[sr_erick]

Hello everyone. I have used a Pearl 8130 for the past year and absolutely love it. I'm an Alltel customer and just recently now am eligible to finally have my number ported over to Verizon. Over the past year I've become very good at the SureType keyboard, busting out messages at pretty good speed. Sometimes my fingers find it hard to use the small keyboard, but overall I do a pretty good job. At the Verizon store I have tried out a Storm on a couple of occasions. I find that I am able to type (out of the box with no practice) just about as fast as I can on the Pearl, mainly because of the increased distance between keys in the SureType mode. Anyways, I will list my concerns, and maybe you can help me out.

1. Has anyone had issues with the physical button behind the screen wearing out?

2. I'm concerned with the responsiveness of the phone. The models in the store seemed slow at performing the most basic of tasks, IE. going through options, laggy when scrolling, etc. Has newer firmware taken care of most of these issues? I think one phone at the store had 4.7.0.9 on it.

3. What is the battery life like? I'd say, even after a year with my Pearl, I can still get a solid day and a half to two days on a charge (depending on usage). Can the Storm compete?

4. Are there any Pearl owners who've moved to the Storm? I'd love to hear your opinions on if it was worth it or not. What you like and dislike.

5. Can the GPS be used on Google Maps (with Verizon) without requiring the VZ Navigator for an additional $10 a month?

6. Any other complaints (obviously I can browse the forum here) but more specifically, complains from previous Pearl owners.

I'm particularly excited about the improved camera, better media viewing (pictures mostly), AGPS, improved web browser, visual voicemail, and the wider screen vs. that of the Pearl.

Thank you ahead of time for any information you can provide.

[JRSCCivic98]

1) Too early to say, but some have screen click issues. A search would have shown this.

2) Newer leaked OSs are better, but I'd wait it out until an official made it out and then retest the store demos and see if it's enough for you.

3) Battery is one day, two max, but not with heavy usage... getting better with each OS leak.

4) Only had QWERTY BBs myself.

5) No Google Maps, but that's a GMM issue, not a Storm issue. Google still is working on updating the code. Works with all other tested GPS apps that have been updated for the Storm or were written correctly to interface with the GPS.

6+) You won't get aGPS unless you're using VZNav, but that's because VZW locked aGPS PDE server access to authorized apps. However, non-aGPS SAT locks are pretty quick anyway so it's kind of a no-issue.

Anything else.... well, that's where you come in. Read, it's all been discussed before. Good luck.

[TheChampJT]

Never make a decision based on in-store displays, too many people have been playing with them, killing the memory. If you do check out the display again, ask if they can do a battery pull.

No GPS on GMaps, but it works with everything else.

[wyabcp]

I had a Pearl, which I got for free through my work, and I actually decided to go out and buy a Storm on ebay out of my own pocket. The Pearl was great and I thought I'd be hard pressed to find a worthy replacement, but I've never looked back since.
I was always able to perform tasks easily and fluently with the Pearl which was always my biggest concern once I'd switched over. Now though after a little time and effort things have fallen into place. I'm using a UK unlocked model and experience no lag or delays even though I'm using an official .78 OS release. Actually I was quiet amazed when I got it up and running and really surprised about all the negative feedback I'd encountered.
Google latitude works fine with GPS. This is the relacement for Google maps.
As yet no issues with the screen button. How many times have you had to replace a mouse button? I'm sure it'll last a long time yet...
I get around 3 to 4 days battery, but I don't use 3G as it's a company simm and I'd have to jump through hoops to get them to convert to 3G for me.
Its a different type of phone , in the past I'd really abuse my Pearl, what with leaving it in my pocket unprotected with keys jangling around etc, however with this device I try not to leave it out of it's case too often incase of dust scratches etc. So I suppose physically it's not quiet as accessible.
Being Pearl users, we're not too bothered about typing lengthy emails, so for experience with that I'll have to defer you to other users on here. But the way you can view emails and breeze through them so easily really makes you wonder how you ever got by with such a small screen on the Pearl
Give it a try and some time and I think you'll be happy.
Browsing is great , and media player plus GPS is a realy bonus.
Good luck !

