Verizon Wireless

Verizon to charge businesses 3 cents for certain texts

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:28:03 -0400

Verizon Wireless said it was adding a 3-cent fee to mobile-terminated text messages going across its network, beginning Nov. 1. Article

RIM: Vodafone rejected first Storm attempt

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:25:41 -0400

Research In Motion's co-CEO Mark Lazaridis confirmed that Vodafone originally rejected RIM's first go at creating the BlackBerry Storm, saying it was not cutting edge enough.

The news comes two days after RIM officially unveiled the touchscreen Storm, which is being launched by Verizon Wireless in the United States and Vodafone in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand. A U.S. launch date and prices have not been made available yet.

"I thought that when we put Quadband EDGE and GPS and a powerful CPU and high-performance graphics cards on one tiny board," Lazaridis was quoted by the website Pocket Lint. "I figured that that was enough of a breakthrough and Vodafone sent me packing!"

For more:
- see this article
- see these pictures of the BlackBerry Storm

Related Articles:
RIM's Storm will be exclusive on Verizon, Vodafone
Verizon's launch of Blackberry Storm delayed until November

Verizon divests 15 more markets before Alltel deal

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:13:42 -0400

Verizon Wireless confirmed that it was divesting spectrum in 15 markets ahead of its planned merger with Alltel, which is still awaiting approval by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The $28.1 billion deal, which, if approved, will create the country's largest wireless operator, has drawn scrutiny because of anti-trust concerns. To calm some of those worries, Verizon has already divested spectrum in 85 markets. The Alltel deal is expected to go through before the end of the year.

In a letter sent Tuesday to the FCC, Verizon said it would divest in 15 additional markets, which included markets in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Utah.

For more:
- see this article

Related Articles:
Economy could sink Verizon-Alltel deal
Verizon says Alltel deal on track for end of year

Sprint confirms there are potential iDEN bidders

Sue Marek — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:32:30 -0400

Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse confirmed that there has been significant interest from companies wishing to bid on the Nextel iDEN business but said that the current economic climate may make it tough for a bidder to raise capital. He added that selling that asset wasn't the only option for Sprint.

Alltel's previous owners TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners have been named as possible bidders, however it's likely the venture capital firms would have to wait until their proposed sale of Alltel to Verizon Wireless is complete, which is expected to occur by year-end.

For more:
- see this article

Related articles:
Is Sprint selling its iDEN business?
Sprint CEO looks to improve Nextel unit

How will wireless weather the economic storm?

Sue Marek — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:50:34 -0400

As the U.S. economy turns from bad to worse, it's impossible to not wonder how much fallout will occur in the wireless industry because of this crisis. Of course, much of the impact will depend on how long the crisis lingers and how consumers (and enterprises) respond to the belt-tightening.

One quick assessment that everyone seems to agree upon is that consumers will likely cut their landlines before they will give up their wireless phones. That's good news for wireless carriers but there is a caveat. Many industry observers think it's also likely that we'll see consumers downgrade to lower-priced rate plans and forego the extra add-ons such as mobile TV, ringtones and even mobile Web packages. That's bad news for mobile content firms, particularly those that are relying on credit to stay afloat until the ad-supported content model kicks into gear or those that are surviving on a thin margin of profits they receive from their revenue share deals with operators.

We're already seeing some early signs that all-you-can-eat unlimited wireless carriers are doing well in this economy. MetroPCS released some strong third-quarter numbers. The company had gross additions of 935,000 subscribers in the quarter, up 39 percent from the third quarter of 2007. And its net adds were 249,000 up from 114,302 in second quarter 2008. It will be interesting to see if the traditional operators--Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint--also experience strong growth with their all-you-eat plans when they release their third quarter results. I suspect we won't see as big of an impact since their flat-rate plans are at the high-end of the price spectrum.

Holiday cell phone sales will likely take a hit from the economy. Traditionally the holiday season is a huge boon to wireless carriers as consumers love to give the gift of wireless. While touchscreen phones such as the T-Mobile USA G1, Apple iPhone 3G from AT&T and Verizon's BlackBerry Storm will likely be high on many gift lists, some analysts believe that the lower-cost phones will likely see an uptick this season as consumers scale down their holiday spending.

