From Gizmodo:

Speaking to Dutch website Tweakers, a RIM sales manager said that, as rumored, a followup to the underwhelming BlackBerry Storm will be arriving at the end of this year, or the beginning of next.

“RIM Employee Lends Credence To Storm 2 Rumors, Cryptically Claims ‘New Manner To Input Text’” via Gizmodo

From Engadget:

Reputable Dutch site Tweakers has Alain Segond von Banchet, RIM channel sales manager according to LinkedIn, stating that the BlackBerry Storm followup is scheduled to launch at the end of the year or at the beginning of next. In addition, he has the phone coming to KPN, not Vodafone who had the first generation Storm locked-up under an exclusive deal. Interestingly enough, Mr. Segond von Banchet says that the Storm 2 (not the final name) will “offer among other things a new manner to input text” — among other things meaning WiFi, presumably, as we heard before. Keep in mind that channel sales managers do not typically represent a company to the press. Nevertheless, what he’s saying does jibe with previous rumors and we have no doubt that RIM is working hard to avoid the universal disdain that greeted the Storm’s mushy, push-button touchscreen input.

“RIM (employee): Storm 2 with “new approach to text entry” for end 2009, early 2010” via Engadget

From tweakers.net:

RIM brengt de opvolger van de Storm eind dit jaar of begin volgend jaar op de markt. Het nieuwe touchscreentoestel zal onder meer via de Nederlandse provider KPN worden verkocht. Dat heeft een woordvoerder van RIM aan Tweakers.net bevestigd.

“RIM: opvolger Blackberry Storm verschijnt op zijn vroegst eind dit jaar” via tweakers.net

It’s been less than a year since Apple launched the iPhone App Store, but now virtually every mobile OS is showcasing its own take on the mobile application storefront. How do they all stack up?

The first thing you’ll notice about these efforts—coming from such traditionally competitive companies as Palm, BlackBerry, Nokia and Microsoft—is just how similar they all sound. App World? App Catalog? App Market? Mobile Marketplace? This outward likeness actually runs pretty deep—these stores are advertising uncannily similar feature sets, for both users and developers:

via “Giz Explains: All The Smartphone Mobile App Stores” @ Gizmodo

Get Google Voice Search for your BlackBerry…

“BlackBerrys Get Their Very Own Google Voice Search App” via Gizmodo

“Google Voice Search comes to BlackBerrys” via cnet

BlackBerry App World goes live April 1st

“BlackBerrry App World To Open April 1” via Gizmodo

“BlackBerry App World to launch April 1st?” via BGR

via CrackBerry