BlackBerry Storm users

[Flexin]

So how are you liking your phones? What do you like about it and want don't you like about it. Hows the battery life now. I know a couple of people here started having problems with it not lasting the day. I have been checking this phone out and this phone is on my list for new phones now. Even though I never wanted a BlackBerry before. I played with a few BB phones and thats seems to be the only BlackBerry I like at all with only a few minutes of play time. I spent more time with the Storm then I did with the others.

James

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Flexin

So how are you liking your phones? What do you like about it and want don't you like about it. Hows the battery life now. I know a couple of people here started having problems with it not lasting the day. I have been checking this phone out and this phone is on my list for new phones now. Even though I never wanted a BlackBerry before. I played with a few BB phones and thats seems to be the only BlackBerry I like at all with only a few minutes of play time. I spent more time with the Storm then I did with the others.

James

I love my Storm, and am very happy with it. I've been updating the phone with the beta releases of the operating system, and with each release, things have smoothed out incredibly. I think the latest operating system has done a good job of eliminating most of the problems that the phones had during their initial release.

Pros:

+ The screen is beautiful, very sharp and very big. It's got a slight edge on the iPhone in terms of resolution.

+ The click screen, after getting used to using it as it should be used, is an excellent setup that's cut back on goofy mis-selections. I think it's an excellent setup, for the most part (got one caviat in the cons)

+ Full stereo bluetooth that works excellent for taking calls an streaming music.

+ This is more a Blackberry thing in general, but definitely relates to the Storm, but it's an incredible device for messaging and emailing. I have all my email pushed through the phone with IMAP setups and it's a godsend. I'd say 95% of all my emailing is handled strictly through my Storm, with only a few things done that need to be done on my computer. The same could be said about my Curve and Pearl, but I think the larger screen definitely lends to making it far more convenient.

Cons

- As good as the click screen is, it gets a little lagged out if you type fast. I don't know if it's just the need for another firmware update, or if it's a limitation of the design itself, but the click screen slows down fast typing by not being able to register which button you're selecting if you've got one finger clicking on one letter while your other finger is even slightly resting on the next letter you want to click.

- The buttons for the landscape qwerty virtual keyboard are way too fucking small. Seriously. Normally that kinda thing doesn't bother me, but it's kind of an annoyance. I keep hoping they'll change the button size with each firmware release, but so far no. The auto correct feature is pretty damn good about fixing the error in the words you're typing, but they really need to work on the button size. There's plenty of usable space between each button to make them bigger and more functional. I've been using the SureType setup in portrait mode for better keys, but I can only take so much SureType. They added a qwerty setup in portrait that seems to be a waste. Unless your fingers are about as wide as a stylus, it's practically useless.

- Battery life, as compared to the awesome life of the Curve and Pearl, is kind of shitty. It depends greatly on what OS version you're using and what programs you're using. I've been getting 2 days between charges with version 4.7.0.90, but was barely getting a day with earlier releases. I think it'll be far more consistent and have better life on future updates.

- It's a slick device, and god knows I've come close to letting it slip outta my hands more than once.

- The screen collects fingerprints. It'll be all smudgy within a day if you don't keep it clean.

That's about the basics of it that I can think of off the top of my head. Many of the cons seem to be things that are getting ironed out with each firmware update, so they don't really bother me too much, except for the small ass keys. If you have more specific questions, I'd be glad to answer what I can. Also, check out the Storm section on http://www.crackberry.com for more opinions.

[Flexin]

Originally Posted by Corey

I love my Storm, and am very happy with it. I've been updating the phone with the beta releases of the operating system, and with each release, things have smoothed out incredibly. I think the latest operating system has done a good job of eliminating most of the problems that the phones had during their initial release.

Pros:

+ The screen is beautiful, very sharp and very big. It's got a slight edge on the iPhone in terms of resolution.

+ The click screen, after getting used to using it as it should be used, is an excellent setup that's cut back on goofy mis-selections. I think it's an excellent setup, for the most part (got one caviat in the cons)

+ Full stereo bluetooth that works excellent for taking calls an streaming music.

+ This is more a Blackberry thing in general, but definitely relates to the Storm, but it's an incredible device for messaging and emailing. I have all my email pushed through the phone with IMAP setups and it's a godsend. I'd say 95% of all my emailing is handled strictly through my Storm, with only a few things done that need to be done on my computer. The same could be said about my Curve and Pearl, but I think the larger screen definitely lends to making it far more convenient.