The wireless industry may be better positioned to "weather the storm" than other industries, but I suspect we'll still see some consolidation and company closures in the months ahead. To read more insights on how the economy will impact the industry, check out the Sound Off feature where we've compiled some insights from top industry experts. --Sue

Video: BlackBerry Storm Promo

Mike Dolan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:31:23 -0400

Check out this BlackBerry Storm Promo Video:

Click here to see new pictures of the BlackBerry Storm.

RIM's Storm will be exclusive on Verizon, Vodafone

Sue Marek — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:31:06 -0400

One of the worst kept secrets just became official. Verizon Wireless and Vodafone will both "exclusively" offer Research in Motion's BlackBerry Storm touchscreen device to Verizon customers in the U.S. and Vodafone customers in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand. But two critical pieces of information are still unknown: the launch date and the price. These key details are supposed to be available in the coming weeks.

However, that hasn't stopped the device from creating more buzz in the marketplace. The Storm, which has a touchscreen with a keyboard layout, will come equipped with EV-DO Rev. A, UMTS/HSPA and quad-band Edge/GPRS/GSM making it a true world phone. The device also offers full HTML browsing, and has a 3.2 megapixel camera and built-in GPS.

For more:
- see this press release
- see these new pictures of the Storm
- see this video of the Storm

Related articles:
AT&T Mobility planning to beat back the Storm
Storm clouds gathering around Verizon
Verizon's launch of Blackberry Storm delayed until November

Economy could sink Verizon-Alltel deal

Jim Barthold — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:28:09 -0400

Financial analysts are increasingly worried that, despite protestations to the contrary earlier this week, Verizon Wireless may not be so hot to trot to acquire Alltel in the face of an increasingly ugly economy and Alltel's somewhat precarious debt situation.

The biggest concern, in money talk, is that the cost of protecting Alltel's bonds from default has doubled. Credit-default swaps are now 226.8 basis points compared to 113.4 points Sept. 25 and 91.6 points when Verizon agreed to buy the carrier June 6. Credit-default swaps are financial speculation on whether a company can repay its debt. Alltel has about $7.7 billion in bank loans due this year that it has to pay or refinance in a credit market that shows no signs of being able to do so even with a $700 billion government bailout.

On a positive note, Verizon still has enough cash to complete the transaction, according to Chris Diceman, a credit analyst with Dominion Bonding Rating Service in Toronto.

For more:
- see this article:

Related articles:
Verizon says Alltel deal on track for end of year
Verizon snaps up Alltel for $28.1B

Verizon rolls out new Motorola handsets

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:14:26 -0400

As the holiday shopping season starts to gear up, Verizon has launched two new mid-range handsets from Motorola.

The VU30 is a standard EV-DO flip phone with a 2-megapixel camera, V Cast Music with Rhapsody, VZ Navigator and external music controls. It retails for $129 with a two-year service contract and a $50 mail-in rebate. Verizon also unleashed the VU204, a scaled down version of VU30, with a VGA camera, PC syncing capability, Bluetooth and a personal organizer. It sells for $29.99 with a two-year service contract and a $50 mail-in rebate.

For more:
- see this article
- see a pic of the VU30
- see a pic of the VU204

Related Articles:
Report: Motorola to develop Android phones
Verizon debuts a slew of new devices

Verizon says Alltel deal on track for end of year

Jim Barthold — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:03:04 -0400

It would be a non-news news story to say that Verizon is on track to spend $28.1 billion to acquire Alltel by the end of the year if it weren't for a tanking economy and a less-than-sureshot regulatory environment. That painful combination makes the carrier's announcement that it's going ahead with the deal newsworthy. Verizon spokeswoman Robin Nicol says the deal remains on schedule.

Verizon Wireless announced the deal during a somewhat friendlier economic climate in June and has been under an analytical microscope as financial markets worsened and the size of the deal became riskier.

When closed--both financially and via federal regulatory approval--the acquisition would make Verizon the nation's largest wireless carrier. When the deal was announced, analysts speculated about its impact on Sprint Nextel, which will drop to a distant third and AT&T, which might need to do some acquiring of its own to keep pace. The market conditions, and Verizon Wireless' apparently bold intent to plow ahead, has quelled that speculation--at least as much as that type of speculation is ever quelled.

