Vodafone 'unlimited' data plan for BlackBerry Storm has strings attached

Vodafone will offer unlimited data plans for customers purchasing a BlackBerry Storm, but only when the data is viewed through the BlackBerry browser and not including video streaming or large file downloads.

According to a statement from Vodafone, the Storm will be available in Australia from December 1st and will be free on the company's Internet Data Cap plans starting from $69 per month on a 24-month contract. These plans will include unlimited data for web browsing through the BlackBerry browser and email retrieval only.

Customers looking to access data outside these terms of use will be charged $0.50 per megabyte, or can opt to take a 100MB data plan for an additional $9.95 per month.

The BlackBerry Storm is the latest smartphone from manufacturer Research in Motion and the first to be developed with Vodafone and US mobile carrier Verizon. The handset features a touchscreen display that depresses when used to imitate using traditional soft-keys.

Vodafone is taking pre-registrations for the Storm and is offering an 8GB microSD card to customers who register interest and buy a Storm.