[tug_slug]

I've had the iPhone 3G for about 4 months now, before that I had an LG Voyager (which I liked) and before that I had a krazor (which I also liked). Anyway, because my GF has Verizon and is tired of hearing me complain that my iPhone doesn't have MMS and the battery stinks bought me a Storm and I was wondering exactly what I should expect? For the past two days I've spent countless hours reading reviews on the Storm and to be quite honest it appears the reviews have been less than stellar.

I went to the Verizon store and played with the Storm but the demo had the old firmware and the lag on the screen was horrendous, it was so bad that after 10 seconds I set the phone back in its holder and left the store.

I plan on spending quite a bit of time on this site and hopefully owning the Storm will be as pleasant as owning my iPhone, Voyager and the Krazor.

Thanks,

Tug

[DroidExpert007]

Dont judge on the Stores too because so many people use them and open up so much crap and bog them down.. my storm with the new firmware and removing programs i dont use and hiding icons has the accelerometer swapping almost instantly.. every once in awhile there might be a couple second lag but thats usually if theres a message coming in while im typing something

[CSSVT]

You'll learn to love it. Don't give up after 20 minutes with it...it takes a few days...maybe a week.

You'll miss your apps for the time being but you can always keep the iPhone as an iPod touch for that function/option. Just realize it's not 100% perfect and WILL get better and you should be good to go .

[Southern5]

dont judge it within the first few days like everyone else who writes reviews.... you must get used to typing and the entire BB experience... also upgrade to the new OS.... delete certain things you arent going to use (like VZ nav and VV mail to make it quicker) and you will be on your way...

Also, if you think it doesnt work right or something is broke... chances are you might just have to learn how to re do it or read about it on here.... its be done and can find out how by these forums (if you have time haha)

[Garz]

You go to remember that this is BB's first touch screen and the OS for this device will still continue to improve. Plus, RIM will learn a lot from this device and I am sure touchscreens in the future will be greatly improved. You got to remember how bad the iphone was the first time around and made great improvement with the 3G model.

[ShortSxit]

I can only echo what others have said here. You might not like it at first, but give it a week or more to get used to everything. Also, read through the stickies and do searches on this forum. You'll get a ton of information on how to fix issues, such as if your screen doesn't click, the sim card error, etc..

[fonebrkr]

If you liked the krzr and the voyager, you'll love the Storm.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[howard100]

Make a commitment to like it, and you will like it. If you decided right off the bat that it sucks, then you will always be complaining about it.

My dad has one and has been hating it since day one. However, I love mine. The storm does have short comings, but it's fun to use. Embrace it.

[howardb]

Make a commitment to like it, and you will like it. If you decided right off the bat that it sucks, then you will always be complaining about it.

My dad has one and has been hating it since day one. However, I love mine. The storm does have short comings, but it's fun to use. Embrace it.

Yea but come on man don't embrace it like that...

Wish you luck with the device. Its a step up from the iPhone in some areas and its a step down in others. Its a bit young but after only one update its matured quite a good margin for how short of a time there was between updates. RIM has shown commitment to stand behind their devices in the past and I believe they'll follow suit on this one as its a BIG splash into a new market segment for them.

Think of it as a newborn. You both need to grow into each other. You'll grow to be a BB user and it will grow to meet your expectations in areas where it is a little rough around the edges.

Also if you're having problems don't expect that all devices are that way! There are many of us who are very happy with our Storms.

[MinnieMePowers]

GO here.

Nuf Said.

[chuckh0308]

Since we have both in the house I'll give you a brief rundown on how they stack up based on what I've seen and experienced.

iPhone advantages:

The iPhone kicks the Storm's *** when it comes to media playback, organization, etc. The Storm is good, but the iPhone just kills it.

The browser on the iPhone is superior in every respect except one...it crashes more often. It's a much faster and easier to use browser though.

The display on the iPhone is slightly bigger.

I like how when you put your finger over a letter on the keyboard of the iPhone the letter pops up above your finger so you can see what it is.

The camera on the iPhone takes quick photos.

iPhone is supported by Google Maps and the Storm isn't...not yet anyway.


Storm advantages:

Basically anything related to the phone and messaging system. The Storm wins. Call quality is better, ability to send MMS, email services work well, Visual Voicemail works well...

I like that the Storm has a qwerty keyboard in landscape mode.

