Verizon’s official launch date is tomorrow (November 21st) for the BlackBerry Storm. A ton of unboxing and actual reviews have surfaced.

We will start off with Boy Genius who has both a Vodafone and Verizon BlackBerry Storm in hand. Here is a sniplit from his conclusion “…At the end of the day, if you’ve been eyeing the Storm, we suggest you either go play with a demo unit at a store, or go ahead and buy one. That way you’ll be able to decide for yourself if you really love the thing, or maybe just don’t care for it. This isn’t a cookie-cutter device, and it’s not for everyone. That said, we’re sure these things are going to fly off the shelves at Verizon stores on Friday, we just have a feeling there will also be a lot of returns.” Read the rest of his review here.

Kevin from CrackBerry also got his hands on a Verizon BlackBerry Storm to unbox. He actually flew down to New York to pick this bad boy up (a true addict!). Here is his unboxing video:

Another great review review (over 20 minutes in length) by the folks at MobilityToday.com:

One thing the BBSync team noticed and was kind of disappointed by is the lack of premium headphones in box. I personally was hoping to see headphones similar to the ones found with the BlackBerry Bold. Of course you will be able to purchase them afterwards.

Other reviews: PhoneScoop, Engadget and Gizmodo.

If your a BlackBerry Bold user, I’m sure you want to best protection for your baby. Our friends at OtterBox have released the OtterBox Defender case for the BlackBerry Bold. The case is made up of three layers of solid protection. The first layer is a thin thermal-formed plastic wrap which protects your screen and keyboard from dust, dirt and mist. The second layer is a Polycarbonate shell which gives the case its durable body to protect against drops and bumps. The last layer is a Silicone skin which will cover the OtterBox case to provide a stylish silk design.

The overall construction of the Defender case is amazing. Its very well built and includes a durable plastic holster, which reminds me of the old school BlackBerry 7200/8700 series. Anyone who is upgrading from one of those older models will surely appreciate it. The Defender case itself can take a great amount of bumps and drops. Previously I took my BlackBerry Pearl in one of the OtterBox Defender cases and threw it against my concrete deck without any issues my phone still works and looks perfect. All OtterBox cases come with a life time warranty so if for some reason something breaks on the case they simply replace it for you.

Here is a bit more in detail of the Defender case layers:

• Layer 1: Thermal formed protective clear membrane to safeguard screen and keyboard against scratching as well as dust and dirt* (layer optional depending on the level of ruggedization desired).
• Layer 2: Hi-impact polycarbonate shell.
• Layer 3: Silicone skin absorbs bump and shock (silicone includes innovative retaining features to hold it in place).

Recently OtterBox also introduced their new Impact Case for the BlackBerry Bold. These cases are similar to the RIM rubber skins, however just a little more protective. Those cases are available to order from OtterBox.com for only $19.95 USD.

Overall I’m usually pretty impressed with OtterBox’s products. They never seem to fail for those who are looking for maximum protection. The Bold Defender series case is a great fit and keeps the phone well protected. I recommend picking one up if your looking for that something extra. Although the price tag is a little higher than most cases the life time warranty and great quality more than make up for it.

This OtterBox Defender case is available in all black or yellow and black combination. You can pick up one of these bad boys up at The BlackBerry Sync Store for $49.95 USD and get $5.95 shipping to anywhere in the USA!

You can find more details at OtterBox.com on all of their products.

Rating:

FlipSide is an MP3 player program by Electric Pocket. It’s available for most Blackberry and Windows Mobile smartphones. I got a chance to test out the BlackBerry version on my BlackBerry Curve and Pearl.

Install was quick and easy. You put in your activation key and you’re off to the races! It automatically scans your Blackberry’s memory card to find all your songs. Unfortunately, when it does the scan it slows down your device quite a bit. But once it knows what you’ve got, you can fly through your music like nothing!

Music is sorted alphabetically by Artist and Album. For example, it will show music like this

• Aerosmith – Big Ones
• Aerosmith – Permanent Vacation
• Bon Jovi – Cross Road
• Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet

Once you click on an album name, the songs are displayed either by track number if the ID3 tags are entered, or alphabetically if they are not.

Something I think is great is the album art feature. If you have the album art picture already in the folder on your memory card, it will display it. However if you don’t, not to worry! FlipSide has the ability to download the album art for you! All you have to do is press the menu button and choose “Find Album Art”. Of course, your MP3 file has to be properly tagged with the song information so it has something to go by. Often times, it doesn’t get the proper picture. I guess it’s just a matter of making sure their database is up to date and accurate. I’m sure it will be fixed in time.

Sound quality is great. The songs are nice and clear and it can go pretty loud. It would be nice if you could adjust the EQ in the options, but for the music I listen to it doesn’t make too much difference. Another thing, is you have to be in the player window if you want to adjust the volume. So if you need to quickly turn down your music if you’re playing Brickbreaker, you have to switch application to FlipSide to do so. The built in player is able to turn down your music and switch songs from any screen. I’m sure that these 2 issues will be addressed in future releases.

