Blackberry Storm Reviews are in

[Woofmeister]

The reviews are in and they're very much a mixed bag. (Shamelessly lifted in part from Good Morning Silicon Valley):

Joshua Topolsky at Endgadget: "The selling points are easy: the phone is gorgeous to look at and hold, it's designed and backed by RIM (now almost a household name thanks to their prevalence in the business and entertainment markets), and it's packed with features that, at first glance, make it seem not only as good as the iPhone, but better. The only hitch in this plan is a major one: it's not as easy, enjoyable, or consistent to use as the iPhone, and the one place where everyone is sure they have an upper hand -- that wow-inducing clickable screen -- just isn't all that great. For casual users, the learning curve and complexity of this phone will feel like an instant turn off, and for power users, the lack of a decent typing option and considerable lagginess in software will give them pause. RIM tried to strike some middle ground between form and function, and unfortunately came up short on both."

Matt Buchanon at Gizmodo: "It's good -- RIM clearly put a lot of thought into the design. But I think it fall short of what they were aiming for, and ultimately what all the hype is driving people to expect. Some of this is fixable: The damn thing needs to crash less often. But SurePress is not the end-all, be-all of touchscreen technologies -- it's not really an evolutionary step forward, even. The experience may be fairly refined, but more polish is still needed. Had this Storm been left to brew a bit longer, it would've been much more powerful."

Anita Hamilton at Time: "After 24 hours of actually testing the new BlackBerry side by side with its main competition -- Apple's iPhone 3G and T-Mobile's G1 (the 'Google phone') -- the novelty quickly wore off. I hate the click screen, and none of the handful of people I let try it had anything nice to say about it either. That's a shame because the Storm has a slew of handy extras that neither the iPhone nor the G1 can match. But an annoying user interface is a deal breaker."

The Boy Genius Report: "Here's our honest to god non-biased conclusion this is the best phone to ever touch Verizon Wireless so far. If you're a Verizon Wireless subscriber and a dumb phone won't cut it, you'd be pretty air-headed to not pick this bad boy up above any other smartphone in Verizon's lineup. ... The tricky part gets into whether you should switch carriers for the phone like a lot of you are considering. That's obviously a personal judgment you have to make, but we wouldn't trade our Bolds in for Storms if you paid us. Like a lot of money. Like, six figures. It's not that the Storm is a piece of junk for the most part, it's that it goes against everything a BlackBerry stands for Quick. Easy. Effortless. The touch screen on the Storm complicates the simplest of tasks sometimes; you lose that lightning fast BlackBerry crack-addict mentality, at least to us."

Walter Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal:"The Storm's multimedia software isn't as fancy as the iPhone's, but it's better than the G1's, and worked very well in my tests. Overall, the Storm is a very capable handheld computer that will appeal to BlackBerry users who have been pining for a touch-controlled device with a larger screen. And it offers yet another good option for anyone who is looking to buy one of the new, more powerful, pocket computers."

:brokenheart:

 

[Pliablemoose]

Fail-no WiFi.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Fail-no WiFi.

I keep asking this because I honestly have no clue, why do you need wifi so badly? In the past week my I have pulled down 5.5MB of info with my Bold. This includes maybe 400 emails, google maps a few times, Viigo constantly downloading RSS for 30 channels, along with some web surfing. That was entirely on 3G and I never noticed a point where I was tapping my fingers waiting impatiently. I can turn on wifi and surf the web even quicker, but what is the point?

 

[maziwanka]

haha. can't say i didn't expect to hear bad reviews esp after gizmodo's review. i really wanted to get this, but i think ill try it out at a store and see if i really would like it (im worried esp since it would be used for work - if the typing is that bad, i dont think i can get this phone).

 

[aphex]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
Fail-no WiFi.

I keep asking this because I honestly have no clue, why do you need wifi so badly? In the past week my I have pulled down 5.5MB of info with my Bold. This includes maybe 400 emails, google maps a few times, Viigo constantly downloading RSS for 30 channels, along with some web surfing. That was entirely on 3G and I never noticed a point where I was tapping my fingers waiting impatiently. I can turn on wifi and surf the web even quicker, but what is the point?

