communications features

The BlackBerry Storm has been debuting around the world, but rumors are spreading about a possible shortage in the U.S. News reports also indicate Research In Motion discovered a security flaw in the Storm that has left Verizon Wireless scrambling to update the firmware in the final hours before its U.S. release on Friday.

Neither RIM nor Verizon were immediately available for comment. The much-anticipated BlackBerry Storm will be available exclusively from Verizon in the U.S.

In a move to compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony is set to release the PlayStation 3 software update 2.40 on Wednesday.

New features aim to beef up the way PS3 users play and interact with one another. Perhaps the biggest in-game experience additions are the XrossMediaBar (XMB) and Trophies. These were two of the most requested new features, according to Sony.

XMB lets PS3 users connect and communicate with other gamers and use other XMB features while playing most games. Trophies lets gamers tout their accomplishments via profiles, which also lets users compare their skills.