I like the way it looks and operates. It’s a uniquely designed piece of software and it’s very appealing to the average user. I’ve seen some MP3 players that require a university degree to operate or load up with music. But FlipSide is seamless and very user-friendly.

Overall, I am pleased with this player. If you’re one of those Blackberry Addicts who loves to have their music on them at all times and doesn’t want to carry a bunch of gadgets, then FlipSide will definitely help make your Blackberry a “jack of all trades” that much more.

What Works

• Simple, easy to use interface with quick navigation
• Easy to get missing album art to jazz up your device’s music collection
• Quickly create playlists of your favourite songs

What Doesn’t Work

• Unable to control volume from another screen, must be in player
• Causes device to lag badly when new media has been added and you try to use player
• Not much customization in options (ie: Equalizer, skins, etc)

My rating – 9/10

If you’d like to give FlipSide a try, you can download a free trial version in the BlackBerry Sync Store. If you love it and want to make it your own, it’s only $19.99 and can be purchased at the BlackBerry Sync Store as well.

Also, if you’ve used this player and would like to share your experiences or need some help with anything, check out our forums and tell us your stories.

Three major sites were able to take the BlackBerry Storm for a test drive before the official launch. Engadget, Gizmodo and PhoneScoop all tested it out and snapped lots of pictures and wrote extensive reviews. Here is some of what they had to say about this new sexy device… 

Engadget: There’s an internal accelerometer, and the screen (speedily) rotates accordingly, even allowing full rotation for left-handed use. There’s a micro-USB plug on one side, and a 3.5mm jack on the top right side of the handset. Unfortunately, that sideways jack pretty much means you’ll need to go A2DP or rock the phone holster-style to listen to music on the go, it’s going to be quite uncomfortable in your pocket with a headphone plug sticking out the side. There’s a very, very loud built-in speaker for pushing out your tunes old school, and an included dock for enjoying movies in such a fashion — when docked the phone also doubles as an alarm clock, and is plenty loud enough to pull it off.

Gizmodo: No matter how many times your fingers dance on the screen like you’ve been trained on every other touchscreen, nothing will happen. At least, not until you push the screen all the way down and you feel a click. Yes, the screen is a giant button, one you have to punch for basically every action, even every letter you type, completely breaking the touchscreen paradigm. Surprisingly, it works.

PhoneScoop: …The physical click feedback works great, and there’s also visual feedback in the form of a large blue glow to show you which key you pressed. In case you do hit the wrong key, there’s also automatic word correction, which works just as flawlessly as on the iPhone. (Editors note: If you look at Richard from PhoneScoop’s review you will notice he must have a Rogers SIM in the Storm because its showing Rogers Mail, Do More apps…)

Check out the themes we test “Lucid” and “Blingin”

Lucid by Elecite - $6.99 USD (Product Site)

When I first visited Elecite this was the first theme to catch my attention. Sometime about the neon colors really made me want it. After installing the theme on my Curve I was wondering if the theme was going to be too dark, however after using it for a day it really caught on.

Lucid is available for any BlackBerry smartphone running OS 4.5. If you don’t have OS 4.5 you can find details here.

Blingin by Elecite - $6.99 USD (Product Site)

As soon as I opened the page for this theme I thought of a golden motorbike. This theme features a carbon fiber like background with a golden wing like design at the top. Again Elecite’s graphic design is second to none. You will notice the detail once you install this theme on your device, as the screenshots don’t do the justice.

Just like Lucid and all of their themes, Blingin is available for any BlackBerry smartphone running OS 4.5. If you don’t have 4.5 and would like details here.

Our Overall Conclusion & Rating: eVeek has been providing many great themes for a year now. With the launch of their new Elecite brand the quality just doesn’t stop. It surpasses. I highly recommend you check out these themes over at Elecite.com and see what I’m talking about.

Rating:

The folks from OtterBox messaged me the other day and reminded me that I haven't posted a review yet for my BlackBerry Pearl 2 OtterBox case. This time instead of writing the review after a few days I decided to put the case threw a test for a month or so. Check out how the case performed…

If you remember we gave a few of these cases away and every single person we gave them to had positive things to say about them! Over the past three weeks I've been using the OtterBox case on my Pearl and I must say after a night on the town the case sure took a beating. The OtterBox cases are designed with three layers of protection:

• Layer 1: Thermal formed protective clear membrane to safeguard screen and keyboard against scratching as well as dust and dirt* (layer optional depending on the level of ruggedization desired).
• Layer 2: Hi-impact polycarbonate shell.
• Layer 3: Silicone skin absorbs bump and shock (silicone includes innovative retaining features to hold it in place).

Now because the case does make your BlackBerry a little bigger it does come with its own durable Plastic Holster with the magnet for standby mode and locking (just like the OEM ones). Check out our pictures of the OtterBox case a few drops and bumps.

