How many times have we seen unofficial firmware leaks from the company? 109 firmware update. 7.

This video did unravel some thoughts and impressions from the folks at Crackberry, who claim that this is what the original Storm should have been since it felt much better when cradled in the hand thanks to better execution. While it won’t turn the original Storm into an obsolete model straightaway when released, we ought to see a more gradual shift to folks who want a click-touchscreen device. As for the click screen, it is miles more user friendly, assuming the operating system will run equally fast and smooth on a non-touchscreen BlackBerry. Check out the video of the upcoming BlackBerry Storm 2, where some of you might have seen it elsewhere, dubbed the BlackBerry Odin.

0 treatment. What’s more, BlackBerry Messenger will benefit from a facelift that ought to appeal to the masses more – and possibly increasing the number of BlackBerry addicts in the process.

Other features include threaded SMS support, PIN barcode scanning and backup/restore of the entire Messenger list to a microSD memory card just in case disaster strikes. This new version of the popular program will feature avatar support, GPS integration with proximity sensing, the ability to set and group conversations according to your liking as well as a new method to create a homescreen icon for messenger contacts. Looks like the long awaited BlackBerry Messenger will be included as a staple in all BlackBerry devices that will receive the OS 5. How does all of it sound to you?

16 is just a leak, but it should make its way to the official BlackBerry downloads soon enough. 16, BlackBerry Desktop Manager features an IP Modem menu that will help you setup your BlackBerry as a wireless modem for your laptop. Starting from version 5. 1. Each carrier has a different policy about tethering, so it might be a good idea to check with them before running that bittorrent download. . .

At the moment 5. 1.

99 toy though – it might cost you a whole lot more when he/she reaches the teen years, and they’ll probably bug you for a real BlackBerry complete with an unlimited data plan due to the early indoctrination. Features include a full QWERTY keyboard (none of that Fast Finger keyboard nonsense) and a large LCD display. Be careful of this August-bound 19. Well, this “Baby BlackBerry” is definitely not from RIM, but is actually the Text and Learn PDA for kids from educational unit LeapFrog. Talk about trying to give your little ones a kickstart when it comes to churning out emails on the go, save for the fact that the Text and Learn unit won’t be able to send random messages to folks on your contact list with the little one pounding away at keys in quick succession.

Other businesslike tools like Wi-Fi connectivity are missing for obvious reasons, but at least your kid will be entertained for a few more minutes at this point in time.

The BlackBerry 9700 has started to show up in AT&T’s retail sales systems, giving even more evidence that the smartphone is well and ready to meet public demand head-on. All we need to do now is wait for an official announcement form AT&T as well as RIM. If this is the BlackBerry that you have been hankering after, there is always some time left for you to start saving up.

What do you think?

There are countless millions around the world mourning for the recently deceased King of Pop, and if you’re one of those hysterical Michael Jackson fans who scream and faint at the mere mention of his name, here’s a little something for your BlackBerry courtesy of a benelovent fan who cooked up this free theme for the BlackBerry 9000 that features Michael himself in some classic poses. For folks who love over-the-air downloads, you can head on here and spruce up your BlackBerry 9000 with the original Moonwalker.

Often, companies believe that Blackberry ismore secureand employees end up in trench warfare with their IT department. The idea of removing the “Blackberry Tax” is not new at all: it was in fact the cornerstone of Windows Mobile’s strategy when Push Email was introduced.

What the iPhone adds is better web browsing and shininess, we guess. Employees could use their own device, there’s no need to have a Blackberry server and wireless data plan and so on. . . By the way Nokia has support for Exchange too. There lies the real problem.

We did not fork the $749 required to read this gem, but according to Simon Sage from Intomobile, the report says that iPhones can save on many fronts: cost of the device (the employee buys it), the back-end infrastructure (no need for a Blackberry server), efficient web browsing. This sounds like an April’s Fools, but Intomobile has picked up areport from Ted Schadler, an analyst at Forrester that seems to think that the iPhone could be a real communication asset to companies.

Secondly, Blackberry has a much better deal on international data. Blackberry might be better in on-board data encryption too… that’s another story. But we think that the lack of physical keyboard on the iPhone kills it for those who type a lot.

256MB internal memorymicroSD memory card slot35-key backlit QWERTY keyboard3. 0 connectivityQuad-band 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks800/1900 MHzvvCDMA/EVDO Rev A networksAnything else you would like to see RIM add? 2-megapixel camera with flash and autofocusHigh resolution HVGA 480 360 displayAssisted GPSBluetooth 2.