New BlackBerry takes Valley by Storm

Travis Porterfield of Phoenix was first in line Friday to buy a Storm, the new keyboardless BlackBerry, at the Verizon Wireless store at the Promenade shopping center in Scottsdale.

He arrived at 3:30 a.m.

By 6.a.m., when Verizon Wireless' Southwestern region president Tony Heyman decided to open - an hour earlier than planned - more than 100 people had queued up behind Porterfield to buy the pricey devices. Storm sells for $199 after a $50 rebate and with a two-year Verizon service contract.

Despite the recession and credit crunch, people were storming the store to ante up cash for the cachet of being the first to own the latest communication technology.

"We decided we'd get out in front of (the crowds) so we opened at 6 (a.m.)," Heyman said.

By 8 a.m., the Scottsdale store was sold out of the new high-tech gadget - it's a gross understatement to label it a phone - and was taking orders.

"People were buying more than one. Somebody bought 12," Heyman said. "That changes the numbers."

And still, torrents of Storm purchasers stood in line to get on the list in hopes of getting a phone within a day or so.

It was a scenario repeated around the Valley and the country as Storm made its worldwide debut.

An alternative to iPhone, Storm has a virtual keyboard with a kicker. Press a virtual button - either to fire up a function or write a message - and it actually feels like you pressed a button.

With the election over, the technologies could replace political ideologies as the next divider of families and friends.

Linda Gorman of Scottsdale checked e-mail, the stock market and the weather forecast on her iPhone while she waited for more than an hour in line with 15-year-old son Max, who wanted to buy a Storm. "He likes the latest electronics," his mother said.

Sharon and Scott McCoy sipped gourmet coffee and waited in line to place a couple of orders so their 14- and 16-year-old kids could leave for school.

"For the record, I think this is silly," said Scott McCoy, who said he is content with a cell phone that functions mostly as a phone.

Neither the McCoys nor the Gormans would get immediate gratification for their multihour-long waits. But the tech-loving teens should have their phones within a day or so, said Jenny Weaver, Verizon Wireless spokeswoman.

"We have plenty in the pipeline," she said.

Weaver would not say how many phones the Scottsdale store had in stock on opening day. Based on crowd size and sellout time, it would appear to be 50 or 60.

But Heyman said more are expected to arrive daily until the store satisfies customer demand.