It’s been trickling into Verizon stores for a few weeks now, and it’s finally available! Verizon has officially launched the BlackBerry Curve 8530, in two color options – Black or Violet. Starting today you should be able to grab the Curve 8530 for $99.99 with two year term, after rebates. See verizonwireless.com for more details…

AT&T took some time this morning to announce the BlackBerry Curve 8520 is coming soon. The Curve 8520 is the entry level BlackBerry, featuring optical trackpad, Wi-Fi, GPS, along with dedicated music keys, and a 2.0 megapixel camera, without flash. The Curve 8520 is expected to launch in the “coming weeks” for $99.99 with two year term. Keep an eye on AT&T’s website for availability. Skip on over for the full press release from AT&T…

Press Release:

New BlackBerry Curve 8520 Joins AT&T Smartphone Lineup

AT&T’s Great-Value Smartphone Features Global Access, Slick Design, Robust Capability, Trackpad, Media Keys for Easy Access to Music and Entertainment, Preloaded Facebook and Myspace

Dallas, Texas, November 16, 2009

AT&T*, the choice for twice as many smartphone customers than any other carrier and the first U.S. carrier to offer BlackBerry^® service, announced today it will introduce the best value in its BlackBerry smartphone portfolio with the addition of the BlackBerry^®Curve™ 8520 from Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX:RIM).The BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a stylish, easy-to-use, compact smartphone offering the best value for consumer and business customers looking for BlackBerry service. The smartphone features a full QWERTY keyboard and touch-sensitive trackpad for easy typing and navigation, built-in Wi-Fi^® and an advanced media player, plus dedicated media keys, smoothly integrated along the top of the handset, for a convenient way to control music and videos. The handset also provides global connectivity via phone, email, text, IM, picture messaging and social networking, with Facebook^®and My Space applications preloaded.

The sleek, new device houses a high-resolution 320×240 display a 512 MHz processor, 256 MB of Flash memory, and a 2 megapixel camera equipped with video recording.

“AT&T was the first choice for BlackBerry in the U.S. and we continue to expand our offering of BlackBerry products to suit the different needs of business and personal users,” said Michael Woodward, vice president, Mobile Phone Portfolio, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “The BlackBerry Curve 8520 offers the best value by combining the essential features of a BlackBerry smartphone with access to AT&T’s network, which includes best coverage worldwide, as well as the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network.”

AT&T users of the new BlackBerry Curve 8520 can enjoy access to the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots — including approximately 7,000 Starbucks locations. As with all other Wi-Fi enabled BlackBerry smartphones from AT&T, BlackBerry Curve 8520 users with a qualifying data plan, which includes all consumer BlackBerry unlimited data plans, get seamless and unlimited access to these domestic hotspots at no additional cost. When traveling outside the U.S., BlackBerry Curve 8520 users can enjoy the best coverage worldwide with wireless voice coverage in more than 215 countries and wireless data coverage in more than 185 countries.

Mobile users will enjoy great battery life, simultaneous voice and data capabilities when using Wi-Fi, and the ability to access up to 10 corporate and personal email accounts whether they are corporate or personal accounts. The BlackBerry Curve 8520 also affords users the ability to edit Microsoft^® Word, Excel^® and PowerPoint^® files with DataViz^®Documents to Go^®suite.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 8520 is a great choice for first-time smartphone users and offers easy-to-use messaging, social networking and multimedia features with a full-QWERTY keyboard that makes typing fast and comfortable,” said Carlo Chiarello, vice president, product management, Research In Motion.

The BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone will be available in the coming weeks for $99.99 after mail-in rebate. (Pay $199.99 and receive $100 AT&T Promotion Card. 2-year agreement on a min. $69.99 plan required.) AT&T smartphones require the purchase of a monthly data plan. Other monthly charges apply. See below.^†

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com.

† AT&T Wireless imposes: a Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge of up to $1.25 to help defray costs incurred in complying with obligations and charges imposed by State and Federal telecom regulations; State and Federal Universal Service charges; and surcharges for government assessments on AT&T. These fees are not taxes or government-required charges.

