- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 851 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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21 out of 23 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Give it some time...It will take you by Storm"
Pros: 1. solid, well built design
2. excellent screen quality
3 click screen improves on standard touchscreen
4 best BB browser to date.
5. global phone
6. removable battery
7. good camera if you turn on stabilization feature
8 good sound qualityCons: 1. Software bugs need corrected:
Summary: I have used the Storm for my business now for 2 weeks, The Storm has a solid, quality build. It is heftier than other touch screen or BB offerings. The battery accounts for about 20% of weight. Width is about the same as a BB Curve. Turning it on, the screen quality is immediately impressive. Even small (7-8 pt font) print is crisp and clear. Better the Curve. Just by touching or tapping the screen icons, the phone instantly knows your there, highlighting the choice. Activate or select by pushing down until you feel (and hear) the click. Pushing causes the whole screen to travel down about 1 mm. The tactile feel is quite good. Opening menus and applications is fairly quickly. (especially after upgrading to 4.7.0.75)
- most have been fix with release of OS ver. 4.7.0.75
2. spelling auto correction complicates typing (disable it)
3. BB interface not intuitive, steeper learning curve
4. Track ball would have been nice
Typing at first was harder than hoped. Targeting the proper key can be difficult when you are not familiar with a touch screen. Many reviewers have complained about the typing problems of the Storm. I have actually come to like typing on the Storm. I would agree at first I had mixed feelings, but with practice, and now with in the OS upgrade, typing is much easier and efficient. The click screen increases accuracy. But go into the options file and customize the screen/keyboard and spell check options. I recommend disabling auto correction and increase word size to 4 letters from 2 letter. In the keyboard options you can adjust touch screen tap interval, senstivity and hover time. This will help customize to your personal feel and improve the typing experience.
The click screen is a good solution to avoid many touch screen problems, like accidentally pressing keys, activating applications, or calling listed contacts. The click screen takes more than a touch to active an action. This a big plus for the user experience. Finger scrolling through the menu or email list takes some practice, but becomes easier with practice. A trackball on the Storm would have been a plus for navigation lists and menus, but the size of screen does not allow for good placement. Once you get accustomed to finger scrolling, hovering and tapping to select, a trackball is not as missed. .
Some reviewers down grade the phone for Verizon service, like no wifi, or expensive contract services. Still if you going to get the Storm, Verizon is the provider. I also tested an iPhone while considering AT&T service. It was fun to use. Loved the screen, applications, and connectivity options. But the iPhone is not a good option for our business use. The iphone is first and foremost a video ipod with phone, messaging and camera capability. It messaging seemed more dedicated to social networking than business email and scheduling capability.
with BB Email is the key advantage. The Storm meets the BB performance and provides a bridge for Verizon to users who wished they had access to an iphone-like features.
Web pages load faster on the Storm than other BB models. The Storm browser seems friendlier too. You can even tether the Storm to your laptop for Broadband internet access. Speaking as one who has had a Verizon broadband card now for about 15 months, it is the way to go when traveling. The Storm's Verizon Broadband service is really all you need. Relying on WiFi can be more expensive when using it in airports, hotels and other locations. The Verizon service is overall cheaper than having to pay wifi daily charges over the course of a month. So for all those complaining that the Storm does not having WiFi, remember that no Verizon phone offers Wifi. Verizon sells a better internet service. I am sure Wifi will be available when other mobile companies have the Storm in their offering, . So if Wifi is a must for you, stay away from the Storm and Verizon service for now. Plus, web page viewing on telephones screens is suitable only for checking airline schedules and stock quotes at best.
The Storm, as with all BB models, has non-intuitive operation and complicated menus. The Storm may be more so. The OS that comes with the Storm is Version 4.7.0.5. Replace it immediately, this is the one causing the problems cited by most reviews. The upgraded version is much better. Lag times are reduced and the OS is speedier than before. Reading the manual is a must with the Storm to getting through the menus and interface basics. Still RIM put so much business emphasis on the Storm interface that it is slightly complcated to make basic phone calls. It assumes all calls are made by speed dial, or contact list selection or voice command. The key pad likes to disaapear after dialing forcing you to file the recall the key pad. Which is a hassle when needing to dial in an extension or paasword. Hopefully, future upgrade will improve on the key pad usage.
