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Feeling overloaded with BlackBerry news and rumors? We know the feeling. We hear new things almost every day, and it can be tough to keep up with it all. that’s why we’re bringing you BlackBerry News from the Wire every Thursday.

We’ll catch you up on everything ‘Berry that happened over the course of the week. Not only that, but we’ll rank ‘em by importance, so you can more easily skim the items and read the ones of most significance. If you only have time to read one article, for instance, you might want to head down to our 5-star section. It’s All the BlackBerry News Fit to Geek.

Rogers debuts BlackBerry Pearl flip for $49.99
November 4 was a big day for RIM, with the launch (finally) of the Bold on AT&T and the Pearl 8220 on Rogers. We’ve been seeing rumors for a while that the flip could be positioned as an entry-level BlackBerry, aimed at a younger audience. With it would come an entry-level price. T-Mobile in the U.S. is still selling theirs for $150, but Rogers has come through, offering the Pearl flip for $49.99. That seems like the best marketing strategy for this device, especially since we’ve heard recently that sales aren’t going as well as hoped.

BlackBerry Curve 8900 gets reviewed
This came in right after last week’s News from the Wire, so we felt the need to include it here. In case you haven’t already stumbled across them, both Boy Genius Report and Gizmodo have reviewed the BlackBerry Curve 8900. Not to spoil it, but they both came away fairly impressed, especially with the display. I absolutely love my Curve, and will await with bated breath a CDMA version of the 8900.

BlackBerry Storm hunt begins in NYC
Starting today, Verizon is going to start giving away five BlackBerry Storms via the BlackBerry Storm Hunt. Contestants can download a map and find locations where keywords are hidden. Enter the keyword via SMS, and you have a chance to win a Storm. You can visit the contest page to download your map and instructions. Good luck to anyone who tries this.

BlackBerry Storm presale underway at Best Buy
If you just can’t wait to get your hands on a BlackBerry Storm, you might want to head to your local Best Buy, where you can slap down a $50 deposit to put your name on one. We still don’t have a firm grasp of the release date nor the price, but we can say with some confidence that it will be around November 15 and for $199 or $299. If you head over to the BGR post, make sure to scroll all the way down, where they list the long process involved in reserving one.

GSM-only Storm clears the FCC
I’m not sure exactly what to make of this, but the GSM-only version of the Storm has received FCC approval. Does this mean that it’s headed for AT&T at some point? Engadget mentions Vodafone, the Storm carrier in the UK, but what does that have to do with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission? It wasn’t too long ago that the CDMA Storm cleared the FCC, so maybe we’ll find out soon what RIM’s intent is.

Storm headed for Telus on the 17th?
For those who don’t know, I write a baseball blog. We deal with rumors constantly, especially at this time of year. One thing you learn doing this is that you can’t take anonymous sources too seriously. So when I see that BlackBerry Sync talking about a November 17th release for the Storm on Telus, I get a bit suspicious. Yes, it lines up with what we know, so it might have a bit of credibility in that regard. There’s a nugget buried in there: Telus might charge 50 cents per YouTube stream for certain data plans. Boo-urns to that.

YouMail offers voicemail transcription
In the early summer, we spent some time reviewing visual voicemail applications for your BlackBerry. Among them was YouMail, one I found acceptable but not outstanding. At the time they had a very rough transcription service, one which got basic words wrong all the time. Today they announced high-quality voicemail transcription. I’ll have to check this out to see if it passes muster. Of course, this isn’t free. BlackBerry users can get 50 transcriptions per month for $6.99 or unlimited for $17.99.

Nextel Curve 8350i available December 1?
This is yet another anonymous source, so caveat emptor. Berry Reporter has it this time, relaying a tip that the BlackBerry Curve 8350i will hit Nextel shelves on December 1. Online shelves, that is. While it should hit physical stores before Christmas, you can expect the initial sales to be online. If we’re willing to believe an anonymous source, that is.

How not to upgrade your BlackBerry OS. I know that it automatically backs up as part of the upgrade process, but don’t trust it. Make sure you do your own backup first. Or else you’ll end up like me, which means losing your contacts twice in a month.

Spam blockers for your BlackBerry. We go over a paid and a free method to block spam from arriving on your BlackBerry device. Clearly, I prefer the free method using Gmail, but some people just don’t want to go through the hassle. A $50 charge awaits.

White House Rumble! If you were a fan of Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, you’re going to get a kick out of White House Rumble. Unhappy with the election outcome? Fight Obama! Want to send George Bush out with a bang? Send him your left hook. Want to show Dick Cheney who’s boss? Give him a left, give him a right, and give him an up-per cut!

No message services configured. Pain. In. The. Ass. I have no idea how this happened to my Berry, but I was able to fix it relatively quickly. Those Service Books work wonders.

How to speed up your BlackBerry Internet browser. If you keep getting stuck at “Requesting Script” or “Loading Images” you might want to check this out and speed up your load time.

Cram for your next exam. No one said the BlackBerry was all about fun. You can use this application to help quiz yourself in preparation for your big upcoming test.

What is wireless reconcile? BIS users need not apply.

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