Though the BlackBerry Storm2 is a much improved device compared to the original and was well-hyped prior to its release, when it came to the Storm2's actual launch it seemed Verizon was not all that interested in putting it front and center in their promotions, instead throwing their BIG marketing dollars and efforts behind the Droid (to be fair, there was this one decent decent Storm2 commercial). 

It's good to see then that Big Red is showing a little more love for the Storm2 in their latest we're better than AT&T commercial, which is not only pretty funny, but flashes the BlackBerry Storm2 all over the place. Good commercial. Makes me feel like heading to the nearest 7-11 to see if they have any Big Red in stock. Do they still sell that stuff? Thanks to Dave for sending this in!

Wow. This is kind of messed up. Jeopardy, the famous game show that has all the answers and who in Alex Trebek undoubtedly has the smartest game show host in the world, somehow messed up royally last night on a question that to most of us CrackBerry users out there should seem pretty dang simple. Our own Adam Zeis was watching it live and nearly spit his drink on the floor as it unfolded....

Under a category of "Non-Edible Fruit" came the question you can watch in the video above. Luckily, both the contestant and Jeopardy got the question wrong, which means she got the answer right, but seriously.... it's RESEARCH IN MOTION that makes BlackBerry Smartphones, not BlackBerry! BlackBerry is a brand. This little mishap raises a great point though, which is that I'm guessing most people DO think that BlackBerry is the company that makes BlackBerry Smartphones or at least did think that when they first learned about BlackBerry and/or bought their first BlackBerry Smartphone. RIM really has done very little that I have ever noticed to build awareness of their corporate brand, instead putting their efforts into that of the BlackBerry name. Which makes sense I guess... BlackBerry is a much better name than RIM.

Since these days RIM pretty much brands every single product they make under the BlackBerry name (there were exceptions to this in RIM's pre-BlackBerry days) it almost makes more sense and would be less confusing to the world if RIM just went out and changed their corporate name to BlackBerry. Why fight what everybody else seems to get wrong. What's even more disturbing here is that Alex Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, which is just a few hours away from RIM's headquarters in Waterloo! If Jeopardy and Alex Trebek let something like that slip through the cracks, then I'm not sure what to think. What do you think? RIM or BlackBerry? That is the question!

AT&T started airing a new Luke Wilson commercial promoting their 3G Network and since it went live we've received a bunch of emails on the tip line alerting us to it. Why? Because the premise of the commercial will be all too familiar to regular CrackBerry readers. Remember our BlackBerry Messenger Stress test? Watch the video above and you'll know what we're talking about (see our BBM 5.0 stress test aftermath video below). Solid commercial AT&T! We won't bug you for any royalty checks, but how about you send 20 BlackBerry Bold 9700s to us for the idea inspiration and we'll hold a contest to give them away to our readers?! Sounds like a GREAT way to start off 2010! :)  Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Never before in my life have I felt like more of a secret agent than I did today. Granted it was only for a minute or two, but it was pretty cool. While nothing more than a frack'n sweet commercial for AT&T and the Bold 9700, Stay One Step Ahead, lets you be a part of a movie (more like a commercial) featuring you, the Bold 9700 and of course "the network". In my opinion a very cool ad campaign, onestepaheadmovie.com connects to your Facebook account and runs through a short video that actually features you (it pulls info from your Facebook account). While connecting to Facebook may be a drawback for some, its actually pretty cool to watch the video (and kind of freaked me out when I saw my picture on the screen). So if you have a few minutes to kill this morning, you should definitely check this out. So what are your thoughts - marketing genius or total waste of time? Let us know what you think in the comments.

• Be a secret agent at onestepaheadmovie.com >>

** OOOOPS.. My bad. Round Robin Week 2 actually has me using the WINDOWS MOBILE phones... not iPhone. Ahh well, always fun to poke fun of our frenemy anyways. **

Week #2 of the Smartphone Round Robin has me coming back to our 'ole pal... frenemy #1.... the Apple iPhone. The folks at Saturday Night Love must be following the event as they decided to give me a little extra ammo on last night's show to put to use this week. Too funny :)   

[ Engadget via TheiPhoneblog ]

This one made me laugh .. a lot. I can only image the hole I'd be in if I dared to pull out my Berry on the altar (not that anyone would be surprised). Check out this couple who are true BlackBerry addicts. In the middle of the ceremony not one, but two devices pop out as the couple updates their relationship status on Facebook.. The video is good for a laugh or two. Would you pull out your Berry on the altar? Do you think its awesome or completely rude? Drop a comment and let us know your thoughts. Thanks to CJ for sending this in!

 

I always crack up when I see things like this. Lila sent in this ad from Verizon offering a free BlackBerry Curve, the only issue is that the Curve is running Palm OS. We've seen this a few times in the past, there was a messed up Radio Shack ad that showed WinMo running on a BlackBerry, and this one that had the BlackBerry OS running on a Nokia E71. You really think someone would catch these before they went to print. Thanks Lila for sending this in!

