Verizon slashes BlackBerry Storm price to $50

Verizon Wireless has cut the price of Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm to $49.99 with a two-year contract, stoking speculation that it is looking to clear out inventory ahead of a launch of the smartphone's successor.

The price of the Storm--Verizon's flagship BlackBerry device--has been steadily declining. The Storm first debuted with a price tag of $199.99. In July, the carrier cut the Storm's price to $99, putting it in direct competition with the 8 GB version of Apple's iPhone 3G.

The price drop lends credence to the idea that a Verizon launch of the BlackBerry Storm 2 is in the offing. According to leaked screenshots posted on the Boy Genius Report blog last week, Verizon is going to launch the Storm 2 sometime in October. The move is the latest Verizon has made to clear out smartphone inventory. Earlier this month, without fanfare, the operator slashed the prices of almost all of its smartphones to $99 or less when customers sign a two-year contract.

RIM first announced in May that it would make a second-generation Storm.

For more:
- see this Boy Genius Report post
- see this Engagdet post

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