Sorry, quick update. The Sprint store and Best Buy are more expensive than Radio Shack if you're buying accessories. I bought the touchstone and the belt case, and got 20% off the accessories. When you buy at Radio Shack, you get 10% off the first accessory, and if you buy two you get 20% off both! So again, why are people going to the Sprint store???

Why the heck is ANYBODY going to a Sprint store to buy these? Just go to the nearest Radio Shack, and pick it up there. Radio Shack and Best Buy rebates are INSTANT, Sprint rebates are MAIL-IN. They cost the same thing. And there are no lines at Radio Shack. AND, if they don't have one for you, they can SELL YOU THE INVENTORY FROM ANOTHER STORE without you being there to pick it up. Then you just go get it without having to worry OR stand in another stupid line.

This morning I got to Radio Shack at 9:30, and the last one was being sold. Ouch. But they got online and said the store 5 miles away had one. The guy called the other store and said "Hey - I can sell your device out from under you and I get the commission, or you can put it on hold while this guy drives over and gets it and you get the commission." Needless to say he put it on hold. The original guy said if it wasn't there, to come back and he'd actually sell me one from another store where they couldn't give it away. Why would anybody go to a Sprint store where they're banking on you not sending in your rebate, and investing the money while they play games with you for 3 months???

Anyway, so far so good - It's all working, including the 1.0.2 OS update I downloaded and installed. Good luck, all.

***REPOST*** - sorry it's late. I was calling the Bold the 9500 and we think it might be using Gobi already, it definitely does 2100 in Japan already. Apologies.

***REPOST***

This thing reminds me of the 7100 - if you're used to a real keyboard, you just want to chuck this thing out the window after about 10 minutes. Then you hit the sites to figure out what you're doing wrong and realize just how bad a time everyone else is having. Finally you break down and RTFM to find out why you can't get the gestures to work - only to find out that you're doing it right, it just plain doesn't work. Seriously, it shouldn't take me 5 minutes to set the alarm, with fields you're not even close to bouncing all over the place. And yes the firmware is updated - early and often...

Seriously - how long did it take you to find the lock button? I admit, I pulled out the manual (ugh!)

How many people said WiFi so far? Give'em all a buck for the right answer.

Have you noticed how many revisions of the firmware there is compared with any other Blackberry there ever was? Let's see - people need stability and reliability, especially enterprise customers who can't afford to be pushing updates all day long. Oh - not here I guess...

Have you noticed that there's a 2 for 1 sale at VZW? If you call customer service, they'll throw in Ginsu knives too... gotta unload this crapload of inventory on somebody....

Have you noticed that Amazon pulled the rebate and is just giving it at a deep discount? Same inventory problem I'll wager... and don't think about taking the leftover inventory and sending it to a 3rd world country - our name is bad enough already!

Have you ever compared the 9000 audio output with the Storm? Blows it away, it's like 2X (oh, right, 2 channels vs 1). Don't need that for tunes, need it for speakerphone for impromptu meetings. The 9000 rocks - the Storm blows? (sorry for the pun...)

Have you noticed that the 9000 is followed on by the 8900 which is followed on by the 9300? Where's the Storm follow-on? (cue the crickets...)

If you want a device that has half a chance, kill the whole one button click thing, make it touch only, put on a decent landscape slider, fix the audio, make it so it gets WiFi, stablize the OS, unhide the lock button and get it out for next Christmas (or did you forget the VZW 9 month qualification process). Best of luck...

This thing reminds me of the 7100 - if you're used to a real keyboard, you just want to chuck this thing out the window after about 10 minutes. Then you hit the sites to figure out what you're doing wrong and realize just how bad a time everyone else is having. Finally you break down and RTFM to find out why you can't get the gestures to work - only to find out that you're doing it right, it just plain doesn't work. Seriously, it shouldn't take me 5 minutes to set the alarm, with fields you're not even close to bouncing all over the place. And yes the firmware is updated - early and often...

Seriously - how long did it take you to find the lock button? I admit, I pulled out the manual (ugh!)

How many people said WiFi so far? Give'em all a buck for the right answer.

Have you noticed how many revisions of the firmware there is compared with any other Blackberry there ever was? Let's see - people need stability and reliability, especially enterprise customers who can't afford to be pushing updates all day long. Oh - not here I guess...

Have you noticed that there's a 2 for 1 sale at VZW? If you call customer service, they'll throw in Ginsu knives too... gotta unload this crapload of inventory on somebody....

Have you noticed that Amazon pulled the rebate and is just giving it at a deep discount? Same inventory problem I'll wager... and don't think about taking the leftover inventory and sending it to a 3rd world country - our name is bad enough already!

Have you ever compared the 9500 audio output with the Storm? Blows it away, it's like 2X (oh, right, 2 channels vs 1). Don't need that for tunes, need it for speakerphone for impromptu meetings. The 9500 rocks - the Storm blows? (sorry for the pun...)

Have you noticed that the 9500 is followed on by the 8900 which is followed on by the 9300? Where's the Storm follow-on? (cue the crickets...)

If you want a device that has half a chance, kill the whole one button click thing, make it touch only, put on a decent landscape slider, fix the audio, put in Gobi so it'll work everywhere including Japan and it gets WiFi, stablize the OS, unhide the lock button and get it out for next Christmas (or did you forget the VZW 9 month qualification process). Best of luck...

Don't know that BT would want to be saddled with the Sprint CDMA network, especially since Verizon has announced the plans to move away from CDMA to LTE in 5 years or so. Might end up being a red herring, is the land line side of the business worth the cost?

No problem with screen, had the "No Service" bug and they replaced it, first screen was fine, current screen also.