BlackBerry Storm 9530 To Launch November 24th For $199.99

Details about Verizon's upcoming BlackBerry Storm 9530 launch have leaked to The Boy Genius, and if they pan out it looks like the carrier will have kept its promise to release the touchscreen smartphone by the end of November.  Even better, it looks like yesterday's leaked pricing information was still too rich: according to this new source, the Storm will start at $199.99 with a new two-year contract, rather than $219.99.

Joe Public will be able to go to their nearest Verizon store on Monday, November 24th to try out the new Storm, with stores opening an hour early that day (and the following Tuesday).  Of course, if you're one of Verizon's special friends (i.e. an existing small business customer or someone they'd like to sign up) you'll get invited to a prelaunch event starting on November 20th, where 123 stores will open one hour earlier to demonstrate the handset and, if everything goes according to plan, take one away that morning.

Thankfully we're told that the inventory of Storms is not only rammed to the rafters, meaning it's unlikely that any businessmen or women will be sobbing into their briefcases at not getting one, but that the software build Verizon are launching with is "incredibly stable" with touch input "very much improved".  Considering touch input was widely praised in the initial Storm reviews, any improvement can only be a good thing.