On my 5th Storm...finally got a good one (plus small intro!)
Hey Everyone!
So, let me start by saying that I'm a huge mac-addict as well as a huge crackberry addict. That said, I don't plan on making iphone/blackberry comparisons - they both do things well in their own ways and I own both...
Anyway, I was able to get a Storm the day after it came out (at the Verizon store on 6th Ave and 41st in NYC) and the experience was horrifying - they made it seem like it was gold in it's purest form - asked me if I was a T-Mobile customer and then told me they had one in stock (whereas in front of my face they sent away other customers, even though they had a count)...the experience was massively shady, like a horrible used car dealership.
I won't go through the whole story, but that unit was defective, the replacement unit that Verizon sent was totally screwed up, the next one they sent had the screen click issue and then they sent two to me by accident, one with horrible screen discoloration and finally my fifth one, which works PERFECTLY.
Like many of you, I'm disappointed, but I also love it. I needed a world phone with a camera and to be on Verizon. Kind of limited when you think about it, so I ended up with this.
If it makes any difference, I found that the phones with the PRD's starting with 2 were built a lot better (my "END" button doesn't feel like it's going to fall off, for instance...)...
I do have a lot of gripes with the phone - but I also did with the iphone and that's why I'm waiting it out. The phone's a month old, and there's plenty that RIM needs to do to really make this phone something special.
The screen click is something to get used to - I use the phone exclusively in portrait mode for the most part, which is perfect for when I am typing. Yeah, a bit of a learning curve, but I used to own a Pearl, then spend a good year and a half on the Curve (I think it was that long) and now I'm on the Storm. I use my iphone as a wiFi remote for my music, and playing app games, but when it comes to my phone and email, it needs to do things the way I am used to (the BB experience :) )
I do have a wish-list though:
Wifi (obviously)
Trackball (I know, it sounds silly, but using this phone for a month now, I wish it had a trackball, even with all the trick and motion gestures, there's something super responsive about a trackball)
I wish I could hear my ringtones (is it me or is this phone not loud enough?)
I also use the Lightspeed notifier (which other people are saying they had problems with) and sometimes I don't hear SMS's...it just blinks.
The orientation of the screen needs some fine tuning...it's like the wheel of fortune wheel trying to get it to spin back correctly!!!
I wish the top button put the screen/buttons to sleep unless clicking that top lock button again (like on every blackberry)
I wish I could set alerts to ring more than once, like on every blackberry...
But there are so many things I love about the phone. Love my password manager. Love my contacts list and blackberry backup files. Love Verizon (SERVICE, not the store!). Cell reception is good, battery life is good as well.
There's so much good to say about the phone, at least the fifth one - using the other ones were really nightmarish.
I also wish I worked for RIM as an in-house product tester to really give them the POV from the user :D
Anyway, this is super long, but I wanted to document my thoughts on the device. Lots of frustrated people eagerly awaiting updates (my .75 works fine for me, so I'll wait for an official upgrade) and such, but there's hope out there.
So yeah...:cool::cool:
:D
Edit: By the way, most everyone who sees me - whether or not they know me - asks to type on this phone, and they all seem to LOVE it! Good convo piece...until the BBM starts ringing and I have to pry it out of their hands!