For better or worse, it turns out GSM networks aren't the only ones to enjoy the BlackBerry Curve in a decidedly pale shade of red. The pink Curve 8330 has now been confirmed for Verizon, with sales starting as soon as this Friday for $99.99 after rebate on a two-year contract. We still want that mythical near-black version that Sprint had originally showed off, but this has to be a close second. Or third. Or definitely in the top five.

Wild colors are something we're used to seeing on the Pearl range, but the Curve? The red one seemed to work out alright, so bring it on, RIM. The WiFi and HotSpot @Home-equipped Curve 8320 has now made its grand entrance on T-Mobile in "Sunset," a color we'd suspected would probably happen once stores started... you know, getting them. Always seems to be a good indicator. Look for it starting today for $149.99 on the standard two-year deal.

Don't get us wrong, the 8320's just great in both titanium and pale gold -- in fact, pretty much anything is made better when cast in pale gold, now that we think about it -- but RIM's lineup can always use a little more color, and T-Mobile's about to add its WiFi-enabled Curve in "Sunset." Looks like the new shade is starting to filter into the wild, and while we don't think its going to steal one ounce of attention from the Bold, that bright-ass shell is definitely a great way of silently screaming "I'm checking my email, dammit" to the world about you. Not bad.

Rumors persist that RIM has another BlackBerry planned for Nextel's iDEN network -- a network that's aging rapidly, no question, but it still has gobs of relevance in the business world where RIM just happens to keep its bread and butter. Last we'd heard there would be a WiFi-compatible Nextel BlackBerry by the end of the year, and it looks like that window is still basically on track -- though it may slip to early 2009 -- and when it does finally launch, it'll take the form of a Curve with model number 8350. Don't get us wrong, the Curve is a great device by 2007 and early 2008 standards, but if it really does launch early next year, it'll be staring down the barrel of at least one entirely new stablemate, the Bold, and possibly several others as well. 'Course, there are probably plenty of faithful push-to-talkers out there that are thankful just to have any reasonably recent BlackBerry in the pipeline, so three cheers for that, we suppose.

There's been a lot of chatter the past few days that the Motorola Q9c, a Windows Mobile phone launched on Sprint to little fanfare late last year, has gone up to that great Windows Mobile 6.1 build in the sky now that it's disappeared off Sprint's online store. That'd really be something, considering that Verizon and others have just launched it in the past couple months -- but not entirely out of the question, particularly if it's a dead-slow seller or is earning more than its fair share of tech support calls. For what it's worth, though, we touched base with Sprint on the matter and were informed that it's just "out of stock for direct ship" -- that's the stuff you see on Sprint's site -- but that it should still be readily available in retail stores.

On a related note, the Curve is out of stock as well, but no need to panic there, either. Sprint tells us that they're experiencing some pretty crazy demand for the thing, but that they're replenishing inventory on a daily basis and it should be back online within a few days.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Inventory paperwork coming out of Sprint suggests that the launch date for the Treo 800w has actually moved up about a week from the last rumor, pegging general availability of the latest Palm kit for July 13. That will likely beat Verizon's launch -- just as Sprint did with the Centro -- and position it for the rather unenviable task of trying to score some modicum of fanfare in the midst of Apple's July 11 iPhone 3G onslaught. It's hard to argue that these two are competing for the same target audience, but even so, it seems like there's a healthy buffer around the 11th that most carriers are going to want to avoid for launching important devices (as any Treo inevitably is, no matter how lukewarm the styling may be).

Also notable on the inventory sheet is a mention of a red BlackBerry Curve launching on the same day, giving chronic emailers an option that's just a little more playful than the titanium trim currently available. Two devices from legendary lineages renowned for the quality of their keyboards launching on the same carrier on the same day? Yeah, no complaints here.

[Via WMExperts]

Well, what do you know? This week's How Would You Change question hits home in the Mobile world, so we figured we'd give you all a fair shot at chiming in. For those who've coughed up the requisite coin to procure a BlackBerry Curve 8330 on one of our nation's CDMA carriers, how on Earth is it treating you? Found any annoyances you'd like to see changed? If so, head on over to Engadget Classic and drop your comments there.

Late's better than never -- usually, anyway -- and a rumored release date finally stuck long enough for the BlackBerry Curve 8330 to make an appearance on Sprint's online store. In fact, as "mid-May" goes, May 9 is actually on the early side of things if you want to get technical about it, so we guess some kudos are actually due here. Sprint's asking $179.99 on contract with rebates for the pleasure of indulging in its latest mobile productivity tool, which you'll ironically be using to respond to emails during meetings that you're supposed to be listening in on. Funny how the world works, isn't it?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

After the April slip-up -- which we're hearing might be more RIM's fault than anything else, a thought validated by the fact that Sprint, Verizon, and Alltel have all slipped -- it looks like Sprint customers and would-be customers might finally be able to get their hands on some sweet, sweet Curve lovin' tomorrow. Boy Genius Report has netted what appears to be a page out of Sprint's internal Playbook, showing "direct ship" availability as of May 9 for a mere $179.99 on contract after the full menu of rebates has been applied. Not bad, all things considered (the price, that is, not the delay we've been suffering through).

Verizon said we'd be getting the BlackBerry Curve 8330 in May, and it looks like the company is right on schedule: RIM's latest is now available with a two-year contract for $219 and a $50 rebate. Specs are exactly the same as we've known forever, which means there's no WiFi, but that's not going to stop any of you, now is it?

P.S.- Sorry, Sprint subscribers, we still don't know when you're getting this one, apart from "mid-May."

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

So much for Sprint's claim that the April launch date was still on, eh? Turns out Sprint has now officially delayed the introduction of its BlackBerry Curve 8330 on the grounds that it has a "desire to conduct additional testing to ensure a high-quality user experience for all functionality of the [phone], including exclusive Sprint services like Sprint TV and Sprint Music Store." We guess we're willing to wait a few weeks to get all the bugs ironed out, sort of. Hang tight, folks.

Turns out the Glyde's gonna have to share the spotlight a bit when it launches early next month. The Curve 8330 has been confirmed by our sources for a May 9 release through Verizon's B2B, web, and telesales channels, followed by a May 12 launch in "all channels" (which we assume means you'll be able to walk into any old store and grab one). It'll go for $319.99 before $50 rebate on a two-year contract, ranging all the way up to $439.99 if you have no interest in signing your name on the dotted line. 'Course, Sprint told us point-blank that it'd be launching the Curve in April and that didn't exactly pan out, so we recommend exercising some restraint here until your jaded heart actually spies it on Verizon's site -- or better yet, on a store shelf.

While we twiddle our thumbs for these CDMA Curves to finally hit an American carrier or three, we thought we'd post some imagery for everyone to enjoy. Actually, nix "everyone" -- only the diehard BlackBerry addicts are going to get into this. Don't look over your shoulder, buddy, you know who you are. Yeah, you. It's okay, have a peek!

Not to be outdone by Verizon and Sprint (and pretty much everyone else with a CDMA network), Alltel's gone ahead and tacked the Curve 8330 onto its roadmap as well. Can you get it now? No, not quite, but it'll hit on May 1 in "titanium" for $229.99 after the full host of discounts and rebates has been applied on contract. Yeah, it sucks that you have to wait a few more days to pick it up, but you can feel free to place your pre-order now if you like over on Alltel's site.