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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.

Niagra a hybrid Bold/Curve 8900?
We kick off the links this week with device news. Boy Genius Report gets the top billing, which is not unusual for them, for divulging some new information about the BlackBerry Niagra. It has long been thought to be the CDMA Bold, but according to BGR it will be
bigger than the Curve, but smaller than the Bold.” Yet it will still rock the same high-res 480×320 screen and the 624MHz processor. The rumored May release date sounds as accurate as any right now. If that holds up, we should start getting some more information about it in the coming weeks. Perhaps there will be something at CTIA.

More on the BlackBerry Application Store
Before we dive into the info on the BlackBerry Application Store, make sure to check out CrackBerry’s hands-on take. It’s demoed on an HTC, but the software is all there. Now onto the new details of the app store. There will be no themes, which is the biggest bummer. It would have been neat to go through them and review them all, but dems the breaks. It will support Web apps — that is, quick launch icons. RIM has also instituted a charge of $200 for every 10 applications a developer submits. This is in an effort to ensure quality applications, but Kevin brings up a good counterpoint: What if they’re free apps?

Verizon Storm users can use Google Maps with GPS
Consider me annoyed that Verizon is now supporting Google Maps on the Storm. If it comes to the other BlackBerry models soon, I’ll forgive them. Until then, though, I’ll just sit here in my rocking chair and shake my fist at the Verizon folks. I want full use of my GPS unit, dammit!

Pearl 8210 flip, Curve 8900 headed to AT&T
First, a lesson in recent history. Last week, we learned that AT&T is phasing out its 2G network. Makes sense at first. LTE should be around come 2011, so they might as well get everyone on 3G before that. They’ve already moved their 2G to a less optimal spectrum, which should do nothing but frustrated non-Bold BlackBerry users. This latest news is a bit baffling: they’re going to launch the Curve 8900 and the Pearl 8210. So perhaps the stories of AT&T’s 2G neglect are overblown. BlackBerry Cool has a report that the 8900 will be sans camera, though the source of that report, BGR, has apparently since removed the post. So I guess we’ll have to wait and see on that.

Amazon offering cash-back deal on 8320
It looks like Amazon is getting into the business of underselling carriers on their handsets. At least it looks that way for BlackBerry. They’re now selling the BlackBerry Curve 8320 from T-Mobile for $99.99 after a two-year contract. Oh, did I say they were selling it for that much? No, they’re giving back that much after the rebate. That’s an extra $100 in your pocket in exchange for buying a solid BlackBerry model. If you’re on T-Mo and want to renew your contract, you might want to check out this deal.

Yahoo! introduces Yahoo!Mobile
So does this spell the end of Yahoo! Go? Possibly. Yahoo has announced a new mobile app, Yahoo!Mobile. It includes a BlackBerry application, in which Opera Mini 4.2 is integrated. From the first looks of it, it should be an easier to use Go, which is just fine by me. Yahoo put out a quality application last time, and this looks like a big step forward.

Top 5 BlackBerry social networks
Mobile social networks seem to be a hot topic these days. So BlackBerry Cool has listed the top five BlackBerry social networks. Unfortuantely, one of them is already defunct. That’s what happens when the economy is in the tank. It’s tough to monetize these businesses, thus difficult to forge ahead at a loss. In any regard, check out the remaining four if you want to network with like-minded BlackBerry users.

OtterBox Imperial series review
You guys know how much we love the OtterBox Defender series cases. Now they’ve got an Imperial series, which is a bit less bulky. It’s a silicone wrapping, like many other BlackBerry cases. You can check out the review at CrackBerry. I dig.

Comparing the BlackBerry Pearl traditional with the flip. Zara, a/k/a/ m0bilechic, has posted a video comparing the two versions of the Pearl. Check it out for her gorgeous conclusions. Oops! Did I just say that?

BOLT browser in public beta. No longer do you need a download code to check out the again-revamped BOLT browser for BlackBerry. I’m digging this a lot.

Keeping up with the stock market on your BlackBerry. The market might not be doing so hot right now, but plenty of people still have money in it. Check out these apps for news, quotes, trades, and more.

Just push email, no data, on my BlackBerry. It seems that most people aren’t of the same mindset, but I kinda just want email on my BlackBerry, without the data. It’s a practical/economical thing. I still love the data features, but I wish more than one U.S. carrier had this option.

How to set a password on your BlackBerry. You know, to protect sensitive information. Plus, as commenter DavidB says, it’s an essential if you have a kid.

Network World’s essential BlackBerry apps. We’ve gone over a number of them here, but here is their list of apps you should always have on the Berry.

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