I drove over to my local Best Buy and Verizon stores today to see if I can get any updates about the BlackBerry Storm 9550. Upon arriving at Best Buy the first thing I saw was a Storm 9550 dummy unit on display. I decided to ask the Best Buy reps if they knew when it would launch in their stores and they were clueless, telling me maybe November.

After Best Buy I drove over to the Verizon store to see if they knew anything more about the Storm 9550. I was able to talk to an Assistant Manager who instantly responded with “it should be launching October 28th”.

The October 28th launch date has been spotted a few times so this isn’t new information, but since this Verizon location is just a retail store, I would say that the October 28th launch date is solid. We’ll find out soon enough since the 28th is only three days away…

I first told you about Best Buy Mobile’s new and free mIQ wireless syncing service a few weeks ago but totally forgot to follow up with the official launch on October 12th!

mIQ is an awesome app/service that I’m sure many of you will appreciate since you can do so much while on the run. About mIQ:

Mobile technology is pretty amazing, but getting the most out of it can sometimes be challenging. mIQ was created to make it easy for users to unleash the potential of their mobile phone.

mIQ from Best Buy Mobile helps users sync their contacts, text messages, calendar events, calls, photos, videos, and internet favorites from their mobile phones to their private web-based mIQ account. Once in sync, the user can backup and interact with their information, share their experiences with friends and social sites, discover the top solutions available for their phones, and restore their content when moving from one phone to the next.

The mIQ service keeps the phone and the web constantly connected, so that the stuff done on one automatically shows up on the other in just a few seconds, helping users access and share their stuff whether they’re on the go or in front of their computers – no cables or effort required!

For more info and to sign up head to miqlive.com from your desktop browser or m.miqlive.com from your BlackBerry Browser to download the app OTA.

Thanks George!

Just got some fresh photos of a Verizon BlackBerry Storm2 dummy unit thanks to @Ackee_!

A few days ago I posted some promo flyers showing the Storm2 as being part of a buy-one-get-one free deal. At that time I said “I wouldn’t be surprised if it launched within a few days,” and it looks like I may have been onto something because, according to an article by the New York Times, Verizon and RIM might be launching the Storm2 this week!

This week, Verizon and R.I.M. are trying again with a Storm do-over, the Storm 2. Among its many improvements, the new phone gives the user the sensation of pushing a physical button when pressing a number on the glass touch screen.

Lowell C. McAdam, the chief executive of Verizon Wireless, has been carrying the revamped device for a few weeks, looking for any evidence that this time it will catch on. Mr. McAdam said that while he was recently visiting the Verizon store in New York’s SoHo district, he started talking to a couple of students from New York University who were shopping for cellphones.

“I let them play with the second-generation Storm device,” he said. “They came back and said ‘Oh, my gosh.’ They were very excited. This is what they hoped the original Storm should be.”

Vodafone Germany has the Storm 9520 listed as coming soon and Vodafone UK might also be launching the Storm2 this week, and since  Best Buy is already getting accessories for it, a launch some time this week is definitely a possibility! Let’s not hold our breath though…

I’ve included a shot of the Storm2 dummy unit from behind after the jump. Let me know what you think in the comments!

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UPDATE Added a full-size image (packaging and all) after the jump. *

If there was any doubt, here is some more confirmation that the BlackBerry Storm 2 will be launching on Verizon very soon. @Ackee_ sent me a picture of a Verizon buy-one-get-one (BOGO) free flyer showing the “New Storm2″ next to its older siblings!

Earlier today I mentioned that Vodafone might be launching the Storm2 this week. If true, Verizon will probably launch either next week or the following week. Since Best Buy is already getting accessories for the Storm2 I wouldn’t be surprised if it launched within a few days, but let’s not push it .

Anyone else hear or see anything about the Storm2’s launch? Let me know in the comments or send me a message!

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According to Engadget, BlackBerry Storm 2 accessories have started arriving at some Best Buy locations around the country. The model number is 9550 and apparently the Storm II and Odin names both appear on the front of these accessories instead of the more commonly used Storm 2 name seen around the web.

The Guardian.co.uk is reporting that Vodafone UK customers might see a Storm 2 launch this week. A few weeks ago Salomondrin let us know that this would be the case with Verizon possibly launching the Storm 2 a week later and Canadian carriers soon after that. If this turns out to be wrong we can at least bet that the launch before November 27th date is right.

This may come as a surprise to some of you but it looks like the launch of the Verizon  Storm 2 might be getting pushed back.

Earlier details leaked by Salomondrin said that the Storm 2 would launch around mid-October and this info was further “confirmed” by a leaked Best Buy inventory image which showed the device as possibly getting launched on or around October 25th. According to a tip sent to Gizmodo, the Storm 2 and Curve 2 will be launching by Black Friday.

Black Friday lands on November 27th this year and while this could mean that the Storm 2 won’t launch till late November, it also means that it could launch anytime before Black Friday. If we consider both launch rumors for the Storm 2 then it looks like we can expect a launch anytime between mid October and late November.

