Blackberry Storm
#1
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Blackberry Storm
There is an interesting article on the Blackberry Storm in today's WSJ:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...%7D&siteid=rss
What I can't figure out from the article is whether the phone is CDMA 800/1900 plus GSM 900/1800 or whether the Euro version is GSM and the USA version is CDMA.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...%7D&siteid=rss
What I can't figure out from the article is whether the phone is CDMA 800/1900 plus GSM 900/1800 or whether the Euro version is GSM and the USA version is CDMA.
#3
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Phonescoop's review seems to imply it's got everything:
It's when going abroad that the Storm breaks new ground, though. The Storm supports all major overseas GSM and 3G networks. It's quad-band GSM, which gives you full GSM roaming even in Latin America. It also has HSDPA 2100, so you get full 3G data speeds in Europe and Asia. Verizon has roaming agreements already in place that support those 3G networks, and Verizon does not charge extra for 3G roaming; it's the same rate as GSM/EDGE data. The Storm 9530 even works in Japan and South Korea. A SIM card comes with the Storm, so it's ready for all this global action right out of the box.
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=225
It's when going abroad that the Storm breaks new ground, though. The Storm supports all major overseas GSM and 3G networks. It's quad-band GSM, which gives you full GSM roaming even in Latin America. It also has HSDPA 2100, so you get full 3G data speeds in Europe and Asia. Verizon has roaming agreements already in place that support those 3G networks, and Verizon does not charge extra for 3G roaming; it's the same rate as GSM/EDGE data. The Storm 9530 even works in Japan and South Korea. A SIM card comes with the Storm, so it's ready for all this global action right out of the box.
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And it's quad-band GSM. You could actually roam on Cingular and T-Mobile with EDGE speed in the US.
The serious question remains: Will Verizon have a SIM-unlocked version, and if not will it be a difficult phone to unlock?
Or...can I get a SIM-unlocked Vodafone branded one, bring it back and add it to my Verizon account? Verizon lets you bring your own compatible CDMA phones to activate now.
The serious question remains: Will Verizon have a SIM-unlocked version, and if not will it be a difficult phone to unlock?
Or...can I get a SIM-unlocked Vodafone branded one, bring it back and add it to my Verizon account? Verizon lets you bring your own compatible CDMA phones to activate now.
Last edited by ArizonaGuy; Oct 8, 2008 at 4:39 pm
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#8

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#10
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Verizon claim to be changing their policy about activating third party devices. I'd note that Verizon just changed its policy to let you sign up for month to month service as long as you don't want a phone subsidy.
#11
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For now. They've made claims about becoming shockingly more open than they've ever been known for. Something along the lines of bringing any device and any app as long as they've tested and approved it on the network, among other things.
They're clearly making progress, in baby steps at least. Allowing you to activate a Verizon device - whether you're buying it there subsidy free or got it from Craiglist - and are allowing contract-free post-paid sign-ups.
So we'll have to see what other changes may or may not be brewing with the release of the 9350.
They're clearly making progress, in baby steps at least. Allowing you to activate a Verizon device - whether you're buying it there subsidy free or got it from Craiglist - and are allowing contract-free post-paid sign-ups.
So we'll have to see what other changes may or may not be brewing with the release of the 9350.
#13
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Isn't there only one BB model in existence with both GPS and WiFi? All others, based on model number, have one or the other but not both. Really annoying.
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