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[StickShifty]

i went from the Pearl to the Storm. i am pretty happy. the only thing i miss with the pearl is the size and battery life. I get bored with phones very quick(reason i changed). I have a feeling i will be keeping the Storm for at least a year.

Going from the Pearl to the Storm.....

Good:
-The Storm's huge screen
-Browsing is excellent compare to the Pearl
-More applications
-New and interesting phone to use
-Media

Bad:
-Battery life isnt as good as the Pearl
-the Pearl can just slip into your pocket

I think after you get used to the phone typing is fine. Took me awhile to get used to the Pearl and the Storm. I personally feel typing on the Storm in portrait mode is faster then the Pearl.

If you do choose the Storm, upgrade the OS, and do not mind the larger size, you will be happy.

[jwizzle13]

Bad:
-Battery life isnt as good as the Pearl
-the Pearl can just slip into your pocket

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you can't "just slip the Storm into your pocket"?

[StickShifty]

Not trying to be a smarta$$ but you can't "just slip the Storm into your pocket"?

because its fairly large compare to the pearl

[jwizzle13]

because its fairly large compare to the pearl

I carry mine in my pocket just fine, in fact I know a lot of others that do the same. I've never been a fan of holsters but everyone has their preference right?

[StickShifty]

i personally dont like holsters. pocket man myself.

i dont know what you had before your Storm, but coming from a pearl, the storm is big.

[leemoreau]

If in store displays were accurate, then the Bold, Curve, etc would all have super stuff keys and not work at all. The storm is not big at all, I just put it in my pocket. The screen is very scratch proof. My friend that works at Telus took my dead unit before we replaced it and scratched a knife across the screen and nothing happened. (Told him he's still swapping it out for me even if he scratches it!).

I have the official OS .76 and I'm a heavy user, I get around 2 days or so battery give or take. The one thing I do notice though is it charges slower. I had an 8703e and I could plug it in in the car, drive to work get there and be around 50-60% charged (about a 35-40 min drive). With my storm, last night I plugged it in when I left work, got all the way home and it was still on 5%.

[sr_erick]

Thanks for the comments so far. They clear up a lot of things for me so far.
You do make a point about pulling the battery and resetting a store model phone. There is probably just about every application running on those things possible.

As far as the screen button issue, the mouse button example really cleared that up. Duh...if a mouse can endure my finger clicking all day long, certainly a phone can.

When you say, "No Google maps", does this mean the application won't even run on the phone? I find that is one of my most used applications on my phone, simply to find businesses, phone numbers, addresses, and general locations of places. If Google maps doesn't run on the phone (I don't care about the GPS portion) that is a huge downfall to me.

I've also seen a lot of issues with dust getting behind the screen. Is this mostly because of putting it in the pocket? I'm a pocket man too. I slide my pearl right into my pocket. A little dust doesn't bother me, but does it become such a problem you can't see the screen any longer?

I guess I don't find the storm to be "that much bigger". It's only about 12 mm wider and a couple mm taller. Not bad at all I'd say, but definitely bigger than the pearl.

[adepaula]

I'm a former pearl owner and although the storm has its own set of issues I am 1000 times happier with the storm. I hated the pearl and its low internal memory. The storm is leaps and bounds better. The storm isn't perfected and there are still some aggravating issues but hopefully those will be fixed on the next official release. If you want to play it safe the new curve would be a great deal better then the pearl also.

[KoukiFC3S]

Google Maps runs great on the Storm. There's no GPS but you do get cell triangulation.

[EPH1.3]

As in your situation, I used a Pearl for a year and got very used to Suretype. Really liked the small size for use as a phone. I got the Storm on 11/26 and carry both today. Wish I could just carry one but my company BES plan is too restricted (no apps etc) so I carry the Storm as primary phone for business apps and internet. The Pearl is in my pocket and the Storm on a Seidio Innocase holster both BB's protected by an Innocase. Don't put any BB in the same pocket with your keys without a good screen protector!

