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We're not really sure why Verizon Wireless has been so slow to release firmware updates for the buggy RIM BlackBerry Storm, but it looks like help might finally be on the way.

According to PC World, Verizon is set to release an over-the-air firmware update to BlackBerry Storm users over the next couple of weeks. Version 4.7.0.113 fixes a number of issues and adds some new features. In all, there are over 30 bug fixes and about a dozen improvements. We won't list them all here (check out Wireless and Mobile News for a comprehensive … Read more

I told my Twitter followers Monday that I've decided to swap my iPhone 3G for a BlackBerry Bold. Though I believe the iPhone 3G is a nice device that has gotten better with age, it's time for a change.

Some of my followers disagreed. In a matter of seconds after telling them that I was switching to a Bold, I was inundated with comments discrediting the BlackBerry. Some folks mentioned the issues they have with it, while others decided to be more biting.

One commenter, "aphony," replied that it was "awful" that I was switching to the BlackBerry Bold. He said that he gets "nauseous when someone claims they don't like the iPhone."

"MarkCharge" said that I was "an idiot" for switching to the Bold. "Rahulunbhatia" told me that he "has used both" and "the iPhone is much better." "JKing29" said that I'm "crazy" for "going from a good phone to a bad phone."

Though there were a few folks who said that I'd be happier with the Bold, the overwhelmingly negative responses got me thinking: what's up with all the BlackBerry hating?

I've had an iPhone 3G since its release and I've tested the BlackBerry Bold. I like them both. Am I alone?… Read more

Sprint, you're a sneaky one. Without much fanfare or, frankly, even a peep, the carrier released a cameraless version of its RIM BlackBerry Curve 8350i.

The smartphone is available now for $149.99 with a two-year contract and comes without the 2-megapixel camera for those customers whose workplaces ban the use of camera phones. The rest of the device's feature set is the same as its camera-loving counterpart, so you'll still get support for Nextel's Direct Connect push-to-talk services, Wi-Fi, and GPS.

(Via: Boy Genius Report)

Update at 2:09 p.m. PDT, with additional information from earnings report.

Research In Motion on Thursday posted a stronger-than-expected fiscal fourth quarter, with revenue climbing 84 percent over the same period a year ago.

RIM, the maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphones, reported revenue of $3.46 billion, up from $1.88 billion a year ago. Wall Street had expected the company to report $3.4 billion in revenue, according to Thomson Financial.

Net income jumped nearly 26 percent to $518.3 million, or 90 cents a share, for the fiscal fourth quarter, compared with $412.5 million, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Full-length TV shows are coming to BlackBerry devices as QuickPlay Media has announced it will offer a new TV download service for the smartphones via the just new Research In Motion applications store.

QuickPlay is one of the first companies to offer an application through RIM's BlackBerry App World virtual store. RIM announced the new applications store Wednesday morning. And co-CEO Mike Lazaridis is expected to show off the new storefront during his keynote speech Wednesday here at the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show.

The QuickPlay video service called Primetime2Go will cost $7.99 a month. It will … Read more

We've barely unpacked our bags from GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, and we're on the road again to Las Vegas for CTIA Wireless, the U.S. trade show and conference held every spring where the biggest and most influential players in the U.S. mobile market gather.

While there will be some cell phones announced at this year's show, most of the excitement will center on software applications and the virtual storefronts that are popping up to distribute these new applications. Since the success of Apple's App Store, which provides easy access to third-party applications for iPhones, other companies have jumped on the bandwagon announcing their own application stores.

Everyone from Google to Microsoft to Nokia to Research In Motion has announced plans for a new application store. And at this year's CTIA, some of these new app stores will come to life. RIM is expected to announce that its BlackBerry AppWorld is open for business, and Microsoft will start showing off its Marketplace for the first time.

But application markets aren't the only thing that will be talked about. Carriers like Verizon and Clearwire will also be touting faster broadband wireless networks that will help make these applications a reality. And of course handset makers will be showing off new products, some of which have already been announced, such as the Palm Pre.

But this year's spring CTIA Wireless show will likely be smaller than in years past. The economic downturn has taken its toll on the mobile market. Even Nokia, the world's largest and strongest maker of cell phones, has slashed expectations for 2009. And the company has already begun laying off employees and closing facilities to cut costs.… Read more

Research In Motion, maker of the popular BlackBerry smartphones, reportedly is preparing to announce a new video download service for its BlackBerry phones at the CTIA trade show next week in Las Vegas.

The blog NewTeeVee, which reported the news earlier this week, said that the service will be offered as an unlimited monthly subscription service. And it adds that RIM has already signed several broadcast and cable partners to offer up content. But instead of streaming the video over the 3G wireless network, RIM is planning a service that will allow the videos to be downloaded using Wi-Fi connections, … Read more

Research In Motion's new mobile application store is set to launch on April 1 at the CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas, BusinessWeek reported this week.

Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO of RIM, which makes the popular BlackBerry devices, is slated to give a keynote address on the opening day of the trade show and conference. And the company is expected to announce the new application store there.

The BlackBerry application store, which will be called BlackBerry App World, was announced in October 2008. And it is one of several application stores that have been announced to take on Apple's App Store for the iPhone. … Read more

Speaking before an audience in Tokyo Tuesday, Chief Executive Michael Dell dropped a few hints that his company might be looking to release a smartphone.

"For the last three years, we have integrated 3G radios into our notebooks," said Dell. "We already have agreements with many mobile carriers around Netbook devices, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect that we would have smaller mobile Internet devices or smartphones in the future."

I don't think Dell can simply start selling small computers, call them smartphones, and expect to be successful. As a company that missed quite a few trends in the market and one of the last to stop selling Pocket PCs, Dell has to carefully prepare for some of the issues that await it if it does release a smartphone.… Read more