Industry coverage, news, original feature articles, how to guides, videos, podcasts and reviews of BlackBerry service providers, software, accessories, hosted exchange providers and more

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 launches BlackBerry Curve 8900
The only drawback to doing the news once a week is that when things happen early in the week, we’re not able to talk about it until Thursday. So you’ve probably heard, but Rogers has officially launched the BlackBerry Curve 8900. I really think the hype for this device got overshadowed by the finally-released Bold and the Storm. It looks like a great next-gen device from RIM, though, complete with WiFi, GPS, a 3.2 megapixel camera, and a 480×360 resolution screen. You can nab it for $179.99 with a three-year contract. The bad news is that there seems to be a shortage of supply.

BlackBerry Storm in Canada
Remember when we heard that Bell wouldn’t be getting the Storm until after the holidays? Looks like that’s bunk. They’ve launched the Storm, though only in limited quantities. They’ll offer it to new customers until they get more in stock. Word is they’ve been sending $50 off coupons to their loyal customers. The device will cost $249.99 on a three-year contract. Telus has launched the Storm too, for the same price as Bell. If you want one by Christmas you should order by December 17.

Verizon Storms still selling out
If you want a Storm through Verizon, you might have a bit of trouble. The device is sold out, and orders won’t ship until December 16, possibly the 19th. While you’re waiting, you can train for the Storm.

Storm scratch test
Want to know how badly you can scratch your BlackBerry Storm? Check out this video. Turns out, the thing is pretty durable.

Running applications form microSD
Robb at RIMarkable wonders if BlackBerrys should run applications from a microSD card. This makes a world of sense for older BlackBerry models. Most only have 64 MB of flash memory, which isn’t a lot for storing applications. Thankfully, the newer models are coming with more on-board memory. You can always get the Aerize Card Loader, which lets you install applications from an SD card.

Pogue defends his Storm take
New York Times tech guy David Pogue fell under heavy criticism from the BlackBerry community after he ripped the Storm. He received many emails, many questioning his credibility. Geeze, it’s not as if he did something to these people personally. He just didn’t happen to like a certain gadget. Anyway, he defends his views on CNBC.

Sprint 8350i coming December 15
For real this time. I’ve seen a ton of comments about the Nextel BlackBerry 8350i, which was reportedly hitting shelves on December 1. We’re well past that now, and nothing’s doing. The only answer I have now is from BerryReporter, which now says December 15th is the date. As with all matters like this, don’t believe it until it hits the shelves.

Carphone Warehouse will launch 8900 on December 20
Carphone Warehouse, one of the largest cell phone retailers in the UK, will launch the BlackBerry Curve 8900 on December 20. No pricing is available yet, but that should come soon enough.

Verizon users can now use GPS. Well, at least on BlackBerry Maps, and with OS 4.5. Still, a great development for Verizon users.

Home screen shortcuts on your BlackBerry home screen. For QWERTY keyboards only.

Monthly Twitter help roundup. Cooper answers your questions from our Twitter account.

microSD cards and your BlackBerry. Just a quick chart documenting which cards can be used with which OS.

Holiday BlackBerry deals. Plenty of BlackBerrys can be had for free — or less.

Foreign languages and your BlackBerry. Want a language other than English? Here’s how to do it.

BlackBerry Theme reviews. I run through three themes, including one of punk band Bad Religion.

Removing old email addresses from your BlackBerry. A simple process so you don’t have that extra icon on your applications menu.

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