There are only two ways that I found the Pearl better:

1) Faster action opening items (not really a big deal)

2) Better for easy phone number dialing straight from the center of the keypad

In every other way the Storm is better. I cannot imagine browsing with the Pearl anymore. When I have to type on the Pearl the close key spacing makes me slow down. I stay portrait most of the time but it is nice to switch to landscape entering web addresses and sometimes on passwords.

Surely you will find a part of the Pearl that you preferred but after a short time with the Storm you would wonder why you ever gave it a thought. Somethings on a touchscreen taking getting used to compared to a trackball but no biggie.

As others have said the Storm still has minor issues but I am using the original one for almost 3 months using official .75 for now just waiting for the next official update. It works well enough for me even though many like the newer leaks.

I think the Storm is a perfect upgrade device for a Pearl user since you are already probably using Suretype. Go for it!

[EPH1.3]

Forgot to mention...battery life similar for both especially considering the much more time using the Storm browser and media. I would probably get two days on each one but I charge the Storm nightly anyway in the charging pod.

[wilsopd]

Ex storm, pearl now back to storm user here.

The transition for me was tough when it first launched...
Had to return the phone....its much improved.

For me don't try to compare the responsiveness of the pearl to the storm.

The hard wired buttons will be faster... But the storm is much more fun!

Sure type is still an option on the storm in portrait mode which I prefer for the same reasons as most. Fat fingers!

Plus the price has fallen to such a price that I was willing to compromise a lil bit!

Great device!

P~

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[wyabcp]

The only reason I don't put it in the pocket is coz its so new bright and shiny and I just don't want to spoil it I have just ordered a skin and a screen protector so might give it a try then if I'm brave enough !
Google latitude has google maps built into it, its the latest version, and works fine.

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CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[sr_erick]

Thanks again guys, very encouraging words. From what I can tell, it's $200 for the phone through Verizon, $175 to cancel a two year contract (if I needed to), leaving me with a $375 phone. You can barely get one on eBay for that price and through Verizon I think I'd get the full insurance policy because I've seen people have been going through a couple of them at least, until they get a proper one.

I might jump on it. I can never seem to hold on to something too long until I need something new...kinda sucks I guess, but I just like new toys!

If there are anymore comments out there keep them coming.

[domestic violence]

i just got my storm on the 13th. the wife got it for me for valentines day... woot!

i came from an LG Dare, which is a great phone. however, the storm simply blows it out of the water.

when i FIRST got it, i had a feeling that i wouldnt be keeping it since its kinda slow and it lags a bit (locking/unlocking, app to app) but the deeper i get into it and the more i learn its capabilities, i wouldnt trade it for anything else.

side note- when the wife bought it, VZW had a buy-one-get-one-free promotion (not sure if its still offered) and i asked her why she didnt get one for herself. (she has a voyager and texts A LOT) she said that the bogo was for 'new lines' only. well, after i thought about it a bit- we shouldve activated another line, gotten another storm (free) and then paid the $175 termination fee and sold the phone.

oh well.

[Mordendrak]

1. Has anyone had issues with the physical button behind the screen wearing out?

2. I'm concerned with the responsiveness of the phone. The models in the store seemed slow at performing the most basic of tasks, IE. going through options, laggy when scrolling, etc. Has newer firmware taken care of most of these issues? I think one phone at the store had 4.7.0.9 on it.

3. What is the battery life like? I'd say, even after a year with my Pearl, I can still get a solid day and a half to two days on a charge (depending on usage). Can the Storm compete?

4. Are there any Pearl owners who've moved to the Storm? I'd love to hear your opinions on if it was worth it or not. What you like and dislike.

5. Can the GPS be used on Google Maps (with Verizon) without requiring the VZ Navigator for an additional $10 a month?

6. Any other complaints (obviously I can browse the forum here) but more specifically, complains from previous Pearl owners.

