Comments on: BlackBerry Storm customers complain

RIM's BlackBerry Storm has gotten off to a rough start with lots of customers complaining of glitches, according to The Wall Street Journal.

[e1pis]

I got my BB Storm a month ago and found it not as bad as all the terrible reviews written about it. I think any new tech gadget may have new features that we may need to used to. I don't find the clicking annoying at all - in fact, by having the "highlight, delay, click", it actually improves the accuracy of your typing. The software is a bit slow - which is acceptable for the initial model. The contrast/color/brightness is amazing.

I think the BBS comes with a factory protection screen protector. I called the techsupport and was recommended to keep it there until it has served its purpose, then replace it with 3rd party protectors as periodically as needed. I also got my silicon cover on eBay. The amount of selection was probably 5% of all the iPhone covers, but there are ones that are both functional and good looking.

In a way, I'm stuck with BB because my employer will not pay the $150K license fee asked by Apple to run iPhone with our MSFT exchange server. I think iphone is cool - but how often do I need to listen to music on my phone? how often do I wan to play lightsword w/ a naughty friend? Even though BB was not as sleek as iPhone in many's eyes, it's a functional device for business purposes. It has great voice quality for phones and impeccable push service for emails. There are less than 2 hours in a day when I don't have access to a computer for music and web. So no matter how much fun iPhone is, I won't really need it.

[Hep Cat]

"I'm stuck with BB because my employer will not pay the $150K license fee asked by Apple to run iPhone with our MSFT exchange server. "

A complete fabrication. No one has to pay anything if you already have an Exchange server. But you also think that waiting for the interface to confirm your actions is "acceptable". Most people would just call it a slow piece of *****.

[M5er]

It sounds like the touch/click screen was a bust - The idea of it sounds really annoying. I can't imagine how actually using it is. Why is everything compared to the iPhone? iPhone vs. just about anything else is apples to oranges.

If the touch/click screen really is a bust, then Blackberry had a dud piece of hardware on their hands. That can't be fixed with a software update.

[iBuzz]

The Storm seems like it has a major design flaw when it comes to typing. The iPhone has multi-touch typing, but the Storm doesn't. The reason it's called multi-touch is because it registers multiple fingers touching the screen. Therefore, when you type, if you press the letter "a", and while your finger is still down but about to be released off of the "a", you press the letter "t" with another finger, it recognizes that, so you type the expected word: "at". This allows you to type very fast because you don't have to wait until you release each letter before you can type the next one.

With the Storm, instead of typing with touch actions, you actually have to press the screen down until it clicks. And since the Screen can only recognize one push action at a time, you have to wait until the screen clicks back before you can press down on another key. Not only is this more demanding physically, but it also slows your typing down incredibly.

The Storm is no match for the iPhone's multi-touch virtual keyboard, and of course, it's no match for the Blackberry Bold's physical keyboard, so I'm wondering who is really happy with this thing -- probably only those who do not do much typing on their phones.

[Hep Cat]

You can also hold down modifiers and keep typing on the iPhone - all caps made easy.

I recently switched to Verizon and decided to trade in my old Pearl for the glitzy Storm. After 2 weeks, I returned the Storm and went with the tried and true Curve and now I couldn't be happier. While the Storm was kinda "cool", I absolutely did not like the way it worked. It didn't even feel a like a phone when I held it. The Curve just works more like a phone and the functionality is fine. The Storm is NOT an iPhone.

[jaxstephens]

BlackBerry devices are good for email and as phones. They seem to do nothing else particularly well (calendar, contacts, tasks, web browsing, multimedia, etc.). Note that I'm speaking mostly from a pure OS perspective. The real deal killer for me with the Storm, besides the horrible clicking keyboard, is that the OS was never built from the ground up for touch. Touch was retrofitted onto the old BlackBerry OS after the fact, and the BlackBerry OS was never that hot to begin with. For pure elegance of the OS, iPhone wins hands down. (Disclaimer: I don't have an iPhone, and I use [crappy] Windows Mobile currently.)

I have had the Storm 9530 for a bit over a month.

I am looking forward to new software releases which I hope will resolve some of my issues.

But what really irritates me is the lack of Wi-Fi. Rogers Communications in Canada will be releasing theur version of the 9530 with Wi-Fi in a month or so. It will be called the 9520.

Why do I need Wi-Fi?
Well I often travel in areas where there is no or little cell coverage. Having Wi-Fi would at least let me get Email and web access.

I asked Verizon Reps about this and they claimed they has such a large network it would not be necessary. While I agree that they have the largest and in my opinion the most reliable network, they certainly are not everywhere!

[lavern]

well why would you buy it ? You knew it didnt have wifi didnt you?