The Curve 2’s launch seems to still be on the same track since an earlier rumor also said it would launch some time in late November.

So…which rumor do you think is right? Would the release of the Storm 2 getting pushed back tick any of you off?

Best Buy Mobile let me know about a new service they are launching on October 12th called mIQ. This service allows you to access, share and manage mobile data through a secure and personal Web portal, all done over the air!

Key Features

• Data backup & management: Upgrading to a new phone used to be a hassle. With mIQ, all content that lives on the mobile device — contacts, text messages, calendar events, calls, photos, videos, and voicemail messages — is automatically uploaded and safely backed-up on a personal Web-based mIQ account making it easy to sync, search, interact with, share it or transfer it from one phone to another. Since the mobile phone is constantly connected to the Web, mIQ automatically syncs any changes from the Web to the mobile device and vice-versa, instantly.
• Contacts: mIQ helps users easily manage and track the communication with all their contacts. Contacts from Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and other sources can be imported into the mIQ account and synchronized with the mobile phone. Users can then add, edit, or delete contacts from the personal mIQ account – the changes will be instantly pushed to the mobile phone and backed up on the web. Additionally, mIQ enables users to easily view text messages and calls associated with each contact.
• Enhanced text messaging: The mIQ Web platform provides an instant message-like experience by organizing SMS text messages into a conversational format. mIQ automatically uploads text messages to an inbox in the personal mIQ account where they can be read, forwarded, or responded to from any computer. Unlike other Web messaging solutions that deliver texts from random phone numbers, mIQ sends the text messages through the user’s mobile phone, ensuring that the recipient will always know who the message is from.
• Calendar: Instant access to appointments and events is important whether sitting in front of a computer or on the go. mIQ automatically uploads appointments and events from the phone calendar to the Web. Users can then add, edit, or delete calendar entries from either the mobile phone or the mIQ account and changes are automatically synched between the two platforms.
• Photos and videos: mIQ enables users to do more with the memories captured with their smartphones. mIQ automatically uploads photos and videos from the mobile phone to the personal mIQ account – as soon as they are taken – making it easy to organize them by adding titles and descriptions, share them through email and text messages and post them to social networking sites.
• Social media connectivity: Social networking on mobile devices has taken connectivity to a whole new level. Updating friends on the latest happenings no longer requires a trip to the computer. mIQ features instant connectivity to popular social sites like Facebook, Flickr, FriendFeed and Twitter, helping users share their mobile experiences – status, photos and videos – directly from their smartphone, wherever they may be.

Pretty awesome and best of all…it’s FREE!

Right now you can sign up for an invite and take a tour of this service at miqlive.com. For more info check out the press release after the jump. Once the service launches don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!

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It looks like this week is the week for leaks. BGR was sent a screenshot of Best Buy’s inventory showing the Verizon BlackBerry Storm 2 (9550) dummy units as being in stock on October 25th!

According to BG there is a good chance that the Storm 9550 will be launching on or around October 25th because the actual units usually get sent out a bit earlier than the dummy units.

If this holds true then Vodafone customers might see it sooner with Canadian BlackBerry users seeing a launch soon after Verizon’s.

Who’s excited about the Storm 2?

Verizon has already officially announced the July 12th launch date for the BlackBerry Tour 9630 in two versions and we have already seen an unboxing video of it, so I’m sure many of you are anxious to get this BlackBerry.

Some of you may even be worried that Verizon stores will sell out and you may not make it in time. Well now you don’t have to worry as much because Best Buy Mobile is also taking pre-orders for the Verizon Tour!

For a $50 deposit at your local Best Buy store you can reserve yourself a new BlackBerry Tour 9630 and make sure you have it on launch day. There is currently no information about pre-ordering the Tour on the Best Buy site so you’ll have to actually go into the store to reserve it.

If you successfully reserve yourself a Verizon Tour at your local Best Buy let me know!

via CrackBerry

Viigo Alpha for BlackBerry has been updated to version 3.1.324.

The obvious change that I noticed is that there is now a “Deals” service where you can get the latest deals by store or by category. I’m sure there are also plenty of bug fixes in this update too.

Browse by Store so far includes 6th Avenue, Abe’s of Maine, Amazon.com, B&H Photo Video, Best Buy, Buy.com, CompUSA, Dell, Geeks, JR.com, NewEgg, OfficeDepot, Overstock, PC Connection and Walmart.

Browse by Category so far includes Cameras and Camcorders, Computer Accessories, Computer Storage, Computers, Flash Memory, GPS Navigators, Games and Consoles, Home Theatre and Televisions, MP3 Players, Printers, Security and Nanny Cameras and Webcams.

Viigo Alpha is still in its testing stages so you may find a few bugs here and there. Since this isn’t a production release install at your own risk!

You can download Viigo Alpha by going to getviigo.com/alpha from your BlackBerry Browser. Don’t forget to let Viigo know about any bugs or suggestions through the “Feedback” option in the application itself, or by leaving some comments here.