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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

Dialed In 55: The fall phones come fast and furious

As we inch closer toward the holiday season, a wave of new cell phones is upon us, from messaging phones to touch-screen smartphones. This week, we plow through a pile of latest reviews and highlight recent from both the T-Mobile G1 and Sprint.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

News

Wal-Mart to sell T-Mobile G1 at lower price Sprint releases availability dates for HTC Touch Pro Sanyo Katana Eclipse X to get One Click Virtual keypads set to grace Android phones Sprint CEO says Android not good enough yet Sprint to start prorating early termination fees

Reviews

Samsung Epi Sony Ericsson W980 … Read more

Red BlackBerry Pearl Flip now available at T-Mobile

A short, but sweet, news bulletin for BlackBerry fans: on Wednesday, T-Mobile announced the immediate availability of the red RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone. It joins the black version, which has been on sale since October 13. You can get either colors for $149.99 with a two-year contract. The Pearl Flip is the first BlackBerry to sport a clamshell design. For more information, read our full review of the RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220.

BlackBerry Fund makes first major investments

The BlackBerry Partners Fund announced Wednesday its first three major investments.

The $150 million fund was established in May to bankroll software developers creating new applications for smartphones, including Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices. The fund, which considers investments throughout the world, is co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.

So far the fund has made only small investments. But now it's picked three established start-ups that will get much bigger chunks of investments.

The three companies are: Buzzd, which uses GPS to provide city guide information and social networking; Digby, which builds "mobile storefronts" … Read more

Qik announces streaming video for BlackBerry

California mobile video company Qik on Sunday announced the alpha release of version 1.0 of Qik for BlackBerry. The free, downloadable application (covered here and demoed here) lets cell phone filmmakers stream video live from their mobile phone to Qik.com, social networks like MySpace, Orkut, and Facebook, and to any personal blog.

When you're done filming, Qik also plays a post-production role by auto-publishing the recorded video stream to YouTube or Seismic. You can opt out by turning the feature off before or during the stream.

At the outset, Qik's alpha download will only be available … Read more

Mr. iPhone goes to Washington?

Members of Congress are apparently agitating for iPhones.

TheHill.com is reporting that the U.S. House of Representatives is testing a deployment of iPhones after receiving requests for the devices, according to the Chief Administrative Office.

Congress is a huge BlackBerry shop, but apparently, legislators and staff members are lobbying for the iPhone as another choice in wireless communications.

The catch is, according to TheHill, they'd have to pay for their iPhones out of their Members' Representational Allowance, the fund that each congressperson is given to hire staff members and offset the expenses of running an office. And … Read more

Vann's has the Sony HDR-SR10 (Black) 40GB hard drive Handycam HD digital camcorder for $699.97, after $200 savings, plus free shipping.

Vann's has Sony HDR-SR10 (Black) 40GB hard drive Handycam HD digital camcorder for $699.97, after $200 savings, plus free shipping. >> Regular price is $899.97 >> Sale price is $699.97 >> Savings $200 (22.22%) >> Click here for deal

BlackBerry Bold gets official release date, pricing

This is it! This is the news we've been waiting for since May. On Wednesday, Research In Motion announced that the long-awaited RIM BlackBerry Bold will finally be available starting November 4 at AT&T for $299.99 with a two-year contract and after a mail-in rebate.

Though the smartphone was originally slated for a summer release, as we all painfully know, the Bold was delayed time and time again. Part of it was the lengthy carrier certification process and most recently, RIM said it held off on the release to make sure the 3G experience would be … Read more

Zeemote gaming SDK planned for BlackBerry

Zeemote isn't sharing any details about when its fun, handheld joystick will maneuver cell phone games in North America, but developers can still hatch plans to write Zeemote-controllable games for BlackBerry phones.

On Tuesday, Zeemote announced plans to release the beta version of its software development kit for BlackBerry sometime in early 2009.

We've demoed Zeemote in the past and are starting to wonder what's taking so gosh-darn long to get things rolling. In Europe, Zeemote's Bluetooth joystick (officially called the Zeemote JS1 Controller) has begun to ship with some smartphones--it launched in the Netherlands with … 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