For more:
- see this article

Related articles:
Verizon CEO predicts layoffs for Alltel employees
Leap and others asks FCC to deny Verizon/Alltel merger

AT&T, Verizon worried by credit crunch

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:32:55 -0400

As the credit crisis deepens and the rescue of the financial sector stalls in Congress, major U.S. carriers are beginning to worry about the effects of a prolonged freeze on credit to their businesses, most notably AT&T.

AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson said the company was unable to sell commercial paper--a short-term IOU--for more than any period longer than overnight, and said a shortage of buyers means borrowing in much tighter than it had been even a few weeks ago. The main aim of the financial bailout bill working its way through Congress--the U.S. Senate was expected to vote on a bill tonight--is for the Treasury to buy up bad assets on the balance sheets of financial institutions so that credit can flow more freely. Stephenson said that is not happening.

"It's loosened up a bit, but it's day-to-day right now," Stephenson said. "I mean literally it's day-to-day in terms of what our access to the capital markets looks like."

He said that the atmosphere in credit markets will lead AT&T to remain extremely cautious in terms of investment and growth.

Other telecommunications companies, including Verizon Communications, have joined major blue chip companies like GE in lobbying drives in Congress to get the bailout bill passed. The bill did not pass in the House of Representatives on Monday, by a vote of 228 to 205.

For more:
-see this AP article on AT&T
-and this article on lobbying efforts (sub. req.)

Related Articles:
Sprint Nextel outlook darkens following S&P downgrade
Big is better in a slumping economy

Report: Motorola to develop Android phones

Phil Goldstein — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:03:34 -0400

Motorola is reportedly betting that Google's Android operating system is going to be a money-maker. The firm has assembled a large team to work on developing handsets that will run on the OS, according to a report on the blog Tech Crunch.

The blog quotes an unnamed Android developer who says they were approached by a headhunter to join the development team, which now numbers 50, but could expand to as many as 350 people, indicating Motorola is serious about the project.

Motorola is a member of the Open Handset Alliance, and the move would mesh well with the theme of "openness" that has permeated the industry. Nokia and Verizon Wireless were also reportedly invited to attend an Android Developer Conference last week hosted by Google. Verizon has said that it would use Android, however the company has not joined the Open Handset Alliance.

For more:
- see this post

Related Articles:
Motorola invests in multiple mobile OS technology
Google unveils Android, Open Handset Alliance
Verizon Wireless: We will use Google's Android

FCC to review wireless mergers by year-end

Sue Marek — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:16:46 -0400

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said yesterday that the agency will try to finish its review of Verizon's pending acquisition of Alltel as well as Sprint Nextel's joint venture with Clearwire by year-end.

This is good news for all parties involved since they have been preparing for a year-end close and telling investors that things are on track. Just last month Clearwire CFO John Butler told investors that things were on track for a fourth-quarter close and that buildout of its first four mobile WiMAX markets was moving smoothly.

Meanwhile, Verizon reportedly is preparing for the finalization of the Alltel deal and has retained Morgan Stanley to sell the overlapping assets it will have in 85 cellular markets as a result of its proposed acquisition. Morgan Stanley has reportedly valued the assets, which are spread throughout the U.S., to be between $3 billion and $4 billion.

Related articles:
Clearwire says Sprint deal will close soon
Verizon hires Morgan Stanley to divest overlapping markets

Mark Lowenstein: Improving the Store Experience

Mark Lowenstein — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:28:41 -0400

A couple of times a year, I do some wireless mystery shopping. I walk into several wireless stores--a mix of carrier-owned (Verizon, AT&T), independent third party (Wireless Toys), and big box (Best Buy, RadioShack) stores--in a few different cities, and gauge how the store experience has evolved alongside the value proposition that the industry is trying to promote. My conclusion after the most recent set of site visits is that the operations side has improved significantly, but the overall customer experience still does not "delight." The objective of many customers walking into a wireless store is to get in and out of there as quickly and unscathed as possible--a mentality akin to visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles. This is a problem, because the store experience is not keeping pace with the evolution of how wireless is increasingly becoming a part of the digital life framework.