¹ Smartphone customer satisfaction claim based on independent survey data from Nielsen² Coverage not available in all areas. Other terms and conditions apply.³ Video recording requires microSD memory card, sold separately.⁴ International roaming: Special credit & tenure restrictions & add’l charges may apply. Calling to & from certain countries may be blocked & change without notice. See wireless.att.com/learn/international/ for updated countries, rates, charges & full terms & conditions. International Dialing: Airtime or roaming charges are in addition to long distance charges. International Roaming: Requires compatible device. Avail, quality of coverage & svcs while roaming are not guaranteed.⁵ Nation’s largest Wi-fi network based on non-municipal company and owned and operated hotspots and an 802.11 b/g enabled device.⁶ AT&T Promotion Card: Price before AT&T Promotion Card & with 2 year contract is $199.99. Allow 60 days for fulfillment. Card valid for 120 days wherever major credit cards accepted. May be used to pay wireless bill. Not redeemable for cash and cannot be used at ATMs or gas pumps. Some restrictions and other charges apply. See terms at store or at att.com/wirelessrebate. You must be customer for 30 consecutive days to receive Promotion Card. Offer expires Dec. 25, 2009. Sales tax calculated based on price of unactivated equipment.Limited-time offer. Other conditions and restrictions apply. See contract and rate plan brochure for details. Subscriber must live and have a mailing address within AT&T’s owned wireless network coverage area. Up to $36 activation fee applies. Equipment price and availability may vary by market and may not be available from independent retailers. Early Termination Fee: None if cancelled in the first 30 days but up to $35 restocking fee may apply to equipment returns; thereafter up to $175. Some agents impose additional fees. Unlimited voice services: Unlimited voice services are provided primarily for live dialog between two individuals. No additional discounts are available with unlimited plan. Offnet Usage: If customer’s minutes of use (including unlimited services) on other carrier’s networks (“offnet usage”) during any two consecutive months, or customer’s data use during any month, exceeds customer’s offnet usage allowance, AT&T may at its option terminate customer’s service, deny customer’s continued use of other carriers’ coverage, or change customer’s plan to one imposing usage charges for offnet usage. Customer’s offnet usage allowance is equal to the lesser of 750 minutes or 40% of the Anytime minutes included with the plan (data offnet usage allowance is the lesser of 24 MB or 20% of the KB included with customer’s plan).

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation’s fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verseSM and AT&T | DIRECTVSM brands. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T’s Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

© 2009 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services. Wi-Fi is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

[via CrackBerry]

It’s no secret that the BlackBerry Curve 8530 is heading to Verizon, and now rumors have arrived that some Verizon stores have started to receive their accessories for the new Curve. It’s expected that Verizon will officially put the Curve 8530 on sale November 20th, therefore it only makes sense that accessories are starting to flow into stores now. Is anyone here interested in grabbing the new Curve with Wi-Fi and optical Trackpad from Verizon?

[via CrackBerry]

RobLock by Xim Technologies, LLC, has released it’s next version, and it’s only available to Verizon US handsets. I’ve done a review on RobLock before, as it’s a security app that is reasonably priced and keeps your BlackBerry safe. It is theft recovery software complete with data backup solution.

Now here’s what the absolute 2.0 features:

GPS and cell based device tracking, using Google Maps; the ability to communicate with your lost or stolen phone by SMS, email, or web interface; be alerted by sms or email if the SIM card is changed; the ability to recover your contacts from a lost phone; remote wipe the ENTIRE device AND media card; remote lock and alarm; remote call back; remote popup text messages; does not require BIS/BES for complete wipe.

Now here’s where 3.0 is different. It has a unique backup system. It has remote backup and restore; view and export backup online; schedule automatic backups; restore to a new device; and secure data handling on top of the RobLock Theft and Recovery System. For recovery, we’re talking calendar, tasks, memo, up to fifty emails, and your contacts.