This is opinion based, but I prefer the clicking screen on the Storm.

The camera on the Storm takes better pictures than the iPhone as long as your subject doesn't move because it is a slow picture taker. The camera also has a flash and auto focus. Hopefully software updates will reduce the camera lag.

The Storm takes video. Not something I use a lot, but it's there if I want it.

While the Storm doesn't have the same media capabilities overall as the iPhone it does kick the iPhone's behind in one area and that's stereo bluetooth support. If you have a bluetooth car stereo you will LOVE this feature. I also bought some bluetooth stereo headphones....no wires hanging from my head...AWESOME!

I like the way the Storm feels in my hand better. The shape and weight just feels better to me.

I also like the looks of the Storm better. IMO, the iPhone is a little bit on the feminine side.

While the screen on the Storm is slightly smaller than the iPhone, it does offer better resolution and a more enjoyable viewing experience, IMO.

The Storm has expandable memory. Once the 32 GB Micro SD cards hit the U.S. you'll be able to upgrade. Maybe again when 64 GB hits if Blackberry updates the OS to accept it.

The battery in the Storm is removable. I love being able to carry an extra battery and swap it out if I need to. Much easier and more convenient than having to carry the charger and find a place to plug in when the battery runs low (which is everyday on the iPhone).


I probably forgot some things, but hopefully that helps you!

[bigman2]

Store demo models are generally pretty poor examples. If you could do a battery pull on them before using them, it would help a lot, but at my local VZW store all phones are pretty firmly attached to an anti-theft device that also has a power cord snaked up through it. Unlike the Jesus Phone, Blackberries can run multiple apps at a time, so if someone doesn't know to close them out, they're eating up memory and processor time, etc.

As far as multimedia type things go, the Storm will never be as good as the Jesus Phone. Apple just tacked on a phone to the iPod to make the Jesus Phone after all. The Storm is pretty capable as far as multimedia goes, it's just no Jesus Phone.

As a phone... I'm not a big cell phone user, so I haven't actually used it that much. Seems to be kind of a mixed bag from what I've seen here though. From my limited experience, the audio quality on the other end can sometimes sound a bit distorted. Not so much that you can't understand what the person is saying, but it's there. There are a couple of audio enhancement options on the phone I haven't had a chance to test yet, so those may or may not help. I just actually made up an excuse to call my mom, and there was a slight distortion in her voice on my end, but she said she had no problems hearing me, and I was talking kind of quietly. For my part, the distortion on her end wasn't anything bad. Think kind of like what it sounds like if someone has an older cell phone. I did also have the first instance of accidentally muting a call when I had a bit of an itch. For the most part though, you just need to make a point of not holding the phone tightly against your face.

I personally love the SurePress idea. Coming from an LG Dare which had a tempermental touch screen at best, it's a refreshing change. The Jesus Phone's touch screen is supposed to be pretty good, but if you ever find yourself accidentally selecting something when you meant to scroll or do some other action, the Storm can help eliminate that.

I like my Storm on the whole. Some things could use with improvement, but coming from my LG Dare (an all touch version of the Voyager) it's a big step up. You can always get one and give it a try for 30 days. If you don't like it at most you're out a $35 restocking fee and whatever service you may have used.

Basically, if you're looking for a multimedia toy more than a phone, the Jesus Phone is what you want. If you're looking for a phone that is a bit more business oriented and capable when it comes to getting stuff done, the Storm is a great choice.

[thewolf]

what a year for me cellphone wise. I started with the env-the original one....kept my VZ account while i switched to the first gen Iphone in February...didn't like that while downloading on EDGE, phone calls could not be received. also, didn't like the lack of photo SMS and the battery issue...went back to my VZ number and bought the Voyager. When I got my Son the Dare, I swapped to the Dare (which might be the most underrated phone on the market) and now I am on my second Storm and loving it.

The replacement phone I got is amazing...the clicking is so good-and almost makes the tv commercial sound-that i almost want to text myself to feel the keyboard (too much of that will lead to needing glasses!)

[sethjk]

I've had it almost a day and love it already. It might take you some time to get used to the new UI...it certainly is not quite as intuitive as the Iphone 3G but it really is a great phone. Also, at least in my experience, nearly all of the issues that the phone does have are software related and can be fixed with OTA updates.

