Daily Marauder

WIRELESS

Research in Motion‘s BlackBerry Storm smartphone will hit the market in the U.S. and Europe next month with exclusive rights belonging to Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, respectively, RIM is expected to announce today. The Storm, which signals RIM’s intent to crash the consumer market, features: a 3.25-inch screen, which is slightly smaller than the iPhone‘s; the BlackBerry’s first touch-screen interface; and 3G network support — but it lacks Wi-Fi access and weighs 16% more than the iPhone. The Wall Street Journal (10/8) , Financial Times (10/8)

Sprint Nextel’s Boost Mobile has rolled out a GPS-enabled Motorola flip phone that is compatible with its walkie-talkie service. The i776 comes with a range of multimedia features and is Boost’s smallest flip phone to date that is equipped with a camera. TMCnet.com (10/7)

Sony Ericsson’s new partnership with Saab will give users of the new Xperia X1 smartphone remote control inside the Saab 9-X Air that will allow them to make hands-free calls, lock the doors, work the lights, adjust the seats and open the rear compartment from the handset. Observers say Sony Ericsson hopes that by displaying the X1′s versatility in the Saab arrangement, developers will be encouraged to make applications for its new flagship device. InformationWeek (10/7)

News Corp. will pay VeriSign $200 million for its share of Jamba, which provides ringtones and games for mobile phones. Variety reports that VeriSign wants to focus on its core business of Internet infrastructure. Reuters (10/7) , Variety (10/7)