 

You can purchase the OtterBox Defender Case for the BlackBerry Pearl 8110, 8120 and 8130 for only $49.95 USD. The case is available in either all Black or Black/Yellow combo. You can purchase the case at OtterBox. Also while shopping over at OtterBox don't forget to check out their Avon Breast Cancer Crusade cases designed for the Apple iPod Nano and iPhone.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Where did the OtterBox loose points? Although the OtterBox is designed to bring lots of protection we do find the case a little too bulky for everyday use. The price is around $50 dollars which some people may find high, however you will understand why once you see the case. Rating:

Vlingo has introduced a voice navigation software for your BlackBerry, which allows you to press a side convenience key and speak a command such as send a text or email without typing a single letter. The best part is the software is completely free! You can download it on your BlackBerry by pointing your browser to m.vlingo.com or visit their website on your PC.

“Just a few months ago, vlingo was selected to voice-enable Yahoo! oneSearchTM, which
showed the world just how quick and easy mobile Web search can be with the power of
voice,” said Dave Grannan, CEO of vlingo. “Vlingo takes this technology beyond Web search
into everyday applications that are now instantly more usable and easier to find because
you only need to think about one button and a few spoken words. Vlingo believes that we
can immediately improve the way every person interacts with their wireless device and the
BlackBerry platform is the perfect place to start our aggressive expansion strategy here in
the U.S. and abroad.”

VVlingo is easy to use. BlackBerry smartphone users can simply press the side “convenience”
key on their handset, which lets them speak commands into the phone. Available beginning
today, vlingo gives BlackBerry smartphone users voice control over the most commonly
used applications, including:
• Voice Dial. Initiate calls to anyone in your address book.
• Text Message. Send text messages without typing.
• Email. Simply speak “Email John Smith” to start an email on-the-go, and you can
speak the body of the message as well.
• Applications. Open calendar, maps, etc.
• Address Book. Search for contacts without typing.
• Web Search. Look up anything online in one step. Just say, “Web search: concert
tickets in Boston,” and the results are displayed.
• Note2Self. Send yourself a reminder in the form of an email, task or text message.

Motorola has always been a favorite for me in the Bluetooth selection. I've been testing the mid-range Motorola H680 Bluetooth headset for just over a month now. This headset features a tiny little body with a unique magnetic charging dock. Click on over to see what I think of this headset.

Motorola says the H680 is about half the length of a tube of lipstick and is a stylish, petite and lightweight headset. How does it pair up to other headsets?

SIZE: Starting off myself I find the smaller the headset the better. I'm not a big fan of bigger headsets such as the Jawbone.

BUTTONS: The H680 only has three buttons (answer, volume up/down) and a on/off switch. All the buttons are a good size and you don't get confused by too many buttons.

SOUND: Even though the H680 doesn't feature "enhanced noise cancellation" it sounds pretty good. Most people couldn't tell I was on a headset when I was in my car.

FIT: This headset has a plastic band that wraps behind your ear and remains secure. I don't notice any issues with the headset falling off, which is good.

CHARGER: The H680 doesn't have a charger port build into the earpeice itself instead the kit includes a magnetic charging dock with a micro USB wall charger.

PAIRING: Pairing this headset was simple if you follow the directions. You simply hold the answer key and turn the headset on.

PRICING: This headset is a great value costing around $79.99 CAD/USD.

OTHER DETAILS:

Dimensions: 41 mm x18 mm x 12 mm
Weight: 12 grams
Battery Talk Time: up to 8 hours (approx.)
Standby Time: Over 8 days (approx.)

OVERALL: I'm pleased with this little headset. It's a great size and sounds fine for my use. If I was in more of a noisy area it might not be perfect but it certainly gets by in my books. The price is possibly the best part of this headset. I would recommend this headset to anyone looking for a great basic headset.

RATING: Rating:

Motorola H680 Website

Here’s a very neat software called BlackBerry Tracker. It allows you to track your friends, co-workers or employees who use a BlackBerry. Basically you install the application on the BlackBerry and sign in. Then go on to the website and it pin points the location on a map (powered by Google Maps). Continue reading to see our quick review of this service.
How else can this program be used? Well if you lost your BlackBerry you can track it as long as your device is active. You could also track down a friend or family member or you could always know where your employees are and when they sneak off to lunch.

BlackBerry Tracker also features a unique service called “GeoFence” which alerts you when someone enters or leaves a certain defined parimater. For example if I wanted to know every time you went to the coffee shop I could set it up to GPS a certain location and it will send me a email telling me you have entered or left that area.

Overall I think its a very neat idea and you really need to check it out for yourself. So far the program is free! Head over to BlackBerryTracker.com and register. Don’t forget to download the software to your device as well.

Pros:

• Great for employers looking to track employees
• Geofence is very neat
• Uses Google Maps
• So far it’s free!

Cons:

• Kinda creepy
• Can be turned off easily (also a pro!)
• Can’t be hidden

bbSync rating : Rating: