Drop, charge, and lose the cords
- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 846 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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20 out of 22 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 .
Where to buy
RIM BlackBerry Storm (Verizon Wireless):
$49.99 - $399.99
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$49.99 | Yes |
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$399.99 | Yes |
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