and then copy the search link so you can send it to that friend. When the person clicks on the link, it will direct them to the actual search results page. Funny and harmless. — Lifehacker
• Snoop Dogg recently appeared on The Martha Stewart Show (yes, random), and he told Martha about his texting habits and his love for his BlackBerry. — Switched
• The reviews for the BlackBerry Storm are in, and so far it's not living up to all of the hype. — Gizmodo
• Designer Mac Funamizu has created two glass phone concepts that offer multiple uses, but are certainly fingerprint prone. — Yanko Design
• Last Day! It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in for your chances to win a Nintendo DS Lite and fitness games! — geeksugar

Wondering what all the hype surrounding the BlackBerry Storm is about? Well, the touchscreen smartphone, which will be making its debut this Friday, is already getting rave reviews; some are even saying it's better than the iPhone. Some reasons include its video recording, its copy and paste feature (amen!), and removable battery. Why else? You can see for yourself in this short video review.

• Sadly, I didn't get one of these exclusive invites. But from Nov. 17- 21, Verizon Wireless is hosting a Private Sale for "valued customers." Invitees will most likely believe the sale has something to do with the BlackBerry Storm, but the BS doesn't arrive in stores until Nov. 21. — The Boy Genius Report
• For $5, you can download an iPhone app called Gas Cubby that will help you track your car maintenance. — Gizmodo
• A new website called No Smoking Room is intended to help empower young girls to say no to smoking, as well as encourage those who are smoking to quit. — Gizmodiva
• The 24-inch LED Cinema Display's that Apple announced in October are now available for order. — MacRumors
• It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in for your chances to win a Nintendo DS Lite and fitness games! — geeksugar

• The official date has arrived! On Nov. 21, you'll be able to pick up the BlackBerry Storm from Verizon for $199 on a two-year contract (and after a $50 mail-in rebate). — Engadget
• Set to debut next month is Belkin's Swith-to-Mac Cable ($50), which will make file copying from computer to computer a breeze. — Unplggd
• Sony is currently working on new image sensor that could offer a 12-megapixel resolution on cameraphones! — Wired
• The Predict and Prevent team at Google noticed that data from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a direct correlation between searches for flu-related terms and symptoms. — Switched
• It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in for your chances to win a Nintendo DS Lite and fitness games! — geeksugar

RIM's first BlackBerry Storm commercial debuted about a month ago, and now the networks that will be carrying this powerful smartphone — Verizon in the US and Vodafone in the UK — have released their hot new Storm commercials. Although the US version hasn't made its full-fledged debut (hence, the low-vid quality), you can still get a feel for what BlackBerry's first touchscreen phone will be all about. And if you didn't hear, it's supposed to hit store shelves by the end of this month!

Try this one on for size. So now that RIM's BlackBerry Bold has made its big bold debut, everyone is anxiously awaiting a release date for their next smartphone — the BlackBerry Storm.

Turns out, the Storm will not arrive by its expected Nov. 14 launch date, and has been delayed due to a software glitch; you can expect it by the end of the month. And the rumored $499 price tag? Scratch that one out the door too. Tipsters are claiming that RIM is feeling the need to compete with the iPhone on this one, therefore dropping the price to $199 with a two-year contract.

And not only that, but it's my feeling that with this new price, the Storm will not only give the iPhone a run for its money, but T-Mobile's G1 as well, since the G1 currently costs $180.