The BlackBerry Storm's packaging has been unveiled to the masses, thanks to the folks at Engadget. According to the details written on the box, the Storm will ship with an 8GB microSDHC memory card pre-installed, along with a SIM card minus Wi-Fi. Now that's a sore disappointment, since most smartphones these days already come with the ability to surf over local Wi-Fi networks. In case it looks familiar, the Storm will be available from Verizon, but folks dancing to the tunes of Rogers Wireless and Vodafone will receive it under the moniker of Thunder. No idea on pricing, but word has it the Storm/Thunder will be out sometime in the middle of October via Verizon Wireless.

Just when you thought that the iPhone 3G's connection is disappointing, along comes the BlackBerry Bold from AT&T that suffers from a similar woeful cellular access performance. Early testing from certain reputable quarters have shown that the Bold will drop its connection to the slower EDGE network for inexplicable reasons, and even cutting off completely. There are a few possible explanations: the Bold's firmware needs a patch (battery management is too aggressive), or it could be an internal component issue

HTC's latest slim slider, the S740, caters to people who prefer a solid QWERTY keyboard to key in their text messages and compose emails instead of relying on a full touch screen. The QWERTY keyboard will be revealed only when you slide it open, and it retains the Touch Diamond's back cover design. Check out the specifications of the HTC S740 below :-

• HSDPA connectivity on 900/2100MHz bands
• Quad-band EDGE support
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• GPS navigation
• 2.4" QVGA display

Contrary to previous rumors, HSBC won't be taking the iPhone route but will remain with the BlackBerry camp instead. According to HSBC spokesman Donal McCarthy, "There are no current plans to replace the BlackBerry. It is the business standard." The business standard, eh? Apparently the whole mix-up appeared after HSBC's Australia and New Zealand chief information officer Brenton Hush told ZDNet.com.au, "We are actually reviewing iPhones from a HSBC Group perspective ... and when I say that, I mean globally."

Online retailer Expansys has made a boo-boo - or rather, two of them, by leaking out information of the upcoming BlackBerry 8220 and 8210 smartphones. Also known as KickStart and SeaWolf respectively, these handsets made a brief appearance on a pre-order page while showing off handset specifications that include the following :-

• 20-key SureType keyboard
• Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
• 3.5mm headphones jack
• microSD memory card slot

E-Ten has released its Glofiish X610 budget smartphone model for the Russian market, but if you're looking for 3G connectivity across the vast Siberian plains, you can forget about this handset. What you'll get with the X610 are :-

• Samsung SC3 400MHz processor
• 128MB ROM
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks supported
• QVGA touch screen display
• SiRF Star III GPS chipset
• 2 megapixel camera
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity

Motorola has just rolled out the downloadable Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard upgrade for both the Moto Q9h and Q9h Global phones. As one would naturally expect upgrades to come with better things, this one offers a wee increase in speed with new operating system features such as a task manager, sliding panels and cut-and-paste. These are significant improvements over the Windows Mobile 6.0 which both Motorola Q9h and Q9h Global shipped with. Non-touchscreen users will benefit from the "sliding panel" home screen that looks more and more like the home screen found on touchscreen devices. Gotta love the threaded SMS function that is a boon to a communications-heavy device like the Q9 series, while the Task Manager makes it a snap to close bloated applications as and when you don't need them.

How long can your smartphone last before it requires a trip to the nearest power outlet? I'd say a couple of days at best, assuming you're a pretty heavy user. Two Technologies has released their handheld ruggedized computer known as the Hydrus that is touted to come with a whopping 40 hour battery life despite boasting all the bells and whistles found in most other smartphones of today. Features of the Hydrus include :-

• Marvell PXA270 624MHz processor
• 256MB RAM
• 2GB flash memory
• 3.6" 320 x 240 resolution display
• 55 key keyboard
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash
• Barcode scanner
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 1.2 connectivity

• Intel XScale PXA270 624 MHz processor
• 640 × 480 pixel camera and bar code scanner
• 256MB RAM
• 1GB flash memory
• 2500mAh extended life battery
• SD memory card slot
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Wi-Fi support

SBSH Mobile Software has just updated its Papyrus for Windows Mobile Standard software to version 2. This innovative time management application aims to bring the best out of your smartphone, with some of the interesting features including :-

• Search View - Effective search functionality for your PIM items
• Automatically email change notifications and appointment invitations to appointment attendees
• Pop-out Effect on different views
• Active timeline display
• Built-in category icon store
• Redesigned interface

The almighty FCC has already given their nod of approval to the HTC Dream, and it seems that the road is clear for this 3G-enabled handset to make its way to the expectant masses. There are no external photos to determine which wireless carrier will make this smartphone available, but it wouldn't be too far off the mark to place the Dream under the quad-band GSM/EDGE smartphone category, supporting UMTS (WCDMA) 3G on the 1700MHz band that is currently being used by T-Mobile. It is also tipped that the HTC Dream will come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, in addition to some sort of “jogball” navigation device that functions in a similar manner like the trackball used in both Sidekicks and BlackBerry handsets.

Rogers Wireless has decided to price the BlackBerry Bold way higher than the iPhone 3G so that it won't be in direct competition. I'm not too sure if this is a brilliant idea or not, but I would think it wouldn't be too fair on people who would want the Bold over the iPhone 3G and will have to fork out more just because the carrier does not want sales of the Bold to be cannibalized. Word has it the Bold will cost $400 despite a 3-year contract - a cool $100 more compared to the 16GB iPhone 3G despite the fact that the bold has just 1GB of internal memory. What do you have to say about this kind of pricing structure? I suppose consumers always have the choice to, you know, stick with their existing handset and fight against the upgrade bug.

Russians will be able to get their hands on the Sky Link AnyDATA ASP-505 smartphone soon, and it will come with the following impressive specifications.

• Samsung S3C2443 400MHz processor
• 2.8" touch screen display
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• EV-DO Rev. A support
• CDMA 450/800MHz
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Integrated GPS
• microSD memory card slot

The H16A might look like any other high end slide-out smartphones in the market, and you can be excused for thinking that way. After all, the design isn't exactly inspired, and I don't think anyone has thought of a way to turn this design around in a slimmer form factor yet. This will be the business person's constant companion, so hopefully the battery has more than enough juice to handle all the features and functions that come along with the H16A.

• Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900
• Samsung S3C2440A 400MHz processor
• 128MB ROM
• 64MB RAM
• 2.8" TFT LCD 240 x 320 resolution display
• QWERTY keyboard
• Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system
• Bluetooth 1.2 connectivity
• Wi-Fi connectivity
• miniSD memory card slot
• mini USB connectivity