For just $29.99, the new BlackBerry Curve 3G 9330 on Verizon Wireless could be yours. It has all the features you’d expect in a BlackBerry. There are, of course, some catches. You’ll need to sign a two-year contract, and hand in a rebate to get $100 back. Essentially, you’ll be paying $129.99 upfront.

The unit will roll out this month to business customers, and to everyone else in a matter of weeks.

There will be privacy features in place so that you don’t have to reveal your home’s location, or if you want to block a specific location that you’re in. The default setting will be for friends only, so you don’t have to worry about scrambling to update your security settings.

Though this does sound much like Foursquare, it actually appears to be quite different, and it will be interesting to see what user reaction is.

The BlackBerry 8530 is available for $299.99, and monthly service costs $60.00. Cricket offers unlimited voice, data, and text (among other services) in their service areas.

What Cricket has done is they have put the Blackberry units in the hands of those who may not be approved for a contract elsewhere, and those who simply don’t want a contract. Another advantage, apart from the limited coverage areas in comparison to larger providers, is that because there are no contracts, there are no termination fees, although the BlackBerry unit must be purchased at full retail price, with no subsidy.

Will users embrace this new feature? It could prove quite handy for people who don’t want to be tied down to a contract, and who generally work, play, and go to school in the same general area.

It won’t take long, it seems, for Verizon Wireless customers to get their iPhone fix. That’s because January is now the purported launch time. Some estimates claim that around 50% of Verizon’s customers will switch to the massively popular Apple device. It will also mark the first time that the iPhone would be available outside of AT&T’s clutches.

Rumors state that production on Verizon iPhone units will take place in December, and they’ll be in stores the following month. If true, it will prove quite interesting to see just how many people take advantage of the new offer, and it’ll be equally interesting to see if any of AT&T’s customers flock to Verizon Wireless.

This revelation comes from Nielsen, the ratings powerhouse that also handles television ratings. It’s worth mentioning that the iPhone didn’t actually go on sale in the second quarter’s closing week, which may skewer the actual numbers. The proof in the proverbial pudding will be the figures at the end of the year.

It will also be interesting to see what happens when iPhone goes to another carrier, which may happen soon, if the rumors are correct that Verizon Wireless will be offering the phone.

Transit Wireless LLC will be the company to bring access to platforms and mezzanines, as well as part of tunnels at a cost of an astounding $200 million. Construction won’t cause delays for subway riders, because the work will be limited to the stations’ platforms. Sorry, no access while you’re actually in the subway…yet. It’s only a matter of time.

How is The Metropolitan Transportation Authority going to recoup the costs? It may come in the form of rate hikes, which may upset those who don’t plan to use the wi-fi system.

Now comes another blow: Consumer Reports cannot recommend the new model, citing the reception problem. They instead recommend the older models. Of course, that Consumer Reports wouldn’t give their vote of confidence isn’t exactly a check mark in the “plus” column for the new iPhone.

One thing that should be considered is this: it just so happens that Apple debuted a special case at the exact time that the iPhone 4 bowed, and use of that case prevents the reception problems. Coincidence? Perhaps, but then there is the matter of the extra $29 that the case costs, on top of the significant cost of the iPhone itself.

However, you hold the phone with your right hand, and you’ve discovered that simply by holding the phone, you actually reduce your reception.

That’s right; simply by holding the phone the way it was meant to be held, you reduce your reception due to the design of the iPhone 4. And, what is Apple’s solution? Buy a $30 bumper case from them so that your fingers don’t make direct contact with the phone.

Wow. Really, Apple?

If you think that’s bad, wait until you hear this. In a leaked internal memo that Apple sent out to employees, they not only tell them to downplay the problem, but they tell the employees that they should recommend anyone that complains to buy the bumper case, and not to give out any free cases under any circumstances.

Not only are they making light of this glaring problem in their phone, but they are trying to cash in on it by forcing anyone that’s right-handed who wants decent reception to spend another $30 on their products.

Apple and AT&T are already facing a lawsuit for raising the prices on their plans just weeks after the iPhone 4 came out and everyone bought it. Now, with this issue and Apple’s lack of caring about their consumers, there’s talk of another lawsuit being brought up against them.

Time and time again, users complain that Apple puts out what some refer to as shoddy products, enforce policies that many users find ridiculous, and some would argue that they show overall indifference whenever an issue is brought up to them.

It’s only a matter of time until it comes back to haunt them. They say what goes around, comes around, and that is true for anyone, even large corporations. Those that purchase their products will eventually abandon them if they continue to show disregard for anything their consumers have to I can only wonder what the next iPhone will bring along with it.

A camera that only takes pictures when the phone is held at a 45 degree angle? Or, perhaps a new add-on that will only give you full service if you pay an extra $20. Want 5 bars? Pay Apple more money!

Oh wait, looks like they’ve already implemented that one.

Starbucks will be offering wi-fi through AT&T’s network, having previously made wi-fi access available through T-Mobile’s system. It follows in the footsteps of McDonald’s, and Panera Bread. An added bonus will be the ability to access paid material such as that from the Wall Street Journal, among many other things.

The ability to access wi-fi without the need for login credentials will be a major plus, and it may even help attract new customers to the wildly successful coffee chain.

But what’s the story about the site, anyway? Dennis Crowley, who holds degrees from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, was jogging in New York City when he came across a cartoon mushroom. At that moment, the inspiration that would later bring the site to fruition was born. The site allows people not only to check in at various places, but they can also gain points from checking in.

Now, Foursquare has office space in New York City, which it shares with two other tech firms, and it’s constantly adding employees. How long that arrangement lasts depends on the success of Foursquare, which seems to be increasing by leaps and bounds every week.

Crowley, by the way, was also behind the Pacmanhatan site, which brought a real-life game of Pac-Man to New York City.