[Ultrafied]

I came from a Voyager and a Treo. Loved the Voyager, although after having the Storm, I see where the Voyager really fell down. My Storm has been very good, unlike some of the other people who have stated problems with theirs. The demo units at the store are being used by a lot of people in which many do not close out apps, etc. which can really cause the OS to slow down.
My Storm, my wife's Storm and the others in the office have been great. We are all on .076, the click screen works great, I love the email and browser (if you used the browser on the Voyager, this Storms is in another league.)
I will say stay on this forum and try the tips and ticks others have offered. I honestly say that this Storm has been great since the first day (11/21) and has been getting better. There really isn't any comparison to the Voyager and a lot more stable then my Win/Mo Treo. The click screen is personal. I like it. I used an iPhone and it was a lot better then the Voyager, but still had some of the difficulties of a normal touchscreen. The click, IMO, solves these. It may take you a little bit to get used to it, but definitely worth it.
Good luck with your decision!

[mdude85]

I think most of the issues have been covered by the other posts so far, but I have a few additional remarks after having used the Storm in conjunction with an iPhone.

The iPhone is definitely much smoother - there is no doubt about that. The animations and screen transitions take advantage of the accelerated graphics and give the phone a much more responsive feel than the Storm, which feels choppy in comparison.

The camera on the iPhone is pretty crappy, but the Storm's camera is even worse. It takes longer to capture a photo and the photos often suffer from motion blur.

It'll take a while for you to get used to using mobile web browsing as an alternative to iPhone apps. In a few months I'd expect a lot more apps being released for the Storm but for now mobile web is the standard. In terms of these types of smartphones, technology seems to be moving away from mobile web and toward standalone applications.

Good luck !

[whtciv2k]

I've had the iPhone 3G for about 4 months now, before that I had an LG Voyager (which I liked) and before that I had a krazor (which I also liked). Anyway, because my GF has Verizon and is tired of hearing me complain that my iPhone doesn't have MMS and the battery stinks bought me a Storm and I was wondering exactly what I should expect? For the past two days I've spent countless hours reading reviews on the Storm and to be quite honest it appears the reviews have been less than stellar.

I went to the Verizon store and played with the Storm but the demo had the old firmware and the lag on the screen was horrendous, it was so bad that after 10 seconds I set the phone back in its holder and left the store.

I plan on spending quite a bit of time on this site and hopefully owning the Storm will be as pleasant as owning my iPhone, Voyager and the Krazor.

Thanks,

Tug

Just like you I had the iPhone for 4 months. There's a reason I paid the early term and got my storm <3

[Guinness83]

I've had the iPhone 3G for about 4 months now, before that I had an LG Voyager (which I liked) and before that I had a krazor (which I also liked). Anyway, because my GF has Verizon and is tired of hearing me complain that my iPhone doesn't have MMS and the battery stinks bought me a Storm and I was wondering exactly what I should expect? For the past two days I've spent countless hours reading reviews on the Storm and to be quite honest it appears the reviews have been less than stellar.

I went to the Verizon store and played with the Storm but the demo had the old firmware and the lag on the screen was horrendous, it was so bad that after 10 seconds I set the phone back in its holder and left the store.

I plan on spending quite a bit of time on this site and hopefully owning the Storm will be as pleasant as owning my iPhone, Voyager and the Krazor.

Thanks,

Tug

I to came from the iPhone 3g after 4 months, and so far I really like the Storm. I do miss having some of the apps but for me Verizon service is much better and I like having the added features such as MMS and Copy & Paste just to name a few.

But don't give up on it right away as it will take a little while to get used to using it. I hope you like making the switch as much as I have.

[tug_slug]

Hi all, I wanted to say thanks for all the replies and that I finally received my Storm Friday afternoon.

I haven't had a chance to play with it much but it seems to be a pretty stable phone. The one thing I did like about it was the clarity when making a phone call, the reception is so much better than AT&T's service. The draw back was the keyboard, its not that bad but it does leave a little to be desired for but it's not a deal breaker. The phone had a defect when I received it, the plate that surrounds the camera/flash where its stamped "3.2 mb auto focus" is bent out on the lower right hand corner right above the battery cover, its so bad that it's just a matter of time till that corner catches on something and it's going to rip it right off. I contacted Verizon and their shipping a new phone out to me first thing Monday morning.

Im going out of town tomorrow and while Im on the road I'll have more than enough time to become more familiar with the phone.

Thanks again

Tug