Chicago (IL) - Verizon Wireless today announced that it will begin offering the first touchscreen Blackberry, the Blackberry Storm, beginning on November 21 for $199.99. That is, of course, if you forget about the usual mail-in-rebate and the activation fee. Verizon Wireless does not offer a dedicated voice/Internet package for this device, which may make it a bit challenging for consumers to select the right plan for this device.

The Blackberry Storm 9530 is set to join the party of iPhone rivals just in time for the Christmas season. The device, RIM’s first touchscreen device that resembles that general appearance of Apple’s iPhone will be available at Verizon Wireless stores beginning on November 21 for $199.99, if you choose to purchase the device with a voice and data plan. Without a data plan, which admittedly would make little sense for such a device, the price will be $399.99.

Also, the $199.99 price tag already includes a $50 mail-in-rebate, but excludes a $35 activation fee, which means that the Storm will cost $284.99 plus taxes.

The device comes with an almost complete feature list, including a 3.25” (480x360) touchscreen that includes tactile “clickable” feedback and supports single- and multi-touch; an accelerometer that switches the phone between vertical and horizontal screen layouts; a 3.2 megapixel camera; a media player; a 3.5 mm headset jack and a GPS chip that supports location-based applications and services, as well as geotagging of photos. The only obvious missing feature is Wi-Fi. In this case, you would have to choose a different Blackberry, such as the recently released Bold, which, however, does not have a touchscreen.

Verizon Wireless offers the usual myriad of voice and data plans, but there is no dedicated voice/data plan for this device. And at least at this time, there is no “Internet browsing” plan advertised. Instead, users can choose from four voice/email packages that cost between $80 (450 voice minutes, unlimited email) and $130 (unlimited voice and email) per month. Add $20 to each plan if you want messaging as well.

Alternatively, there are separate voice and data plans. Voice plans start at $40 per month for 450 minutes to $100 (unlimited minutes). The “Internet” package is priced at $50 per month plus 25 cents for each minute of usage.

The bottom line here is that it does make sense that, if you are interested in this device, you get an overview of the overall cost. Just like it is the case with any other new smartphone on the market, the initial cost may be deceiving. Based on a 2 year plan, the Strom will cost you at least $2205, if you choose the cheapest voice/data plan and don’t go over your minutes during that timeframe. That, of course, does not include any taxes and surcharges to your phone and plan. According to Verizon Wireless, this extra cost may add between 5 and 36% to the cost of your phone, depending on where you live. That extra cost translates into a minimum cost of about $2320 and a maximum cost of about $2930 in the case of the Blackberry Storm and the cheapest voice/data package.