If only Kanye would have said the words I Love My BlackBerry before Spike Jonze slapped him for not being able to put away his Curve, this could have been a real contender in our I Love My BlackBerry video contest. This is a funny behind the scenes clip and is a bit of good viral marketing for their latest video We Were Once a Fairytale, but what I want to know is... has something like this has ever happened to you for real? I can't be the only one out there who's had to endure a slap or two for paying more attention to the BB than the person you're talking to (seriously hope the gf doesn't read this post or I'll have to take one more).

[ via ]

Well I guess this one is more Ferrari-humor than BlackBerry humor, but the video above still gave me an extra chuckle at the 54 second mark when the BlackBerry Bold makes its appearance (warning: might want to turn your speaker volume down a bit). Here's the background of what you're watching...

Over the years, F1-style gearboxes has evolved and -- in most cases -- proven to be faster and more efficient than a manual, with far less physical labor. Ferrari's recent lineup is chock full of auto 'boxes, and one F430 Challenge owner who frequents the track finally got fed-up with the teasing from his manual shifting brethren and decided to poke back at those who call his Maranello masterpiece the Ferraromatic.  Hit play on the video above to watch all the things you can do in a self-shifting Fezza, including knitting, texting and wine tasting (simulated). Sure, it's all a clever ruse (a few inconsistencies with steering angle spoil the illusion), but it's damn funny all the same.

Though subtle, there's one really important smartphone take away from this video. Though capactive touchscreens are all the rage these days, there's always going to be a market for non-touch screen devices. I mean, there's just no way the guy in the video could use a Storm or iPhone with racing gloves on! And PS: Texting While Driving is Bad, so just don't do it. Thx to Rico for sending this in!

[ Axis of Oversteer via Autoblog ]

Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of my absolute favorite shows and if you've been watching this season (which has been hilarious so far imo) then you've likely spotted Larry David with his BlackBerry Bold in hand on more than one occassion.

The BlackBerry Bold and Larry's addiction to the device (hello BrickBreaker!) were put in the spotlight on last night's episode. Check out the clip above - minor language warning.

Now be honest. Would you have done the same thing as Larry in this situation? :)

Jerry sent this in and I must say it made me laugh a bit. Everyone's favorite gameshow The Price Is Right featured none other than the Verizon Guy sporting a BlackBerry Tour during the Showcase Showdown. Check out the video as the Verizon Guy touts the "global BlackBerry Tour" while presenting a showcase to the contestants - very cool! Thanks Jerry!

The smartphone space is a fierce battleground these days, so companies have to do what they can do make sure they're hitting as many segments of the market as possible. It's not surprising then to see that Resarch in Motion is now targeting the ten years and younger demographic. Like seriously, I would have loved to have owned a BlackBerry when I was seven. I sooo could have cheated on spelling bees over BBM.

Just kidding. RIM's not targeting the little tikes just yet (at least as far as we know), but if they plan to we think we may have found the perfect spokesperson spokeskid for them to use! We needed some cilps this past weekend to put together the short promo video for the I LOVE MY CRACKBERRY contest, so our resident editor Adam Zeis pulled his son Tyler away from the cartoons Saturday morning and put him to work. A pretty cruel thing to make a seven year old do, but Tyler showed he's got some skillz. SurePress is the Greatest thing ever! Good job Tyler. Thanks for helping us out!

To be honest, it's a little tough to distinguish the BlackBerry 6710 from the 6750 or the 7730, 7750 or 7780 for that matter (check out past RIM devices here), but regardless of which device model it is, one unit met its untimely demise in last night's SNL Digital Short when Andy Samberg tossed it to the ground. Check out the video above.... it's good for a laugh. The BlackBerry action kicks in at 1m12s. Big thanks to our resident expert Craig Johnston for spotting this one!

I'll never stop being amazed by the things people send in to us on the CrackBerry Tips line... 

Ever wonder what happens when a hockey loving, BlackBerry-using family gets together on a Saturday evening to celebrate a birthday? Apparently after the cake is eaten they gather around the pool table to leave Research in Motion's co-CEO Jim Balsillie a little motivational message.

Don't worry Jim. Your attempt to buy the Phoenix Coyotes may not have gone down as planned, but we all know you'll get your hockey team sooner than later. Stick with it. Want my advice? Offer the NHL that you'll buy two teams. I'm sure if you told Gary Bettman you'll stick one of the teams back in Winnipeg (Bring Back the Jets!) they'll let you put your second team wherever you want it. Hell, I'll even manage the Jets for you!

It's a tricky question to answer. Get a BlackBerry Storm 9530 today, or wait a little longer and get a Storm 9550? Temptation is a difficult thing. All I can say is watch the video below...

and hopefully you'll figure out what's best for you! :-)