Cons

- As good as the click screen is, it gets a little lagged out if you type fast. I don't know if it's just the need for another firmware update, or if it's a limitation of the design itself, but the click screen slows down fast typing by not being able to register which button you're selecting if you've got one finger clicking on one letter while your other finger is even slightly resting on the next letter you want to click.

- The buttons for the landscape qwerty virtual keyboard are way too fucking small. Seriously. Normally that kinda thing doesn't bother me, but it's kind of an annoyance. I keep hoping they'll change the button size with each firmware release, but so far no. The auto correct feature is pretty damn good about fixing the error in the words you're typing, but they really need to work on the button size. There's plenty of usable space between each button to make them bigger and more functional. I've been using the SureType setup in portrait mode for better keys, but I can only take so much SureType. They added a qwerty setup in portrait that seems to be a waste. Unless your fingers are about as wide as a stylus, it's practically useless.

- Battery life, as compared to the awesome life of the Curve and Pearl, is kind of shitty. It depends greatly on what OS version you're using and what programs you're using. I've been getting 2 days between charges with version 4.7.0.90, but was barely getting a day with earlier releases. I think it'll be far more consistent and have better life on future updates.

- It's a slick device, and god knows I've come close to letting it slip outta my hands more than once.

- The screen collects fingerprints. It'll be all smudgy within a day if you don't keep it clean.

That's about the basics of it that I can think of off the top of my head. Many of the cons seem to be things that are getting ironed out with each firmware update, so they don't really bother me too much, except for the small ass keys. If you have more specific questions, I'd be glad to answer what I can. Also, check out the Storm section on http://www.crackberry.com for more opinions.

One day walking by a booth with phones I pressed on and I could see it light up but it wasn't taking the button press. I pressed harder and heard the click, thats when my press registered. I didn't have time to stay and try it but I thought would slow me down and drive me crazy.

I think it was Friday that I went to a store with a working model while wearing my headphones. (so I could enjoy it without the sales people talking to me) and I was impress that it was faster then I thought while typing. I would say its fast as my Treo but that has a real keyboard so that isn't really fair.

But I then tried some of the normal BlackBerry phones and I had a lot more mis typed keys. I had 0-1 on the Storm and 2-3 on the others. I don't know if I was trying to type faster on the real board but I was surprised. I don't know what it is but I don't have any love for the regular BlackBerry phones. It must be the touch screen that is doing it. That or the software or both. Its a big difference from my Treo. But I do like the Storm for some strange reason.

I did check out and sign up for Howard Forums to get some info on a few phones. That also lead me to CrackBerry which I am now signed up to. I did some reading in there on the Storm. There seems to be a bit of fighting from the non Storm BlackBerry users in the Storm sub section.

I also like the post I read about the guy that was sick of his Storm and was returning it. That was is first post. And he didn't do a review like you did. His thing was it sucked. He did give a few reasons and said he would keep checking back to see if the problems were fixed but he was moving on to another phone.

While on there I found out about OtterBox. At first site it wasn't something I wanted till I read some reviews on CB about them. Then I looked into it a little more. That might be the thing for me because of the fact that I'm in construction.

I'm going to keep looking some more. I don't really have the money yet to spend on the upgrade and also my cell provider doesn't have the Storm yet. I'm hearing rumors of March but we will see. I think it might be after that but I hope I'm wrong.

I also like what I'm hearing about the Palm Pre but I can't see my provider getting it because I hear that Palm and Rogers are not getting along.

Thanks for the info.

James

[Corey]

Glad I could help. I noticed on Crackberry (and HoFo, and Blackberryforums) that the ones returning the phone right away were pissed that it's not perfect from the start. It's an acceptable gripe, but just like the iPhone and damn near anything else that's loaded with technology, the first run is always the teething run. The Storm is a really nice phone that manages to keep the abilities of the regular BB phones while adding a bit of flash and fancy shit with a touch screen and better multimedia abilities. But in the end it's still a Blackberry, which for some people (me) is perfect, and for others looking for an iPhone that's not an iPhone, it's not gonna work for them. I think by the time you get them in March, they'll have a solid firmware release that's ironed out most of the problems and should make the phone even more capable than it is now. I've read that Blackberry's version of the Application Store should be up and running by then too, adding even more functionality.

