If you're one of those people who likes to live on the bleeding edge of BlackBerry software updates, head on over to CrackBerry to get your latest fix. General consensus in the site's forums seem to indicate that the 9500 Storm for Vodafone is faring a bit better after the update than the identically-labeled Verizon counterpart that leaked a bit back. Unfortunately, from the looks of things, RIM hasn't hit every bug on its first "netbook," but if 4.7.0.83 or 4.7.0.78 just ain't cutting it, be sure to head over to CrackBerry for the full lowdown on how to score another .02 (or .07).

Read - CrackBerry Blog post
Read - CrackBerry Forums thread

Sprint's now officially holding up the tail end of the BlackBerry train in the States (though hopefully not for long) now that T-Mobile has announced that the thoroughly modern Curve 8900 is hitting the lineup. Like the 8320 before it, the 8900 does WiFi for UMA-based HotSpot calling service and a 3.5mm headphone jack, but the similarities end there; besides arguably becoming the hottest BlackBerry in RIM's stable, the 8900 features a 3.2-megapixel cam with image stabilization and a glorious 480 x 360 display that'll put anything shy of a Storm to shame. Look for it next month -- T-Mobile hasn't committed to a date, though we have no reason to doubt the 11th rumor at this point.

The good news: odds are decent your local T-Mobile store has a Curve 8900 locked away somewhere. The bad news: you can't have it. Word on the street is that T-Mob staff are under strict orders to keep the 8900 out of shopping bags until February 11, the last rumored launch date we'd heard, so keep saving your pennies... to, you know, bribe a store this week.

We wouldn't have guessed it a few months back, but it's starting to look like the Curve 8900 might actually be the device in RIM's portfolio with the most momentum going into '09, not the Storm or the Bold. Wild, huh? The latest evidence of that comes from RIM's own site, where they've revealed that both Optus and Vodafone will apparently be picking up the svelte QWERTY beaut at some point, though no mention is made of when or for how much dough. Theoretically, we'd expect it to be less than the Bold -- so for anyone who really doesn't need 3G, consider this your belated holiday gift. Hopefully not too belated.

[Thanks, Edward]

Product delays are the greasy, disgusting lubricant that keep the wheels of the consumer electronics world turning, so when we hear of something being pushed back a week, a month, or a quarter, we really don't think much of it. Moving a launch up, though -- well, that's a totally different ball game, and it always brings a smile to our faces. Word on the street had been that T-Mobile USA would take delivery of the luscious new Curve 8900 come February 18, but now we're hearing it's actually coming a week earlier on February 11, just in time to stuff RIM's latest hardware in your loved one's box of chocolates, bouquet, or gift basket of sundry sausages, cheeses, and jams. 'Course, WiFi and 3.2-megapixel cam might be enough to get you to dump your life partner flat on his / her / its ass, so don't blame us if this thing wrecks your otherwise happy home.

[Via PhoneDog.com]

The first time an unruly kid acts up in school, you just throw him in detention. The second time, you tell him to find another institution to be educated at. The same theory apparently holds true in the mobile realm, as Orange has had just about enough of the BlackBerry Bold's inexplicable hang-ups. A recent writeup over at the Telegraph has it that the carrier could be mulling the outright removal of the RIM handset from its lineup entirely. Why? Because of "ongoing technical issues" even after the phone was pulled once and re-released with an updated firmware. It's also noted that return rates for the Bold were well above the average, which is a surefire way to get yourself yanked from the lineup. We'd say that Orange loyalists better get their Bolds while they still can, but then again, maybe that's not the best idea after all.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

We're hearing from a source -- a source who's pegged big stuff before, we'd like to add -- that Sprint will be replacing its BlackBerry 8830 this quarter with a CDMA version of the Bold. The move would certainly make sense, seeing how the Bold is essentially a direct replacement for the 8800 series (though this could be bad news for those who appreciate the 8830's camera-less nature) and the handset's probably just about due for a refresh. We're told that the Bold will feature EV-DO Rev. A, more memory, and a revised UI to match Sprint's current corporate branding. We'd also guess that it's a global phone in the same vein as the 8830 and the Storm, though we don't know that for certain. More as we get it!

The age of the ultra-cheap (and non-repulsive) smartphone is officially upon us, and Verizon would like to throw its hat into the ring by offering the BlackBerry Pearl 8130 for the ridiculously low price of $19.99 on contract after $100 mail-in rebate "while supplies last." We'd obviously rather be able to slap down twenty right in the store and take the Pearl home with us, but 'round here, rebates are more the rule than the exception, so we're used to it. Keep it up, Verizon -- maybe Storms for $20 next?

