[fractured]

Originally Posted by NJBlackBerry

Vodafone owns 49% of Verizon Wireless.

I have always read/heard 45%, unless something has changed.

Originally Posted by Dawg

actually fractured I believe I read its a lifetime exclusive for VZW.

I can't tell if you are being serious or not, but I thought the exclusivity to VZW was contingent on meeting a certain sales goal (whatever that may be).

[Dawg]

Since we were the first ones to break the news about a touchscreen BlackBerry device, it’s only fitting that we follow up and give y’all the real lowdown on it! This is going to excite a lot of people, but anger many. Are you ready? The BlackBerry Thunder, as it is codenamed now, (all you "reporting" on it as the Storm are incorrect) will launch in Q3 of this year. It is a full touchscreen BlackBerry — no slide out keyboard — with only 4 physical keys. Those are the send / end phone keys, the BlackBerry menu key, and the back key. Here is the most interesting part, though: it will launch as a worldwide lifetime exclusive on Verizon and Vodafone! We’ve heard the unit will be a hybrid device with CDMA EV-DO Rev. C (for clarification, Rev C., known as UMB is practically dead. If the device will indeed launch with a 4G solution, our bet is on LTE), and GSM HSPA for traveling internationally. Verizon and Vodafone will have the same unit. Currently, the model number is the BlackBerry 9500, though it’s very early and that’s likely to change. This is HUGE for the Verizon lovers. For once they’ll get an exclusive device, but Verizon will have a sales quota for the device and if they don’t meet those numbers, we’ve heard the exclusivity will then dissolve and it’s over. This will be extremely interesting to see play out.

here is where i saw that

[NJBlackBerry]

A hybrid CDMA/HSDPA device would be VERY interesting... Very...
We'll see what we shall see...

[michael12005]

Verizon is awsome. I bought the 8830 the day it was launched with Verizon, Memorial Day, 2007, and it is a terrific device that works everywhere! After owning it for 11 months, I tried to pair it to a new car and it would not work. Verizon FedExed me a new phone!