Wifi is better on battery life, and depending on your connection, can be quite a bit faster.

 

[Ns1]

well glad I clicked on this thread lol

 

[dainthomas]

So basically they say if you're with Verizon you should get it, but if you have the iPhone of Google phone you don't really need to. No news here.

 

[Ns1]

Things which flow naturally on an iPhone -- flicking through lists, scrolling for a contact, moving around in a webpage or looking through photos -- feel inelegant and uncomfortable on the Storm. There's no inertia to movement, no assurance that your finger is the lynchpin to control of the device. The screen is sensitive enough, surely, but how its software reacts to those touches makes all the difference, and here the feeling is that you're never completely in charge of the phone.

Rather than the click making things easier, it actually makes them more difficult. As you press down to engage a "key," you're required to release before moving to another, which means that you can only type so quickly. In our tests, we were constantly frustrated by the staggering, laggy movement when trying to type with any speed.

The only problem we had -- and it was a big one -- was the fact that it took ages to focus and snap a shot.

ggpo storm

:brokenheart:

 

[corkyg]

Why does one need Wi-Fi? Well, the question suggests it comes from one who does not travel much. Verizon coverage is not top notch everywhere. When you have Wi-Fi and you are in a hotel, for example, you can access the Internet that way. Same at any public Wi-Fi access point at home or abroad. The absence of Wi-Fi makes the Storm of questionable value compared to other products. Also, many ardent Blackberry users do not like a virtual keyboard. Other than that, the Storm looks like a good product. Battery life is much better than iPhone's.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I'm using wifi now, signal penetration is poor in many buildings, and as mentioned, Verizon coverage leaves a bit to be desired

 

[Invisible Evil]

I tested it out for my store and I think it is horrible, very slow and you can certainly tell its buggy.

 

[dainthomas]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
I'm using wifi now, signal penetration is poor in many buildings, and as mentioned, Verizon coverage leaves a bit to be desired

I work in a basement and Verizon is the only provider that gets a signal down here that I know of.

One of the guys my wife works with got a Storm this morning, and he loves it. So I'll have to stop and try one out.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Looks like I'm going iPhone.

 

[anxi80]

i woke up early, waited outside and after using it for a few minutes in-store i walked out. ive been eagerly anticipating it but was severely let down. samsung omnia here i come!

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Ns1

Things which flow naturally on an iPhone -- flicking through lists, scrolling for a contact, moving around in a webpage or looking through photos -- feel inelegant and uncomfortable on the Storm. There's no inertia to movement, no assurance that your finger is the lynchpin to control of the device. The screen is sensitive enough, surely, but how its software reacts to those touches makes all the difference, and here the feeling is that you're never completely in charge of the phone.

Rather than the click making things easier, it actually makes them more difficult. As you press down to engage a "key," you're required to release before moving to another, which means that you can only type so quickly. In our tests, we were constantly frustrated by the staggering, laggy movement when trying to type with any speed.

The only problem we had -- and it was a big one -- was the fact that it took ages to focus and snap a shot.

ggpo storm

:brokenheart:

1) This is pure opinion and hangs in the fact that there is no intertia, iPhone style, to the interface. It's not an iPhone. Not everything will be like one.

2) Can't do this on my Bold, either. Not sure what their point is...

3) Bullshit. I have the same unit in another handset and it takes no time at all, even in the dark.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero

Originally posted by: Ns1

Things which flow naturally on an iPhone -- flicking through lists, scrolling for a contact, moving around in a webpage or looking through photos -- feel inelegant and uncomfortable on the Storm. There's no inertia to movement, no assurance that your finger is the lynchpin to control of the device. The screen is sensitive enough, surely, but how its software reacts to those touches makes all the difference, and here the feeling is that you're never completely in charge of the phone.