[Quick281]

I have the phone and feel that Corey covered everything pretty well. His review basically helped me to go in and look at getting the phone versus the Iphone. ( I was already a Verizon customer)

The problems I am experiencing now are the laggy key board at times or when the phone is being turned around and the screen is slow to right itself. I am just assuming that these things can be taken care of over time.

Beyond that I have had a couple problems with some of the videos I have been playing on the phone but over all I am happy with the phone.

I am also not playing around with any of the stuffed offered on crackberry so unlike Corey (correct me if I was wrong in that assumption) I will be waiting for the updates as they are released by Verizon.

I am happy but then again my old phone was way shit. Big upgrade for me.

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Quick281

I have the phone and feel that Corey covered everything pretty well. His review basically helped me to go in and look at getting the phone versus the Iphone. ( I was already a Verizon customer)

The problems I am experiencing now are the laggy key board at times or when the phone is being turned around and the screen is slow to right itself. I am just assuming that these things can be taken care of over time.

Beyond that I have had a couple problems with some of the videos I have been playing on the phone but over all I am happy with the phone.

I am also not playing around with any of the stuffed offered on crackberry so unlike Corey (correct me if I was wrong in that assumption) I will be waiting for the updates as they are released by Verizon.

I am happy but then again my old phone was way shit. Big upgrade for me.

The latest beta firmware has really cleared up the laggy keyboard, especially when switching between portrait and landscape mode. That was something that frustrated the shit out of me with the latest official release. When the next official OS release from Verizon hits, I think you'll see a dramatic difference in that, as well as a far quicker experience with the rest of the phone.

[Quick281]

Originally Posted by Corey

The latest beta firmware has really cleared up the laggy keyboard, especially when switching between portrait and landscape mode. That was something that frustrated the shit out of me with the latest official release. When the next official OS release from Verizon hits, I think you'll see a dramatic difference in that, as well as a far quicker experience with the rest of the phone.

Awesome. This is exactly how I hoped it would happen based off of what you told me before I bought the phone.

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Quick281

Awesome. This is exactly how I hoped it would happen based off of what you told me before I bought the phone.

The unofficial updates have been incredibly quick. I think I downloaded 4.7.0.90 somewhere around January 21, about a week after installing .86. This past weekend saw the leak of .99. Each release has been just a little bit better than the last and addressed stuff like lagging and other things. There's still some tweaking, but I think .90 was the first release where my Storm felt complete. Once the official release hits, I'm going to stick to that and probably stay off the Beta releases because everything appears to be to the point of being right for daily use.

Edited to add, I'm glad I steered you right. I've been extremely happy with each Blackberry I've owned and love spreading the gospel so to speak.

[Quick281]

Originally Posted by Corey

The unofficial updates have been incredibly quick. I think I downloaded 4.7.0.90 somewhere around January 21, about a week after installing .86. This past weekend saw the leak of .99. Each release has been just a little bit better than the last and addressed stuff like lagging and other things. There's still some tweaking, but I think .90 was the first release where my Storm felt complete. Once the official release hits, I'm going to stick to that and probably stay off the Beta releases because everything appears to be to the point of being right for daily use.

Edited to add, I'm glad I steered you right. I've been extremely happy with each Blackberry I've owned and love spreading the gospel so to speak.

And did I see that there is an application system coming out? That seems to be the only thing I envy about the Iphone.

Edited to add that I am glad to be part of the gospel.

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Quick281

And did I see that there is an application system coming out? That seems to be the only thing I envy about the Iphone.

Edited to add that I am glad to be part of the gospel.

There's a combination Application Center and Application Store coming out. There's the framework for it right now already on your Storm. If you go to your Applications folder, there should be an icon for the Application Center. If you do an update, it's pretty much just the basic Myspace, Facebook, Visual Voicemail, and some other shit. Sometime around March they're going to expand it to something along the lines of the Apple app center and start offering applications through the app center on the phone as well as an app center type program on your computer. The info has been limited, but they're talking about something very similar to the Apple Center, with far less restrictions on who can develop the apps. They're also hyping up that there will be some kind of big thing that will set it apart from the competition, but until I see firm details, that's nothing more than marketing hype to me. The rumored date that it goes live is somewhere around March or April.