Before delving into what needs to be improved, it is important to recognize how wireless is different from other touch points in consumer electronics. First, the primary objective in wireless retail is still focused on selling services, rather than things. This takes longer, is more complex, and involves a different type of training and compensation structure for store employees. Second, more than 50 percent of all transactions in stores have nothing to do with selling anything. These are people who walk in to pay a bill, have a problem with their phone, or have some question about their service. This latter point means two important things--there is a needed focus on triage and traffic flow; and a need to carefully manage store costs.

A major focus over the past 2-3 years has been on improving the operational aspects of wireless stores. Customers were waiting in huge lines and were spending too much time in the store given what they were trying to accomplish. So there was a big focus on the basic blocking and tackling of the store experience. That focus centered around three key principles:

Streamlining processes. This is not sexy stuff, but includes things such as reducing the number of screens a store agent needs to plow through to sign up a new customer.
Automating certain functions. This automation includes such things as putting bill payment kiosks in the stores, and encouraging customers to use the Web for self-service.
Managing traffic flow. This mainly involves up-front triage when a customer walks into a store, pointing them in the right direction, and managing expectations of wait times.

While there is still much work to be done, I would say that significant progress has been made along many of the elements most frustrating to customers and store managers alike.

The next phase presents a different set of challenges. The focus on value-added services, more advanced devices, and greater role of the phone as part of the overall digital lifestyle will place greater stresses--and create new opportunities--for the wireless retail channel. I believe there are three essential priorities, all of which are inter-related. First, there is still a huge amount of work to do with respect to sales training. While store employees are more knowledgeable about data services than they were a couple of years ago, very few are able to successfully navigate the range of devices, operating systems, PC synchronization, etc., that is becoming part of the wireless territory. Whether the customer receives good (or even correct) advice or help varies widely. Of course, it would be tempting to benchmark against Apple store employees, but a more realistic comparison is the quality of training and expertise at Best Buy (good) compared to Circuit City (lousy).

The next priority is merchandising. It is still amazing to me how little delineation there is between the range of phones displayed in wireless stores, or why so few can be tried out. Accessories are another huge, largely under-tapped opportunity. Most wireless accessories are undifferentiated and unattractive, and you have to go through gyrations to figure out which charger goes with which phone, or why you should spend $79.99 on a Bluetooth headset that does the same thing as the $59.99 one next to it. By contrast, look at the exciting range of accessories that have been built for Apple products, or at the $100 Monster cables you buy to connect your DVD to your TV compared to the $6.99 RCA cables of yesteryear. Besides being cool and attractive, these accessories are hugely profitable. If wireless phones are also going to be media players, cameras and Internet devices, we need to build a better accessory ecosystem around them.

Third, we need to improve the look and feel of wireless stores. There have been some attempts to create higher-end stores or "experience" stores, but few have seen the volume increase needed to justify the higher cost. I think there's some reasonable room for incremental improvements, without having to be Apple or Bang & Olufsen. Less garish lighting, demonstration islands in the middle of the store, and more attractive displays for phones and accessories would be a good start. Think Starbucks vs. Dunkin' Donuts, or Panera Bread vs. Subway. Over time, this is going to be about selling a digital lifestyle, not just a phone or service plan.

Mark Lowenstein is Managing Director of Mobile Ecosystem. Click here to subscribe to his Lens on Wireless newsletter, and to find out more about an exciting event planned for October, the New England Mobile Summit.

AT&T Mobility planning to beat back the Storm

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:46:46 -0400

Ahead of Verizon Wireless' launch of Research In Motion's BlackBerry Storm, AT&T Mobility is readying a plan to beat back potential sales of the device as the holiday shopping season approaches, according to a report on the blog Boy Genius Report.

According to an internal document from AT&T, some of the talking points that should be used to counter the Storm's appeal include:

The Storm does not have multi-touch technology
The iPhone 3G is paired with Apple's App Store and is linked to iTunes
The iPhone 3G is capable of operating on three bands of HSDPA, and has GPS technology.

While it is not surprising that AT&T would make a marketing push showcasing the features of the iPhone 3G as more smartphones head onto the market--including T-Mobile's G1--the fact that this memo exists reveals one thing: AT&T and Apple see the Storm as a formidable competitor.