Rather than the click making things easier, it actually makes them more difficult. As you press down to engage a "key," you're required to release before moving to another, which means that you can only type so quickly. In our tests, we were constantly frustrated by the staggering, laggy movement when trying to type with any speed.

The only problem we had -- and it was a big one -- was the fact that it took ages to focus and snap a shot.

ggpo storm

:brokenheart:

1) This is pure opinion and hangs in the fact that there is no intertia, iPhone style, to the interface. It's not an iPhone. Not everything will be like one.

2) Can't do this on my Bold, either. Not sure what their point is...

3) Bullshit. I have the same unit in another handset and it takes no time at all, even in the dark.

I don't know, most other reviews aren't favorable either.

How's your Bold doing? Looks like I'm gonna wait for this one....I could go to ATT but I'd rather not leave VZW

 

[walksonthebeach]

for some reason, this makes me love my iphone even more..

 

[pm]

Well, it can't be too mediocre - according to Engadget, the Storm is pretty much sold out everywhere.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/1...lls-out-hard-and-fast/

for some reason, this makes me love my iphone even more..

I hear you.

 

[Woofmeister]

Originally posted by: pm
Well, it can't be too mediocre - according to Engadget, the Storm is pretty much sold out everywhere.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/1...lls-out-hard-and-fast/

Pent up demand by hordes of people who are hostages to BlackBerry by virtue of their company IT policy and Verizon Wireless subscribers.

Don't get me wrong, I may still pick one up since I fall into both of the above categories. I just wish the Storm had been a home run by RIM instead of a double or triple. And I really wish they had forced Verizon to include WiFi.

 

[TheWart]

Originally posted by: pm
Well, it can't be too mediocre - according to Engadget, the Storm is pretty much sold out everywhere.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/1...lls-out-hard-and-fast/

for some reason, this makes me love my iphone even more..

I hear you.

Well, for whatever anecdotal evidence is worth, a number of people on Engadget and Gizmodo reported that their local stores had as few as 10-20 phones, whereas most Apple stores had like 200 iirc.....Even though I still plan on getting an iphone at some point, I would love to play with the storm and test out its fancy screen, but I dont know of a Sprint store nearby. Also, I personally don't care for the Balckberry OS and its obsession with menus as it seems like it takes a lot of clicks to do simple things, but that is just me...

 

[abaez]

http://www.viddler.com/explore/engadget/videos/93/

Looks pretty dang slow.

 

[Pliablemoose]

DBZ has never met a BB that isn't better than anything on the market

 

[TheWart]

Originally posted by: abaez
http://www.viddler.com/explore/engadget/videos/93/

Looks pretty dang slow.

Well, I think the transition between the programs is a little exaggerated by the guy (seems more like a deliberate attempt by Rim to make it feel smooth), but the scrolling does seem to be much too laggy for a final release...

 

[Woofmeister]

I just got back from the Verizon store. I tried the Storm and liked it. The keyboard actually feels pretty good and certainly no worse than my current BB 8830 (non-curve). Yes, the OS is a little slow, but it's tolerable and I'm sure they will fix it with a software patch. The lack of WiFi kind of blows but I haven't had WiFi with a Verizon phone since my old Compaq Ipaq smartphone. And no, switching to AT&T's or Sprint's crappy service just to get WiFi is definitely not an option.

I guess I'm in.

 

[gorcorps]

Originally posted by: Woofmeister
I just got back from the Verizon store. I tried the Storm and liked it. The keyboard actually feels pretty good and certainly no worse than my current BB 8830 (non-curve). Yes, the OS is a little slow, but it's tolerable and I'm sure they will fix it with a software patch. The lack of WiFi kind of blows but I haven't had WiFi with a Verizon phone since my old Compaq Ipaq smartphone. And no, switching to AT&T's or Sprint's crappy service just to get WiFi is definitely not an option.

I guess I'm in.

Have you used both of those services? As I've had ATT for years and didn't have many problems. I know many happy sprint users as well. Are there problems with ATT and Sprint? Sure, but every carrier has it's share of problems. I don't think any of them are any worse than the others from what I see with all my friends.