As I have the absolute v2.0 of RobLock, they notified me about their newest version, so I had to try this out. I have to admit, it’s impressive. While v2.0 is only $9.95, the newer v3.0 for Verizon has three tiers of pricing. $2.95 per month, $15.95 bi-annually, or $27.95 per year. Not bad when you think about the backup system and the security it provides.

I downloaded this version on my Tour 9630, and it went very smooth. I was able to download it with no issues whatsoever. Upon installation, it’s red button icon. You have to set an acct online and on the phone. After setting up the account, the icon will open with your password to reveal the Roblock Theft Recovery System and the Roblockup Data Backup Solution. You have backup and restore. In the Theft Recovery System, you can even have an email contact to email for your phone.

Now should you lose your phone or if it gets lost, you are given different options. You can lock the phone with or without a siren, wipe it, even have the phone silently call you in hopes that you may be able to figure out who has your phone, or where it is by it’s surroundings. Even better, how bout tracking it GPS?  You can change the device, you have the power on your phone. And you have options to back up information. It’s a great solution for on hand backup, for protecting your mobile information, and knowing it’s safe.

Using the Control Panel, I couldn’t wait to put it to the test. After registering and activating the account, you open it up and you have the Overview. This is general information such as the email, the phone, Connection, Profile, Subscription, and change device.

Next is your Commands. First is Where. You can see the coordinates of your phone, first by tower information and then by GPS information. Next is Lock Phone and you have the choices of with or without alarm. Now even if it’s on vibrate or mute, you can be sure the alarm will still sound and it will be loud! The police siren is a nice finishing touch. Next is Unlock. This allows the previous command to be taken off. Next is Remote Wipe, and thankfully you have to confirm before you do, so just checking out the control panel won’t erase your phone. Next is call back and this is where you have your phone call another phone. It’s silent so if it’s stolen, the thief has no idea. Display Text, this one is really fun. You can display what you want the person to read and the text will appear in the front of the phone. Of course all these commands show you as they are being directed to the handset, and also if they are successful. I successfully tested each one, except to wipe my handset. It was really impressive how fast it works. Tracking my BlackBerry was fun, and it was neat to see tower information.

Last is Backup. You can view backup you have already created. There is BackUp Now so you can decide what you are going to back up: Memo, Calendar, Contacts, Call Log, Tasks, and Mail. There is Restore Backup so you can decide what will be returned. Last is the Scheduler so you can decide when to back up on a regular basis.

Overall, RobLock is very easy to use and extremely convenient. v3.0 is currently available to Verizon handsets, but hopefully will be open to other handsets as well. It’s easy to use on your phone and on the PC, and has the options. I tested. I can see this as an asset to anyone who is interested in security on the phone. Again, strictly for security.

If you currently have a Verizon Wireless BlackBerry, you are able to subscribe to the service, and if not, v2.0 absolute is available still.

You can download RobLock v3.0 for monthly, bi-annually, or annually here >

You can download RobLock v2.0 absolute for $9.95 here >

For more information, feel free to read more on RobLock by Vapssky here >

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Looks like AT&T may be getting ready to launch a white colored BlackBerry Curve 8900 soon. This is the first we’ve heard or seen of a White 8900, but it would only make sense. A new tip received over at BGR shows the White 8900 in an AT&T advertisement. The tipster didn’t have any release dates, or pricing, but I’m sure we can except it to launch soon. So question for you the readers… What do you think of the new White BlackBerry models? First the Bold, now the Curve.

Look what came out of hiding! The BlackBerry Curve 8530 has just been announced officially by RIM. Not too long after it was announced we saw press releases from both Verizon and Sprint, in the United States. The new Curve 8530 sports a newer style body, with trackpad navigation, Wi-Fi, dedicated music keys and GPS. Sprint is yet to announce pricing or a release date, however Verizon says they will be launching it on November 20th for $99.99 with contract, after rebates.