[Sooperuser]

I have owned every phone that has been discussed here and now own the Storm. I like it alot! Simply put I need some sort of feedback to acknowledge when a action is registered when I use the touch screen. My Iphone did not provide that at all. I made so many mistakes because of a lack of this feature. The Storm allows me to reduce my mistakes using its click screen. Personally, the Iphone is cool but not practical. I have updated my Storm and it works great! RIM is working hard on the updates and I like that the company supports the device wholeheartedly depsite the bias in some reviews. Frankly, I have been an Apple computer user all my life but I think the Iphone is a big gimmick. If you can't multitask with the device it really isn't worth its price tag. No copy and paste- c'mon give me a break. Up until this month the proprietary music was a drag and also no removable battery. Also, Verizon's network is faster and more reliable than AT&T, no matter how you slice it is. Through Opera's web browser and Bolt I can access the full web faster than my Iphone. The problem I have is that when you buy an Iphone you will always have to get a new one. With Blackberry you can keep it forvever. The company will support their products through hardware as well as software. I'm sure a new Iphone will come out with the copy and paste feature and multitasking, but how many Iphones do they come out with first before they input those features. RIM and Palm and Win Mobile devices have always been able to do this. So to me it sounds like the classic Apple Ipod hustle. Apple will get you to buy the latest device and come out with a new one as soon as you buy it with the features you really wanted. So you can be tougher on the Storm, because in truth it can do more and it is the first model of its kind from RIM.

[viper396]

I noticed a few iPhone users with nothing better to do then come here and post some negative rethoric about the Storm. In case you forget (which is something most Apple zeolots always conveniently do when faced with anything negative) the original product release of the iPhone was hardly a smooth and trouble free experience. Get over yourselves.

[AppleSuxLeo]

I PRE-dict Palm will pounce now that RIM/Verizon blew it.

[Netrilix]

I accepted a long time ago that glitches like this were a harsh reality of living on the bleeding-edge of technology. To me, it's always been worth it to deal with the glitches rather than wait a year for the product to be ironed out. I don't have the Storm, but it sounds very similar to the glitches on my last two ahead-of-the-curve smart phones.

[mcap79]

WAH, WAH, WAH!!! If you don't like it, sell it or return it. There are many people that like or love their Storm including myself. I had an iPhone and got rid of it because it didn't do everything I needed. Sure there are a few glitches, every innovative smartphone has been at this point early on. .75 release showed significant improvements and the upcoming release is promising. I have tested other OS updates and see a faster, more responsive device

[topkidnum1]

I had the Storm, and yeah, the current "official" firmware is sluggish and slow and I was contemplating returning it. But I was able to get the newest leaked version, .90, and I have to got to say, all of the sluggishness is gone. I'm not saying everyone should run beta firmware, but trust me, wait it out, it is definitely improving.

[lavern]

I think it's just a matter of taste because I love mine. I have had no locking up problems and I like the keyboard.

[ssalava]

Admittedly, the sluggishness got better with the 2-3 software releases I had to download in the first couple of weeks. But by then, I had lost confidence in the Storm and Samsung's Omnia had debuted. So I sent my Storm back. I'm much happier with my Samsung Omnia.

[abcyesn]

Another issue I encountered with my Storm after having it for only 2 days is last night the battery went completely dead so I plugged it in to charge. I plugged it out this morning, turned it on and it started going haywire doing all kind of weird stuff. I had to a hard reset to get it working again... Anyone else had this problem? I really love this phone but after reading alot of the posts, seems to me like this phone has the potential to have alot of issues.
share your stories at http://www.Storm-BlackBerry.com

Granted I have had to reboot the unit a couple of times in the time I have had it, but I think there is a lack of understanding about the product, coupled with the omission of a critical component on the product. The Storm is definitely a product that requires some living with before you get used to its operation. Once you have had some time with it, though, it is an incredibly well thought out product. The advantage of the click screen is akin to the difference between a two button and single button mouse. Implement it right, and you have far more flexibility in the use of the UI.

The critical thing that is missing is the ability to list running applications and close them. The Storm is a good performer and I have thoroughly enjoyed having it. Anything is better than the series of PocketPC devices I have had up this point. But the Achilles heel is what happens when too many applications are left running, with no way to close them except to go into each one and select close from the menu. Fix that, and continue to add features and you have a very strong product.

Note that I like the iPhone and Touch. But to to imply that they are superior in all ways to anything else is a reach. In a bow to the vast use of iPods, the Storm can sync using iTunes, which is a smart and thoughtful feature. It also plays the formats that work on the Touch/iPhone, so software designed to create digital content for those products will work with the Storm. The Storm has a removable battery and memory card, making expansion and extended use more practical. Finally, the Storm has both CDMA and GSM multiband support, making it a true world phone.

I leave on this note. All of the iPhones that were issued at my work were returned because of poor reception and short battery life. The Storm gets the best reception of any of the smart phones I have had to date. The battery can last days, even with moderate use. If the Storm has a downfall, it is that iPhone users will never accept it as an alternative, which I fully understand, and existing Blackberry users are too used to their current devices with tactile keyboards to change. All I know is, I like mine.

[Mike_atcnet]

Exactly... (Some of you poeple talking down upon the strom just sound rediculous)... The strom has its flaws but they will be fixed.

[Mike_atcnet]

Exactly... (Some of you poeple talking down upon the Storm just sound ridiculous)... The Storm may have its flaws but they will be fixed.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Live on CNBC today they showed the Palm Pre and it`s superior GUI and said it`s the phone to beat.
Palm is a BUY !

[abcyesn]

It doesn't really matter what anyone says about the phone. What matters, is how each individual feels about their phone. I bought mine the day it came out, and granted, .65 was awful, but huge strides have been made since then, and the phone only continues to improve. I love mine and wouldn't give it up for any other phone out there. So to all the naysayers, stick a sock in it. Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean that I have to dislike it, and vise versa.

Share your personal view at http://www.Storm-BlackBerry.com