Blackberry Storm Hits Shelves At Verizon

Winter weather didn't keep technology-loving cell phone customers from visiting Verizon Wireless stores throughout the state Friday, as Research In Motion Ltd. released its appropriately named BlackBerry Storm.

According to Meredith Dropkin, a Syracuse-based spokesperson for Verizon Wireless, stores in Buffalo and Rochester had as many as 25 people waiting in line at 8 a.m. Friday morning - with customers keeping staff busy throughout the day.

Such was the scene at Jamestown's Verizon Wireless location on Fairmount Avenue, where workers were busy selling, activating and explaining the new phone to customers well into the evening.

''So far, especially this morning, the volume has been, I would call it, exceeding expectations,'' Ms. Dropkin said Friday.

''As of right now, I think they're actually experiencing some technical difficulties in processing because of the volume.''

One of three new BlackBerrys released Friday across three different wireless providers, the Black Berry Storm is RIM's first touch-screen smart phone. A high-end cell phone that doubles as an e-mail device, the new BlackBerry has GPS, a feature called visual voice mail and more.

''I think the excitement about it is that it's the world's first touch-and-click, so there's no real keyboard,'' Ms. Dropkin continued. ''Everything is by touch on the touch screen.

''Being the first of anything in this day and age is an accomplishment,'' Ms. Dropkin continued, adding that the BlackBerry Storm works on Verizon's 3G network and features a number of attractive features - such as a 3.25-inch touch screen that covers most of the device's face and a 3.2 megapixel camera.

In town visiting family from Leesburg, Pa., Dan Hine and Audrey Gentile said they ''had to stop in and see'' the new BlackBerry Friday, adding that they'll likely be stopping into their Verizon Wireless store for one when they return home.