[Via Boy Genius Report]

We've got a whopper this week over at Classic's Ask Engadget, and we're soliciting your help. Real simple: what's the best smartphone available for under $200 on contract? And... go!

While you may be in love with the 480 x 360-pixel screen on the latest and greatest 'Berry straight out of Waterloo, we know that the really tantalizing draw of the 8900 is that gorgeous theme. Luckily for all you wannabe addicts out there, CrackBerry Forums member Tom1|21 has worked some magic with Plazmic's Theme Builder and has made the theme available for all 83xx and 88xx devices -- albeit for a price. Of course, the truly classifiable BB elite would've known that this very same theme -- or something remarkably similar -- was available for the incredibly low price of free just days ago. Interestingly, the original forum post has been updated and points to purchase links rather than the free-OTA download links that it was pointing to prior. A little bit of searching might lead you to the free version, and you can start saving up that coinage for the finally-available Sling client -- once it loses the beta label and gets priced, that is. Or, you can just bypass the whole theme situation and hopefully get the real deal sometime around February 18th.

Read - CrackBerry Forums thread
Read - CrackBerry Blog theme availability

Clearly, Mike Lazaridis has the chops when it comes to running a business. What he clearly lacks, however, is a firm definition of the term "netbook." To his credit, we still feel the exact boundaries for netbooks have yet to be determined (fret not, Psion Teklogix is hammering out those details), but calling a BlackBerry Storm one is -- how do you say? -- a bit of a stretch. During a recent sit down with RIM's president, CNET Asia heard the bigwig answer like so when questioned about viewing netbooks as competitors: "No, I think I can put netbooks in here [referring to the BlackBerry Storm]. These are netbooks. They are just smaller." Wait, Mike -- don't you think smartphones are more like MIDs or UMPCs? Or do we just have you all wrong here?

[Via phoneArena]

We're still waiting for even a single American launch of RIM's luscious (or luscious-looking, anyway) Curve 8900, but if the latest blurry screenshot is to be believed, that little indiscretion is finally about to be rectified -- and the curvacious BlackBerry's bringing friends, too. Notables on T-Mobile's alleged list of first quarter launches include the Nokia 7510 Supernova on January 21, the long-rumored Shadow II on January 28, a mysterious Motorola Renew on February 4, and the aforementioned 8900 and 8-megapixel Memoir on February 18. In other words, T-Mob fans, mark your calendars for the third week of February, because that's where the action's going to be. Or so we desperately hope.

Now this is what we like to see, a company keeping promises. Sling Media promised that we'd see a public beta release of its SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry on December 30th, and sure enough, we're seeing a public beta release of its SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry on December 30th. As of now, select BB owners -- Pearl 8120, Pearl Flip 8220, Curve 8320, 8820, Curve 8900 and Bold 9000, officially -- can point their browsers here in order to get the OTA install going. At least for now, this is the only method of procuring the software (should cut down on support issues, we hear), but it's not like you can't handle that. Give it a go and report back, won't you? Full note is after the break.

We know, the holiday season is officially kaput, but if you still owe that niece or nephew a gift and you feel like teaching them tech-savvy and brand loyalty, you might want to consider one of these KIRF walkie-talkies / organizers that let you send text messages in addition to voice calls in the same vein as that Slide Click we saw back in the day. Trust us, typing on a small keyboard or numpad is one of the best skills they can have when they grow up -- it's a lot more practical than the Morse code we learned back in our day. The lone exception here is the feature-less RAZR knockoff that does voice-only -- hey, it's only fitting that the one phone here that doesn't knock off a smartphone have less features.

[Thanks, James]

Read - Discovery Exclusive Pink Slide and Text Messengers (Sidekick)
Read - iChat SMS Text Messenger/Chat Talkies (Blackberry)
Read - iText SMS Text Messenger (iPhone)
Read - Discovery Exclusive Flip Phone Walkie-Talkies (RAZR)

Someone in RIM (probably someone high up) apparently said, "Hey, you know what'd be great? A candybar Pearl that's narrower for no apparent reason," which caused a team of engineers with advanced degrees to spring into action and craft this doozy of a patent app. The concept is that you start off with a numeric keypad slapped onto a handset that's too narrow to handle even an abbreviated SureType configuration, and when the time comes to type, you swing out ridiculous wings that house the extra keys you need. Obviously, we have no good excuse for giving RIM a hard time about this until it appears on an actual product -- a doomed-for-failure product, may we add -- but you think they could've just saved the application fees on this one, you know?

[Via Cellpassion]