I recommend the Storm to someone who wants a touch screem smartphone for business. If you are looking for an iPhone, then go buy an iPhone. The Storm is not same. In many ways it is better. Still The Storm is not a perfect smartphone, but give it some time to grow on you.
Updated on Dec 19, 2008I used this phone last week on a trip to Japan. The phone worked even better than in the US. All 3G connections. Dialing and connection time was even faster than in my home area. Call quality was superior to other phones I have used while abroad, including Japan. Email came through easily from my home server. A fellow traveler with the iphone could not use it for calls or email while in Japan.
today is my 28th day with this phone.. it is not perfect, as I said in my first review. The phone sometimes lags at the strangest times, but so does the iphone. I plan to keep it this phone past the 30 day grace period at Verizon. The pluses far outweigh the minuses, It is a very good, production business phone, that seems to only get better with age and experience .
- 10 replies to this review
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Hey im finally going to be buying one too. The iphone, though may be appealing to the eyes, seems too delicate for a person like me. Also, I am somewhat happier pressing actual buttons rather then using a touch screen. Pretty conventional that may sound! I will be buying a storm this week!:)
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I've been looking around for a new phone for about a week and this one of the best reviews I've read. It helps when it's written by an actual owner/user who makes thoughtful points on expections and comparisons. This review has helped make my decision. I''m getting a Storm!
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I am thinking of buying a new phone finally. I have to choose between one of the Nokia E series and the Storm. Any suggestions?
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Thanks for this awesome review! I think that blackberry really does justice to the power of synchronization. It comes in handy at workplaces, schools and colleges now. Though its sleek design appeals more to the working individuals and becomes a social status symbol for them, it has also started penetrating the market of college/university going students with deadlines on projects, research assignments and a constant need to stay "connected" all the time!
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.75 is good, v.132 is great!
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So... on your trips (I travel a lot to Asia and Europe) were you data-roaming the whole time? How expensive was this? Of course it works everywhere, it's got a GSM Sim chip through Vodafone stuffed inside it. See... what I don't get is, I can use GSM in the states, Europe, 3G in Europe and Asia, wifi in hotels (to avoid horrendous data roaming) on my current Nokia. Why does anyone need this phone? I have yet to hear a coherent argument. Now, the Storm 9500, which is just GSM, makes more sense. And, I would buy it... if it had wifi.
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Excellent review. I have been debating on what phone to get for my outside sales job. I got the iphone to try it out first and as had been said before, the iphone is an ipod with phone capabilities. It's a great personal phone but for business, not so great. My company is supplying a Storm so we shall see how it goes with that. Alot of the reviews out there seem to be with the earlier OS and hardly any of them are good. But, as things are, do the upgrade and get used to it. Change is good! Will post a review once I get mine.
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Excellent review, for all you iPhone lovers, move on....... as someone who comes from WinMo i love this phone. I used to have a XV-6800 with Wi-Fi but for some reason is was slower than the Verizon network so I never used it. I won't miss that at all. This is my first BB so it took some getting used to, but if you look there is plenty of help on the web.
One more quick note, I stood in line to get a first gen ipod, what a piece of garbage. Everything takes time.
People say the phone is "buggy", try a WinMo phone if you think this is buggy. -
The phone's fragility in my pocket had me concerned at first. Then I got a little leather pouch (http://eaccess-estore.com/store/catalog.asp?item=4499) to put it in and keep it safe. Thanks for your honest review and you even updated!
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I thank you for this review because it is taken from a non-biased position. Most of these reviews are made by Iphone fanboys, and I think that your review told it like it is. Everyone complains of lagging, but the OS update fixed most problems, and more updates will come. remember, the Iphone was laggy, expensive, and had a ton of bugs when it came out, and as everyone can see, most were fixed. So, don't give up on the phone
RIM BlackBerry Storm (Verizon Wireless):
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