[slinky#CB]

I'm wondering if the rule is true that every phone Verizon touches turns to dreck. Who runs their R&D department? I'll elaborate with some information and a semi-amusing tale to tell about the new launch today of the HTC Touch Pro, a phone that should be AWESOME that was drowned out in the Storm. I've got an ability to get a new phone and I decided to go into the VZW store to try them out - first the Storm which I could have had shipped on 12/5 - but also potentially the hot new HTC Touch Pro.

First, the Storm - everything that the other reviewers said was true. Horrific latency with typing, the accelerometer, etc. Not just one phone but both demos that they had running. But let's say there is an update coming around the corner to manage these bugs and that it "just needed a battery pull." (Sure... it took how long to upgrade to 4.5?) I began to realize quickly why the Storm was not for me:

(1) Suretype is tough enough. Doing suretype on the screenboard is as enjoyable as hearing chalk scratching on the blackboard. If there is one thing the Blackberry did great, it was the keyboard on the Curve. WTF is wrong with them in screwing it up on the Bold (far more mediocre recessed keyboard for "coolness" sake). But even that phone is a breeze to type on by far than on the Storm. And the autocorrection? Someone shoot me before I try using it for medical terms or other abbreviations that will wreak havoc with the autocorrection (without it you'll be correcting a LOT of mistakes until you type quite slowly.)

(2) I realized the screen was a big button. It sure feels weird pressing it continuously to type. Gives you a good feeling you're typing and a bad one that your phone is coming apart.

(3) DESPERATELY in need of a trackball. Trying to use your fingers for these dropdown menus is truly not a good idea. It's hard enough to get the dropdown to show and even worse to try to select and tap the menu item you want. The reason the crappy iPhone works well for what it does is because the OS is designed, top down, for a touch screen phone. The Blackberry OS is simply NOT designed even that well for a trackball, lol, but it's best navigated quickly with it for sure.

(4) Questionable durability - I could be wrong but pushing that screen like a button sure didn't give me a good feeling that this phone would last over time.

(5) Bold Factor: As much as I hate the Bold's recessed keyboard - and there was NO reason to change the perfect, Curve keyboard other than "coolness" - it is MILES easier to type on the Bold. It is MILES easier to use the trackball. The hardware on the Bold is MUCH more durable feeling. I really don't think you can compare the two. The Bold should have had more room for a much larger screen, for sure, but with the same resolution as the STorm I'd sooner opt for a bit smaller screen and superior typing, scrolling and expeditiously making my way through the OS than limping through it with hardware not really optimized for the Blackberry OS.

HTC TOUCH PRO - OK... the Samsung phones being released use a page from Palm's playbook - all of their resolutions suck and are from years ago, 320x320 or 400 x 230. How stupid are these guys? At least make 320 be the height and use a proportional width. So we're left with the HTC Touch PO with a GORGEOUS VGA screen!!! YES!!!!! 640x480... are you KIDDING ME??? I'm practically sold!!! OK, so they want a RIDICULOUS $419 for a 1 year contact and it costs at least a good $70 more than Sprint... but let's see what you get for that premium in addition to "the network."

But hey, with the Verizon Network, you're bound for disappointment if you don't find disappointment with their hardware. I look at Verizon's HTC phone. Not only did they skim down the RAM and Processor (from AT&T's 288MR or Sprint's 256MB to only 192MB) but they also screwed up the keyboard in colossal fashion. This is what happens WHEN YOU DRINK AND DESIGN PHONES AT THE SAME TIME!!!! LOL. Apparently, as I confirmed with Tech Support, this "chic" keyboard layout is not a joke but was an intentional design in placing the "up" arrow key where it is. With an irregular keyboard like this, this joke should be severely discounted as a manufacturing error, lol!

HTC Touch Pro CDMA - Verizon Photos (Phone Arena)

So there you have it. I've got the ability to buy a new phone with Verizon but there simply isn't one that I think is even usable and nothing more in the near future, at least until the Niagara... sigh. Hey... at least I can look forward to Verizon deciding to cripple the Niagara's GPS when that comes out in June or later...