Press  Release:

Verizon Wireless Introduces the BlackBerry Curve 8530 Smartphone

New Smartphone Features 3G Connectivity, Built-In Wi-Fi and GPS, Touch-Sensitive Trackpad and Dedicated Media Keys

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and WATERLOO, Ontario – Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today introduced the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8530 smartphone, an exciting new addition to the BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones. The slim BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone gives customers access to Verizon Wireless’ 3G network, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities, as well as easy access to music, games and other mobile apps for entertainment on the go.

Available colors: Black and Smoky Violet

Key features:

• Easy-to-use, highly tactile, full QWERTY keyboard and touch-sensitive trackpad for reliable, responsive typing and navigation
• 256 MB flash memory and 528 MHz next generation processor for enhanced performance
• Supports voice-activated dialing and Bluetooth® (version 2.1), with support for hands-free headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals
• 3G-enabled (EV-DO)
• Built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• GPS with support for location-based applications, including geotagging pictures and Verizon Wireless’ VZ NavigatorSM service
• 2.0 megapixel digital camera with zoom and video recording*
• Advanced media player for music, pictures and videos, with dedicated media keys and a 3.5 mm stereo headset jack, plus BlackBerry® Media Sync, which makes it easy to quickly sync music from your computer to the smartphone**
• Access to BlackBerry App World™, featuring a broad and growing catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for BlackBerry® smartphones. Categories include games, entertainment, social networking and sharing, news and weather, productivity and much more
• Access to e-mail, messaging (IM, SMS, MMS) and popular social networking sites (including Facebook and MySpace)
• Rich multimedia capabilities, including dedicated media keys smoothly integrated along the top of the handset, giving customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos
• Support for BlackBerry services with access to up to 10 supported e-mail accounts, including most popular ISP e-mail accounts such as Yahoo! ®, Windows Live™ Hotmail®, AOL® and Gmail, and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support, which provides advanced security and IT administration features for corporate deployments
• Expandable memory via hot swappable microSD™/SDHC memory card slot, supporting up to 16 GB cards today and expected to support next generation 32 GB cards when available

Pricing and availability:

• The BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone is expected to be available from Verizon Wireless beginning Nov. 20 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement on a voice plan with an Email and Web feature or an Email and Web for BlackBerry plan.  Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.  Data plans for the BlackBerry Curve 8530 smartphone begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice plan.
• For information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

* Video recording requires microSD card, sold separately
** Certain music files may not be supported, including files that contain digital rights management technologies

We don’t know what took them so long, but Verizon finally announced the upcoming release of the BlackBerry Storm2 9550. Verizon says the Storm2 will be landing in stores on October 28th for $179.99 with contract, after mail-in rebates. So all is good and all the Storm chasers out there can finally get their hands-on a Verizon Storm2 later this week. Who’s going to grab one??

Here’s a quick rundown of the key features on the new Storm2:

• Smooth design and premium finish with sloped edges, chrome accents,
  glass lens and stainless steel backplate
• Large (3.25″), dazzling high-resolution 480 x 360 display at 184 ppi
• Capacitive touchscreen with integrated functions (Send, End, Menu,
  Escape) and new SurePress technology that makes clicking the display
  practically effortless
• 3G and global connectivity support for making phone calls in more than
  220 countries and accessing data in more than 185 countries (with more
  than 80 destinations in 3G)
• Network Connectivity: EV-DO Revision A; UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz); and
  quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
• Supports Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• 256 MB of Flash memory
• 2 GB of onboard media storage and a microSD(TM)/SDHD memory card slot
  with a 16 GB card included

A Powerful New Storm Rolls Onto Verizon Wireless’ Network on Oct. 28

BASKING RIDGE, NEW JERSEY and WATERLOO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Oct. 26, 2009) – Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ:RIMM)(TSX:RIM) today announced that the BlackBerry(R) Storm2(TM) smartphone will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications stores, online at www.verizonwireless.com, and through business sales channels beginning Oct. 28. The BlackBerry Storm2 with BlackBerry(R) OS 5.0 evolves the BlackBerry(R) touchscreen platform with hundreds of hardware and software enhancements – including new SurePress(TM) “clickable” display technology and built-in Wi-Fi(R) – delivering the exceptional multimedia experience and communications capabilities customers have come to expect from their BlackBerry smartphones.