1. No issues yet, Ive had mine since December 15.
2. Upgrade it to 4.7.0.103 and its all gravy.
3. Battery life isnt as great as with a Pearl. If you consider all of the functions of the phone use the touchscreen then the lack of longevity makes a bit of sense. I get about a days worth of heavy use.
4. I did move from a Pearl and I would never go back. The formfactor of the Pearl is nice but the Storm can do soo much more and in a sexier manner
5. The new GMM was released today which supports GPS. I cant get it to work on mine but others have had success with it.
6. The OS hasnt arrived yet, meaning there are still issues to work out but thats what early adopters get to deal with. Storm > Pearl any day of the week for me.

[Janye]

I am a former Pearl user, heck, its still right there on my kitchen table unused.

1. Has anyone had issues with the physical button behind the screen wearing out?

None reported yet but I don't see it being a issue. Again, mouse = constant clicking = still works concept.

2. I'm concerned with the responsiveness of the phone. The models in the store seemed slow at performing the most basic of tasks, IE. going through options, laggy when scrolling, etc. Has newer firmware taken care of most of these issues? I think one phone at the store had 4.7.0.9 on it.

The "official" OS I am running I believe is .75 on Telus network. A lot of Beta's are out and with my pearl, I would be all over it but I am being a bit more cautious with this one. I am running the official OS with no issues most people seem to have on here. It's not really laggy or anything.

3. What is the battery life like? I'd say, even after a year with my Pearl, I can still get a solid day and a half to two days on a charge (depending on usage). Can the Storm compete?

Depends on what your doing. I can get two with some GPS, web browsing, BB messenger, MSN, txt and email. I make sure to close back out of everything when I am not using it. Drop the screen brightness down helps a lot too.

4. Are there any Pearl owners who've moved to the Storm? I'd love to hear your opinions on if it was worth it or not. What you like and dislike.

I think it was worth it. I had the 8100 when it come out with Rogers and then the 8130 with Telus. By the time I was 9 month in, I was sick of it to be honest. I was going on 4 years with the same kind of phone. That being said, the only reason I got my storm was because my pearl's trackball kicked the bucket and then GPS would not work so Telus gave up and gave me a free $0 data device and let me keep my pearl. Odd thing is, I got a funny feeling if I downloaded the google maps it would work this time.

Anyhoo, I really love it. SureType is excellent in portrait mode and since I use computers pretty much all day long, qwerty in landscape is comfortable too. I have slim fingers and I actually perfer landscape.

5. Can the GPS be used on Google Maps (with Verizon) without requiring the VZ Navigator for an additional $10 a month?

Not sure. Telus user. Use to work, stopped working, might be now, now confused.

6. Any other complaints (obviously I can browse the forum here) but more specifically, complains from previous Pearl owners.

None. I love it. The only downside is that you had such a small phone but this thing is loud and proud. I cannot believe I use to get by on such a small screen !

I will always love my pearl. <3

[sr_erick]

i just got my storm on the 13th. the wife got it for me for valentines day... woot!

i came from an LG Dare, which is a great phone. however, the storm simply blows it out of the water.

when i FIRST got it, i had a feeling that i wouldnt be keeping it since its kinda slow and it lags a bit (locking/unlocking, app to app) but the deeper i get into it and the more i learn its capabilities, i wouldnt trade it for anything else.

side note- when the wife bought it, VZW had a buy-one-get-one-free promotion (not sure if its still offered) and i asked her why she didnt get one for herself. (she has a voyager and texts A LOT) she said that the bogo was for 'new lines' only. well, after i thought about it a bit- we shouldve activated another line, gotten another storm (free) and then paid the $175 termination fee and sold the phone.

oh well.

I like your thinking on the buy one get one free. I should look at some fine print. A guy can grab an easy $325 to $350 online (probably around $300 after fees) leaving you with $125 bucks in your pocket to go toward your $200 phone purchase.

Hmm...wheels are spinning!

[bobr68]

google maps now with GPS!!

[pmas]

Had a Pearl for a 10 months. I loved it. Bought the Storm on launch day. It blows away the pearl. Go for it!

[jrodjrxbox]

i went from a a pearl to a g1 to the storm. and the storm has the best looking screen and the battery last much longer then my pearl did at the end because i had it for 2 years. and much longer then my g1 and the new Google works great with my gps it even knows what part of my house i am in with satelte view