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 to Offer Better BES Pricing
Over the past few months, Rogers has improved their data plan offerings. With the BlackBerry Bold and the iPhone on their network, they almost had to. This, though, was for the consumer side. Now we’re seeing that they’re improving their BES offerings as well. The best part: data usage will be capped at $100. No more multi-thousand-dollar bills, people. The standard packages will run $40 for 7MB, $45 for 1GB, and $75 for 3GB. Flex Rate plans will run from $45 for 500MB up to $100 for 5GB.

Hands on Review of the Javelin New Curve
Kevin at CrackBerry gives us a hands-on look at the BlackBerry Javelin Curve. Dude always gets devices crazy early. Thankfully, he shares them all with us. This thing is a monster, but if you’re only going to read one article on this list, the Curve review is the one.

McCain Staffer Owns up to BlackBerry Gaffe
Finally, we get a comment from John McCain staffer Douglas Holtz-Eakin regarding his statement that his candidate invented the BlackBerry. He has sworn off telling jokes for the rest of the campaign. In a later comment, he said: “It was not just badly told, it was ill-timed.” So is this guy just using the joke excuse as a cover-up for a faux pas?

Javelin to be Released under Curve Branding
So much for cool BlackBerry names. First it’s the Kickstart changing back to the ubiquitous Pearl moniker. Now we’re hearing that the Javelin will simply be the Curve. Seriously? Is it that much of a branding issue? Personally, I was a fan of the Sea Wolf code name that was bandied about earlier this year. I guess the Niagra will be called something familiar as well, once it sees the light of day.

Final Specs for the Storm Have Been Released
Most of this is already known, but we’re now seeing the finals specs for the BlackBerry Storm. It’s got a gig of flash memory, though it will come with that 8GB media card pre-loaded. The camera checks in at 3.2 MP, better than even the G1, and has an auto-flash. The specs mention that the Storm does have multi-touch, a feature AT&T claims it does not have. Take that, smear campaign. And just in case you’re not familiar with the screen resolution: 480×360.

Pearl 8220 Bound for Germany
Looks like the BlackBerry Pearl 8220 will be bound for O2 and T-Mobile in Germany. It seems everyone has forgotten about the first BB flip phone amid the Storm craze. A little birdie says that the 8220 could hit T-Mobile on October 13. Still no word on the release date through Rogers in Canada.

Storm to be Exclusively Released on Vodafone in the UK
We knew that the BlackBerry Storm was headed for Vodafone in the UK, likely for an exclusive deal. Pocket Lint confirms that, as well as another little tidbit. Despite rumors that the device would be dubbed the Thunder, it will bear the same name as its Verizon counterpart. It also means that there will be a GSM-only counterpart. Rogers in the future, perhaps?

Storm Coming to Bell instead of Telus
A number of rumors have spread regarding the Canadian destination for the Storm. BlackBerry News got a tip from the ever-dubious “trusted source” that the touchscreen device will hit Bell, not Telus, at the end of this year or early in 2009. It’ll come with a six-month exclusive, which must have Telus subscribers beating themselves over the head with their three-year contracts.

T-Mobile G1 to Compete with BlackBery Devices
The T-Mobile G1, powered by Google’s Android, made waves in the wireless space this week. The touchscreen, full-keyboard device is said to compete with the iPhone and BlackBerry, says the Daily News. Walt Mossberg at All Things Digital knows better. He gives us the main reason the G1 likely won’t be stealing many BlackBerry customers: “In fact, you must have a Google (GOOG) account to use the phone, and can only synchronize the phone’s calendar and address book with Google online services. Unlike the iPhone, it doesn’t work with Microsoft Exchange, and it can’t physically be synced with a PC-based calendar or contacts program, like Microsoft Outlook.”

Tips for composing messages quicker. Just a few quick shortcuts, most of which involving the spacebar, can cut valuable seconds off your messaging time.

Taking screenshots right on your BlackBerry. It’s an application called SnapScreen, and it sits right on your BlackBerry, waiting to take screenshot images. Thanks to a commenter, I’ve found that setting this to your convenience key works wonders.

Moving icons on your BlackBerry desktop and How to find your BlackBerry PIN number. Just a couple of basic articles in case anyone needs the information. These are some common questions I got from my Verizon dealer.

Increasing personal productivity with your BlackBerry. It’s tough to stay on task. Thankfully, your ‘Berry can be of assistance. WIth just a few applications, it can turn you into a productivity machine.

Use your BlackBerry as a Mac modem with Bluetooth. Mac users draw the short straw with BlackBerry. So we’re coming at you with as many Mac-related tips as we can find.

How to switch BlackBerrys with a hosted BES. Thankfully, it’s quite simple. All you need is some Desktop Manager and a little patience.

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