Despite Verizon's best efforts to ignore the obvious, RIM's BlackBerry Storm2 is not only official, it's (un)officially destined for Big Red's airwaves. If you're one of those slightly disgruntled Storm 9530 owners, however, you could be looking at a rather nice firmware update coming your way in the near future. According to phoneArena, the Storm and Storm2 will eventually be "practically identical" in terms of software, with a forthcoming update to add flick scrolling, tabbed browsing and threaded texting to the original. Of course, we should probably wait for VZW to confirm the existence of the Storm2 before expecting any formal word on this, but feel free to go about your day with cautious optimism.

Will Verizon release an official update to 5.0 for the current generation of the Storm? Maybe -- it's a total crap shoot -- but even if they do, your children's children could be having midlife crises before it's actually released considering the glacial pace that Verizon typically gets new hardware and software to market. Of course, that's partly thanks to an infamously back-breaking testing regimen that helps Verizon consistently earn high marks for network quality and generally keeps customers off the support lines, but for those of us who want nothing more than to live on the edge, it's good to see that another packaged 5.0 update for the 9530 has hit the wires -- this one versioned 5.0.0.230. We imagine this one's leaps and bounds more stable than the nearly unusable stuff from earlier this summer, and initial reports from users seems to indicate as much -- the camera works (always a good thing) and there seem to be countless minor tweaks and fixes that folks are describing as "promising." As always, your average BlackBerry user who relies on the phone day in and day out might want to wait for something a little less leaky -- but like we said, it could be a bit of a wait.

Pardon the pun, but we've got the perfect storm here: the Storm 2 is undoubtedly just around the corner, the holiday shopping season is a stone's throw away, and Verizon's probably sitting on a fat pile of stagnating Storm inventory that's gotta go. What's North America's largest carrier to do? Drop pricing on the original through the floor, of course, which means you can now pick up the 9530 for a scant $49.99 on a two-year contract after rebate. If you recall, it went for $199.99 at launch, so it's a decent deal (for Verizon, anyway -- it's been easy to get a free Storm through third parties for a while now), so just don't freak out on us when the replacement hits any month now, alright?

[Via PhoneArena]

With all signs (and by "all," we mean "all") pointing to a new Storm joining Verizon Wireless' lineup in the not-too-distant future, it's just about the perfect time to start discounting the current model in hopes of working that inventory down before the inevitable launch of numero dos. Starting today, VZW customers can snap up the SurePress-equipped Storm 9530 for $99.99 on contract, which is a full Benjamin less than it has been since debuting last November. If you're looking for a word of advice on the situation, here's ours: hold out for the next revision -- you'll thank us later.

[Thanks, Cara]

So there's a new build of the 9530's firmware floating around; this is pretty much a weekly occurrence and not necessarily anything to get terribly excited about (though we're sure the more enterprising Storm owners out there are going to want to upgrade). Here's the thing, though: we've recently been told by a very well-connected source that Verizon rejected 141 because of one issue alone, and was already testing a replacement for it that was "still in the 140 range." That would mean that it'd have to be somewhere between 142 and 149 -- and yes, fellow mathematicians, 148 meets that requirement. Given the countless delays and the fact that Verizon has already rejected at least two firmwares, we wouldn't count on this happening any time soon -- if at all -- but it's a nice, hope-filled target to shoot for.

Why other CDMA carriers can seamlessly roll out newer builds of the Storm's firmware without fanfare or drama when Verizon can't is beyond us, but for whatever reason, Big Red's been totally unable to put its finger on a build that it has liked lately. First we heard they'd been eyeing 4.7.0.113, then we heard they were learning toward 141 -- and now, who the hell knows, because the latest rumors claim that 141 has failed validation. Ominously, it seems that no game plan has yet been put in place to succeed 141 in the official roadmap, so it's unclear whether they'll be looking at continuing down the 4.7 path or moving straight to 5.0. One way or another, it goes without saying that Verizon's version of the 9530 needs new software -- so if you haven't yet, you might want to consider nabbing one of the countless leaked builds rather than waiting for your carrier to get its butt in gear.