For more:
- see this post

Related Articles:
Verizon's launch of Blackberry Storm delayed until November
Storm clouds gathering around Verizon

Incoming Text: More anti-trust lawsuits filed against carriers

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:14:17 -0400

Two new class-action anti-trust lawsuits were levelled against U.S. wireless carriers yesterday in federal courts in Ohio and Kansas, as legal jeopardy facing AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA, Sprint Nextel and even Alltel Communications increased.

The new lawsuits come on the heels of one filed in Illinois federal court, and allege that the carriers have been illegally collaborating to raise text messaging rates from 10 cents to 20 cents over the last three years.

All of the lawsuits were spurred by last week's decision by U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) and chairman of the Judiciary Comittee's Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights subcommitee, to look into the hike in text messaging prices.

For more:
- see this article

Related Articles:
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Obama introduces text-messaging initiative

Verizon to offer contract-free services

Phil Goldstein — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:28:09 -0400

Starting September 21, Verizon Wireless will be joining its rival T-Mobile USA in offering contract-free services, according to an unnamed insider source in a report on the blog Boy Genius Report.

The deal is said to be offered for any voice or data plan and equipment available, and is for consumer, corporate liable and employee liable customers. The deal allows those who pay the full, unsubsidized price for mobile phones or those who bring equipment with them to upgrade their devices without making contract changes or extensions.

If true, this is a distinct departure for Verizon, which has been a contract-based carrier, while other U.S. carriers like T-Mobile USA have offered contract-free services in the form of its FlexPay service.

At deadline, Verizon had not responded to calls to confirm the report.

For more:
- see the report

Related Articles:
T-Mobile Offers Customers Additional Service Plan Flexibility
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On the Hot Seat with Verizon's Anthony Lewis

Sue Marek — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:58:07 -0400

Open networks were a hot topic at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment conference in San Francisco earlier this month. At the center of the open access debate is Verizon Wireless' Vice President of Open Development Anthony Lewis, who is charged with developing Verizon's open device and application initiative. Lewis talked to FierceWireless editor in chief Sue Marek at the show about Verizon's progress on this front and why this carrier's approach is different from its competitors.

FierceWireless: Verizon first announced the Open Device Initiative last fall. How is the program progressing?

Anthony Lewis: Two devices have been certified on the network through this program--the SupplyNet Communications device and an inmate tracking device made by Behavior Innovations. It's basically a device that tracks those that have skirted the law.

There also is a low-cost handset that is in process [this device was shown by Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam during the opening keynote session at the CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment show in San Francisco]. It is pre-certified.

FierceWireless: How much interest have you had in this program?

Lewis: Back in March in New York we had a conference about the Open Device Initiative and we had about 320 companies that physically attended the conference and received the introduction to the program. An additional 350 watched the broadcast live via the Web. Some folks were application developers but we also had distributors. RadioShack was a presenter at the conference.

FierceWireless: When it comes to open networks, some operators are more focused on open applications. I spoke with Sprint Nextel's Kevin Packingham last week and he said Sprint thinks the big opportunity is in the applications area. What is Verizon's view?

Lewis: We are a catalyst for the device maker. We have invested in a network and we have distribution partners interested in this as well.

Investing in designing devices is no small feat. We want to encourage this and we are getting those folks together with distribution partners. We are figuring out what is the business model to get the handsets into the hands of consumers and businesses. That is why we have open development business at Verizon.

I don't disagree with other operators that think the applications are important. Applications are a big part of the business. We agree. We think we have to start with the devices and the device market is huge. If you look at the market-just think of all the devices that are possible. Look at home automation alone. I'm not talking about just embedding a chip in the television and the refrigerator. We can start to make your home smart and there is an incentive to do it.

Being able to wirelessly connect all these devices is simple. When you move to a new home the appliances will typically last 10-15 years. What if we had the ability to tell you when something was going to go wrong? Just like the computers that are in your car today, we can have those same indicators in your home with diagnostic signals that can be sent via SMS.

FierceWireless: So you have focused not just on the device market but on machine to machine communications?