Key Features:

-   Smooth design and premium finish with sloped edges, chrome accents,
glass lens and stainless steel backplate
-   Large (3.25″), dazzling high-resolution 480 x 360 display at 184 ppi
-   Capacitive touchscreen with integrated functions (Send, End, Menu,
Escape) and new SurePress technology that makes clicking the display
practically effortless
-   3G and global connectivity support for making phone calls in more than
220 countries and accessing data in more than 185 countries (with more
than 80 destinations in 3G)
-   Network Connectivity: EV-DO Revision A; UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz); and
quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks
-   Supports Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
-   256 MB of Flash memory
-   2 GB of onboard media storage and a microSD(TM)/SDHD memory card slot
with a 16 GB card included

Software Updates on BlackBerry Storm2:

-   Features BlackBerry OS 5.0, which includes typing accuracy and selection
improvements, as well as usability and visual enhancements such as
inertial scrolling, spin boxes that make it easier to set dates and
times, gradient shading on buttons, and more use of animation
-   BlackBerry(R) Browser is improved with faster JavaScript and CSS
processing as well as support for Gears and BlackBerry Widgets
-   Customers running BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server 5.0 will gain the
ability to set follow-up flags, manage e-mail folders, access remote
files (Windows Shares), forward appointments, view calendar attachments,
and more

Additional Features and Specifications:

-   3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, Image Stabilization (IS), flash and
video recording capabilities
-   Premium and easy-to-access phone features, background noise suppression
technology, loud distortion-free speakerphone and face detection
(proximity sensor) that prevents accidental clicks and blanks the screen
while the customer is on the phone
-   Media player for videos, pictures and music, plus support for BlackBerry
Desktop Manager for both PCs and Macs, and BlackBerry(R) Media Sync, for
easily syncing Windows Media(R) Player music with the smartphone(i)
-   3.5 mm stereo headset jack and dedicated volume controls
-   Bluetooth(R) (v2.1) capable with support for Secure Simple Pairing,
hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits and other Bluetooth
peripherals
-   Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications, as well as
photo geotagging; and Verizon Wireless’ VZ Navigator(SM) service is
pre-loaded
-   V CAST Music with Rhapsody
-   Access to BlackBerry App World(TM), featuring a broad and growing
catalog of third-party mobile applications developed specifically for
BlackBerry smartphones, with categories including games, entertainment,
IM and social networking, news, weather, productivity and more
-   Support for Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Connect tethering service
-   Removable, rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides up to 5.5 hours
of talk time or up to 11.2 days of standby time

Pricing and Availability:

-   The BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone is available beginning Oct. 28 for
$179.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer
agreement on a voice plan with an Email and Web feature or an Email and
Web for BlackBerry plan. Customers will receive the mail-in rebate in
the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as
cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. Data plans for the BlackBerry
Storm2 smartphone begin at $29.99 when added to any Nationwide voice
plan.

It’s finally starting to roll out, Last night RIM released the first official version of OS 5.0 for the BlackBerry Storm 9530. The OS available is 5.0.0.328, and is said to feature a number of key updates to enhance overall performance from the keyboard and rotation. You can start downloading the update as of now by visiting one of the links below. Keep in mind anyone can install this update, even if you don’t have a Verizon one. Simply just put in a phone number, and download the file. After downloading be sure to follow these steps to remove the vendor.xml file and your all good.

Download the file at vzw.smithmicro.com/blackberry or blackberry.com/update.

In case you missed the news this week Verizon’s internal blog has been updated, and the BlackBerry Storm2 9550 launches in just a few days. According to the screen shot that CrackBerry received Verizon will be launching the new Storm2 on October 28th. Pricing is expected to be around $179 with contract, after mail-in rebates. So anyone who has their hopes up of getitng a Storm2 before the end of the month… Your odds are good. More details will follow shortly.