A Tough Decision: Grab an iPhone or Wait for the Storm

Verizon Wireless (VZ) and Research in Motion (RIMM) should be thanking one particular customer service rep for stopping at least one customer–me–from defecting to AT&T (T) and the [Apple] (AAPL) iPhone this week. I had called in to find out about altering my existing family plan and porting my phone over to AT&T when she asked me if I’d heard of the Blackberry Storm. Of course, I had–but I let her go through her pitch as to why I should wait for its arrival before making a decision.

The Blackberry Storm, you see, is supposed to be a real contender for the iPhone, she said. And though a date hasn’t been announced for the release of the Storm, the customer service reps are expecting it to become available anytime now. Nothing is official, of course–Verizon is being quiet about details of the release. But my rep, a veteran who has seen excitement around new phones in the past, said that when the advertising and marketing campaigns kick into high gear and when details about some of the phone’s features start trickling down to the agents, the launch date is getting close.

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