Lewis: We think this is the sweet spot for us and we can cultivate the market. We want to be on the forefront. Folks are surprised that we are being proactive about this because few companies want to do this. We get in early and partner early. We get the devices certified on the network and you don't have to wonder about it again.

FierceWireless: What is the biggest challenge for you?

Lewis: I need to execute and get out there to support the mechanism behind this organization. Without a device, an application is interesting. But we are redefining what a device means in the wireless business.

In the future, the majority of the wireless devices will be M2M devices. You won't even know they are communicating and helping you.

FierceWireless: You are starting with this vision now--with the 1xEVDO Rev. A network and not waiting until LTE?

Lewis: No we are not going to wait for LTE. We want to get to market right away. As the network transitions, we will too.

I have to substantiate that I have created an organization around this. I am out to prove this is the way to go and the future of the connections and devices.

FierceWireless: But what about the application side of this?

Lewis: Right now we are concentrating on devices. You can run any application on these devices, it doesn't matter to me. And you can run any operating system. I'll take them all. I'm not excluding applications. Go ahead and bring me applications. Application providers were prominent at the conference. But we need the devices to supply to the application providers.

FierceWireless: But your vision of the connected home doesn't necessarily take advantage of the wireless network. Why do you need mobile to monitor appliances?

Lewis: You don't. Our vision includes all of Verizon. Depending on the application, it could be using the Verizon Wireless network, Verizon's FIOS network or even WiFi. In the future you may want certain things in your home to be mobile and maybe those things will talk to immobile devices. So the communications will move from one network to the other.

Skype official calls out carriers on "open" networks

Phil Goldstein — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:26:55 -0400

In a strongly-worded letter to the FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Skype official complained that the major U.S. wireless carriers were all talk when it came to "open" networks, and that if the Commission wanted to live up to its stated goal of making open networks more accessible, it would affirm that this policy covers wireless networks.

Christopher Libertelli, Skype's senior director of government and regulatory affairs for North America, said that last week at the CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment conference in San Francisco, the major U.S. carriers paid lip service to the idea of open networks, but strongly cautioned that too much choice would lead to chaos, and damage the viability of their business model.

Libertelli stated that, "The attitude of the wireless carriers was perhaps best summed up in Sprint Nextel Corp. CEO Dan Hesse's recent comment: 'The big Internet can be daunting... There can be too much choice.' This stands in stark contrast to the Commission's wise policies designed to promote as much consumer choice as possible."

He said Skype was mindful of the challenges wireless carriers faced in moving to an open network. But he also said it was not enough to simply talk about open networks.

"Consumer choice, competition and free markets, not carriers acting to block competition, should win the day in wireless--now, not later," he said. "If the Commission believed that the transition to more open networks was going to proceed quickly, statements out of CTIA's convention suggest just the opposite."

"Openness" was a major theme of the conference in San Francisco, and the first keynote session included Sprint Nextel's Hesse as well T-Mobile USA's CEO Robert Dotson and Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam speaking about what "open" meant to their companies.

For more:
- see the letter

Related Articles:
CTIA: Carriers talk "open" network but no clear definition
What is open anyway?

Storm clouds gathering around Verizon

Jim Barthold — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:57:53 -0400

The market is abuzz with the notion the BlackBerry Storm-the device formerly known as Thunder-will saturate Verizon Wireless' stores sometime very soon.

Verizon emailed a message hinting that the Storm was on its radar screen and delivering some talking points about the new device. While not necessarily announcing the launch, this seems to presage an official acknowledgement that Verizon Wireless will be the first North American carrier to market the touchscreen-equipped device from Research in Motion.

The Storm's attractions go beyond being a feature-loaded Apple killer--although there are few who will debate that's its primary reason to exist. It also importantly fills a gap that's been more painful than a tooth cavity for international travelers by incorporating quad-band GSM/EDGE technology to deliver world-wide roaming capabilities. Of course for non-international travelers--and there's a few out there--the Storm will feature all the latest must-haves such as a 3.2 megapixel camera, a full HTML browser and visual voicemail.

For more:
- see this article
- see this BlackBerry Thunder photo

Related:
- Verizon's launch of Blackberry Storm delayed until November. Article