Want a head start on the very firmware Verizon might be launching next month? If you're a Storm 9530 owner, of course you do -- and like clockwork, it's now been leaked for everyone to enjoy. The version you'll be looking for here is 4.7.0.141, which by our rough calculations is some 28 builds ahead of the 4.7.0.113 we'd previously heard would hit the carrier-branded devices in an official capacity. Hopefully the latest version rocks all the same features, enhancements, and fixes that 113 did, and a whole lot more; let us know how it goes for you if you pull the trigger ahead of Verizon's blessing, yeah?

Bell gets the gold star on its forehead for being the first CDMA carrier out of the gate with a newish build for the BlackBerry 9530, but Telus isn't far behind, releasing 4.7.0.122 -- the very same build Bell released, in fact. This leaves only Verizon with one of the worst cases of firmware lethargy we've seen in recent memory -- at a time when one of its hero devices needs as much love as it can get, no less -- so we're definitely taking some comfort in the information we're getting that build 141 is on track for May. Cross you fingers, folks.

[Via CrackBerry]

We reported not long ago that Verizon had been planning to release 4.7.0.113 as its next official firmware update for the Storm, and now, PC World is reporting that it'll finally be dropping sometime int he next two weeks. Considering that other 9530 carriers have already rolled out post-113 builds to their customers, we can't help but wonder a couple things: first, whether 113 will still be the chosen release, and second, why RIM can't get all of these carriers on the same page. It seems a bit silly for Bell to have signed off on a recent build while Verizon's still hemming and hawing; realistically, Bell, Telus, and Verizon probably could've collaborated with RIM's assistance to get a more unified roll-out underway. In the meantime, Verizon's looking silly, slow, and out of touch.

Verizon users are still waiting patiently for something blessed official by the powers that be, but meanwhile, Storm-ites on Bell up north are finally in the game. Build 122 of the Storm 9530's firmware hit Bell's servers in the past few days, presumably offering all the goodies 113 has to offer and more (it's 9 higher, after all, and we all know that higher numbers are always good). The Storm could end up being a feel-good story of how a device can go from "pretty bad" to "pretty good" with firmware updates alone, so keep 'em coming, RIM. You too, carriers.

[Thanks, Sean]

We've been able to confirm that Verizon currently plans to release version 4.7.0.113 as its next official Storm firmware build -- about time, considering that the last (and only) official upgrade came some four months ago while a countless flurry of interim builds have whizzed by on the interwebs. It gets better, though: we've also scored an official list of fixes and enhancements in 113, which we've broken down after the break. A word of warning: it's a massive, massive list. Read on!

What's the only thing better than a carrier-endorsed firmware that fixes a plethora of the Storm's reported issues? An NHL-themed decal, of course! It looks like Bell is prepping to launch the 9530 in a special NHL package that'll include a skin for the hockey team of your choice (admittedly, we're kinda digging the striped front) and a storage card preloaded with NHL content and goodies. Altogether, you'll be paying $249.95 CAD on a three-year contract for the package, which represents a $50 premium over the plain-vanilla Storm; hopefully there's a mail-in rebate involved there somewhere, eh?

It's that magical time again -- that time where we get out our Storms, cross our fingers, and take that leap of faith hoping that RIM knows better than our carriers do (and let's be honest, that's not a terribly big leap of faith). Yet another firmware for the 9530 has leaked out of Waterloo without any endorsement -- thus far, anyway -- by any carriers offering the device, but this one's a little special in that it apparently implements that new copy / paste method we'd been hearing about. As always, upgraders are advised to use caution, but seriously, how many firmware builds can we go through before Verizon goes ahead and certifies one for the masses?

Alright, this is just getting out of hand, is it not? We've completely lost count of the number of firmwares RIM has released for the Storm 9500 and 9530 since the phones were launched, but perhaps the real question is, why has Verizon only released one? We suppose they're waiting for the goods to get solid enough, but this one's looking like a doozy: the media player no longer skips the beginnings of songs, inline JavaScript on web pages is once again working, and there appear to be small improvements to accelerometer performance and general system lag. You'll be looking at 4.7.0.106 if you're running a GSM 9500, and 103 for the 9530. Godspeed, upgraders.