Research in Motion (RIMM) - along with Verizon Wireless (VZ) - that’s tossing out the “we’ll just give the phones away again” grenade in the smartphone war.

From today through March 31, Verizon Wireless is reportedly having a two for one on all Blackberrys - yes, even the new touch screen Storm. Of course, you’ll need a two-year contract on each of those devices. And what good is a Blackberry without a data plan of some sort - you know, the per month premium plan that allows you to send and receive e-mail and try out all of those Blackberry apps?

It’s a smart time for RIM to make this sort of move. Apple, which has hinted for some time that its sights are set on RIM, has seen some slowed growth in iPhone sales but saw iPods (possibly iPod Touch devices) sell at a better than expected rate for the quarter.

From www.amprogram.com