Can not find link to download apps & music from my Storm
 

I looked in the Help section on my Storm and it says there should be a menu link that says "Download new ringtones" or "Download new applications", however, when I look in the menu I only see "Switch application" and "Close" as my options. There is nothing resembling a link that will take me to download apps or music.

Also my downloads icon/folder is empty and has no info or menu options other than the "Switch application" and "Close" options.

Is this normal? Do I have to get new apps manually and upload them via USB?

If it's a new phone, the downloads folder will be empty.

For me, i used my mp3's as my ringtones, full songs. I set the storm as a mass storage device in options | memory. Once the 2 mounts(blackberry 1 and 2) show up, i then copied them into the music folder. Then to set your ringtones, scroll all the way up and browse to the music folder and choose the song you want.

I guess what I am asking is, can I browse the VCast ringtone service (or a similar service) on my Storm and buy ringtones from there? And is there an application service with all BlackBerry applications that I can browse from my Storm? The Help section on the phone says there is, and it can be accessed by the menu, however, I can not find those menu links.

I don't have a Storm, but you should have a link to the Verizon homepage in your browser bookmarks. From there you should be able to download apps, etc.

I don't think you can download from VCAST on a BlackBerry, but I might be wrong in that. There is no need to pay for ringtones when you can download them free from some websites and you can create your own ringtones on your PC, which many here do, and copy them to your device.
Here are some places to download ringtones from your device.

Where Can I Download Ringtones? - BlackBerryFAQ

I especially like tuneusin.com.