The new numbers come via Verizon’s Q4 report on earnings, which were OK, considering the brutal economy: The company reported earnings of $0.61 per share on revenues of $24.6 billion. Wall Street was fine with the earnings number, but had been expecting slightly higher revenues of $24.74 billion.

Verizon’s wireless growth was slower compared to the year before, when it added two million subs. Perhaps the company could have goosed those numbers with a better launch of its BlackBerry Storm, its would-be iPhone competitor from Research In Motion (RIMM). But despite a good-size media blitz, Verizon (VZ) was only able to move 500,000 units during the last quarter, according to reports.

So if those new customers aren’t buying iPhones–which are exclusive to Apple (AAPL) partner AT&T (T)–and they’re not buying Storms, then there’s a good chance they’re signing up for run-of-the-mill “feature phones.” That’s too bad: Verizon will take growth anywhere it can get it at this point, but it would rather sell high-end phones like the Storm, which generate lucrative data fees for the company.

Verizon Wireless is poised to have rivals of Amazon’s popular electronic Kindle reader use its network to download material such as books and newspapers wirelessly, according to an executive for the wireless service provider.

Tony Lewis, who runs a program that helps third-party vendors certify their products to work on Verizon’s network, said in an interview ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show that he does not see the U.S. recession and concerns about weak consumer spending stalling manufacturers’ plans to bring out even nonessential products such as e-readers.

‘Competitors to the Kindle are out there and ready,’ said Lewis, who declined to name the company’s e-reader partners. ‘In 2009 I’d expect them to come to the market.’”

Amazon’s e-book uses Sprint’s (S) wireless network to let you beam books, blogs and other stuff directly to the device, so it makes sense that Verizon Wireless, a joint venture between Verizon (VZ) and Vodafone, would want to get in on the action.

Looking for more details? No dice–I have a feeling that Lewis was in a wide-ranging talk about Verizon’s plans, and e-books came up glancingly. And indeed, Verizon could add a whole range of interesting products this year, a result of its “Open Development” program, which is supposed to crack open its airwaves to a slew of electronic devices, prompted by nagging from Google (GOOG).

[Image Credit: Kindle Cake via geeksugar]