Verizon Preps New BlackBerries, Android Phones

It seems that it won't be too long before mobile phone carrier Verizon Wireless will come to the market with the next-generation BlackBerry Storm and with the already anticipated BlackBerry Tour, at least this is what Lowell McAdam, Verizon president/CEO, stated during a Barclays Capital conference. In addition, the operator is also preparing for the release of an Android-powered mobile phone, as well as that of the newly launched Palm Pre, all within the next six months.

“Over the next six months or so,” Lowell McAdam said, “you will see devices like the Palm Pre and the Cousin on our network from Palm. You will see a second-generation [BlackBerry] Storm. You will see a new device we call the Tour from BlackBerry as well. That is an upscale of any other QWERTY-based devices that we have from BlackBerry today.” According to Consumer Electronics Net, he also stated, “You'll see Motorola back into our portfolio. We feel very good about the progress that the Motorola team has made. And, yes, you're going to see Android devices as well.”

Although Verizon seems determined to start offering the Palm Pre on its airwaves during the next six months, Sprint has stated recently that the handset will be sold through its stores exclusively for a longer period of time. As many of you might already know, the handset is already available with the operator since June 6 at a price tag of $199.99 with a two-year contract. Verizon, as well as AT&T, have been reported before to also plan on launching the handset, though it seems that this might not happen before the end of the ongoing year.

As for the BlackBerries that should reach Verizon's offering in the near future, earlier reports showed that we might see the Tour launched somewhere in August (though there are some who expect it even earlier), while the second Storm device should come in the September-October time frame. Since both mobile phones have been already confirmed, both by their maker, Research in Motion, and Verizon, all that remains to be done from now on is wait for the official release dates to be unveiled.