storm

Buzz Out Loud 852: Tempest in a Twitter teapot

Turns out a lot of people are all too happy to hand over their password to some unknown Web site just to find out if they're popular. Oh, people. When will you learn? Also, Microsoft Live gets a purpose, Valleywag loses its teeth, the BlackBerry Storm gets a release date, and we're all going to become (a) elves in the Wrath of the Lich King or (b) total buffsters on the new EA Sports Active Wii game. Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 852

BlackBerry Storm gets release date http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/11/13/verizon-announces-blackberry-storm-release-date-november-21st-199/… Read more

BlackBerry Storm gets official pricing and release date

Holy. Crap. On Wednesday, Verizon Wireless finally released the information we've all been waiting for, the release date and pricing of the RIM BlackBerry Storm, and frankly, I'm shocked. Shocked in a good way, but still, I'm picking my jaw off the floor.

The highly anticipated Storm will be available in Verizon stores and online on November 21 and here's the part that got me: it will go for $199.99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. I know there were rumors about the $200 price point, but I really thought the … Read more

Featured Freeware: SuperStorm

Despite a cluttered interface, SuperStorm proved simple to use, letting you quickly and securely store data files in a password-protected form embedded within media files.

It may look confusing to some at first. Its interface is cluttered with buttons, a number of fields, and some amateurish graphics. The appearance is a bit deceptive, because what looks somewhat childishly designed actually works pretty well and is easy to use. Selecting a data file and a media file in which to embed it was a simple matter of dragging an item into the built-in file browser to the selected graphic. Clicking Execute … Read more

BlackBerry tattoo wins man a real Storm

BlackBerry enthusiast site CrackBerry organized a contest titled "What would you do for a BlackBerry Storm?" urging readers to do something extreme to win one of the 10 touch-screen e-mail handsets it's giving out for free.

The first winner, T.J., has been picked, and boy, was it over the top--he tattooed a full-size Storm along with the CrackBerry logo on his calf along with the words "iPhone Sucks" below that. What made it even more cringe-inducing was that the tattoo artist was a major iPhone fanboy--it's a good thing he was professional and … Read more

The 404 224: Where we don't have time for Wilson's asinine stories

We start today's show a little late today, mostly because Wilson chooses the worst time to launch into a personal anecdote. We love you, Tilson Wang. Anyway, we'd like to congratulate Christina and Rolf for winning our LittleBigPlanet/Motorstorm box art contest! They don't have Photoshop so they got creative with Paint and made an awesome collage of 404 inside jokes! See if you can spot them all in the picture. Thanks again, guys! E-mail your address to the404{at}cnet{dot}com and let us know which game you want! Later on in the show, we get into a discussion about our country's depreciating credit, the best way to finance a new laptop, Circuit sh*tty closing its doors, our president-elect's views on the importance of parenting gamers, and talk a ton of trash on Heroes and Mr. Freeze from Batman and Robin. ICE TO MEET YOU.

Episode 224 Download today's podcast … Read more

Waiting for the BlackBerry Storm: Ask the Editors

Ever since the RIM BlackBerry Storm was introduced in early October, I've received a ton of questions about the smartphone. A majority of the queries have been about availability and pricing, but there have been some more specific questions about features, competitor comparisons, and whether it will come to other carriers.

Given all the interest in the BlackBerry Storm, I decided to round up some of the most frequently asked questions about the first touch-screen BlackBerry and share them with you in this Ask the Editors post. I've tried to answer them to the best of my ability, but please realize there are just some things I can't completely answer, whether it's because the companies aren't talking (trust me, I'm trying) or because I haven't had any real hands-on time with the device. Still, I wanted to get as much information as I could out there.

Also, if you have any questions that weren't answered here, post them in the comment section below and I'll try to get them all.

Q: When will the BlackBerry Storm be available and for how much?

A: Ahh, the million dollar question. I talked to Research In Motion on Monday to try to get more information, and not surprisingly, I got a canned response: "The BlackBerry Storm will be available from Verizon Wireless this fall. Pricing in the U.S. will be determined by Verizon Wireless and they haven't announced the price."

To be fair, these details will largely be determined by Verizon, so I can't really fault RIM. I did also reach out to Verizon Monday and have yet to hear back (I'll update as soon I do), but I suspect I'll get a similarly vague response. … Read more

BlackBerry Storm gets hip LA launch party

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--The BlackBerry Storm got its chance to be a child star Wednesday as Research In Motion threw it a coming-out party at the legendary Avalon Hollywood club.

There was the full runway action, as paparazzi photographed celebrities going down the red carpet on their way into the club. As I arrived, a couple of cast members from the new 90210 show were making their way down the carpet. (Perhaps my favorite line of the evening was one of the show's cast members saying she hadn't actually seen the original show, but had "seen pictures" of the show's stars).

I hung out near the red carpet as long as I could, but was urged to move it along so John Mayer could get his turn in front of the cameras. (Mayer and Apple fans alike will note he has made more than his share of appearances onstage with Steve Jobs but now stumps for RIM).

Since I know, I'd get comments along the lines of "Pix or it didn't happen," I've included a number of shots I took with my own BlackBerry (a Curve, alas). The pictures that were taken with the Storm's 3.2 megapixel camera look a lot better than the ones I took with my Curve, but well, there you have it.

In the VIP section, while the celebrities largely drank and took in the Foo Fighters, there were a few geeks that also managed to score a coveted white wrist band (often friends of friends of friends of the VIPs). They could easily be spotted tapping away on one of the many demo Storm devices at the event. … Read more

The making of a BlackBerry Storm app

When most people focus on the BlackBerry Storm, the first touch-screen phone in RIM's history, they anticipate the sensitivity of the accelerometer, the agility of the application store, and the feel of the domed screen that depresses like a giant button when you push on it.

Here at the first-ever BlackBerry Developer Conference in Santa Clara, Calif., however, the focus goes much deeper. Instead of fussing over speed, sleekness, and slimness, the conversation here employs terms like finger one and finger two, ups and downs, listeners, and callbacks; all ingredients application developers must layer into their code to make … Read more

The 10 most cutting-edge products of 2008

This year still has several weeks left on the calendar, but it's not too early to look back at the past 10 months and evaluate how we've progressed on the consumer tech front. Rather than look at the best products of the year, however, I decided to focus on the ones that were the most cutting-edge. As such, I've looked back at everything we've covered this year, and I've done my best to winnow down the list and come up with 10 products I think are at the cusp of... something. They may not be fully baked, and they may be overpriced, but they're at the forefront of their respective categories. Of course, I've surely missed some worthy products, so feel free to agree or disagree and add your own selections in the comments section below. … Read more