BlackBerry Storm customers complain
Despite a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign, the new BlackBerry Storm has gotten off to a shaky start, according to The Wall Street Journal.
(Credit:
Verizon Wireless)
The Storm, which is Research In Motion's first touch-screen device, was supposed to be Verizon Wireless's iPhone killer. Verizon is the exclusive carrier for the Storm. Apple's iPhone is sold exclusively by AT&T. Verizon and RIM had supposedly been working on the device even before AT&T launched the original iPhone two and a half years ago.
The Storm launched in November, in time for the holiday-shopping season. And while it sold well initially with about 500,000 shipping the first month, the Journal reports that many customers who bought the device are complaining of buggy software and hardware glitches.
Specifically, consumers say that the software used to type on the touch screen, which requires you to press down on the face of the phone, is sluggish. I have used the device on and off since it was launched November 21, and I'd agree that it is clunky.
Other examples: the accelerometer that senses and changes the view on the screen when it's turned on its side is slow. And sometimes the "sure press" screen is difficult to use because it registers the wrong character.
Verizon and RIM rushed the device to market, perhaps before it was really ready, according to the Journal article. The newspaper notes that Jim Balsillie, RIM's co-CEO said the companies reached the Black Friday deadline "by the skin of their teeth," after they had missed a planned October debut.
A new software release came out in December to fix many of the bugs. Balsillie and others say that initial software glitches are just the reality for new smartphones that are increasingly becoming more complex. Apple was also forced to release software upgrades after its launch of the iPhone 3G to fix bugs.
The Journal also notes that the companies are working to improve future releases of the Storm including the ability to type on a full keypad while the phone is in portrait mode. Currently, users only see the truncated keypad that is used for the BlackBerry Pearl when the phone is portrait mode. This keypad has multiple letters per key.
Verizon Wireless isn't discussing exact sales figures for the Storm. A company representative told the Journal that the device has lived up to expectations and added that the percentage of returns of the device are in the single digits.
Industry analysts will be listening closely to the company's earnings call Tuesday for clues to how well the phone is doing. And they will be assessing whether the phone can in fact live up to the promise of being an iPhone killer. Apple has already garnered about 25 percent of the smartphone market in North America.
Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies. E-mail Maggie. 
My co-worker loathes his Storm. His previous phone was a Motorola Q that required several resets a day. I'm not sure what all the fuss is about - yes, my iPhone had a couple of software updates since I got it, but I wouldn't characterize it as almost unusable - like the Storm's first release.
The difference is this: When the iPhone has a bug, people wait for it to be fixed. When anyone else has a bug, they return their phone. I'm not sure if this is indicative of people putting up with more with Apple or if it means that people feel like Apple will really fix their problems, but don't trust other companies.
Yes, its a marketing disadvantage for a company that would be willing to fix bugs reliably, but it can also put a halt to phones that do have the possibility of being better. If the Storm's market share doesn't grow as they expect, they may not spend as much money on fixing the bugs. So, even though all the companies go through those pains of first release, Apple has more momentum to get through it and other companies may not. It sorta forces them to not just have a better phone, but a better phone thats also completely free from bugs, which is probably harder than the first requirement.
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/12/18/verizon-blackberry-storm-return-rate/
Other sites have guessed this was expected due to not only the bugginess, but the usability of the touch/click screen was not what they expected. Since the touch/click screen is everything when it comes to the UI, they were returned in great quantities.
I think companies need to balance the "time to market" and QA accordingly... releasing a poorly received product is worse than being late, word of mouth is a very important marketing tool. And it can work both for and against you. I'm an iPhone user and I've used the BlackBerry Bold as well and I can say with confidence that the Bold is a very solid device. Another good example is the Xbox 360 plagued with hardware problems (ring of death, large power brick and noise from fans and optical drive) and they just reinvented the user interface not too long ago where as the PS3 has kept the same user interface since launch and just added features and refinements. Again I own both products and I'd choose the PS3 over the 360
RIM is still the email leader and people who complain about it going through RIM data centers shouldn't why?? it's more reliable. Apples Mobile Me service definitely isn't as reliable as RIM's BES setup there are times when I've logged onto Mobile Me to see email that didn't make it to my iPhone as soon as it should have. I still carry a BlackBerry 8700 for work because it has better battery life and over all better communications such as BlackBerry messenger.
I own both products as well, I'm on my 4th Xbox 360, but I choose the Xbox 360 for it's software not it's hardware. Without the games my PS3 is just an expensive fancy Blu-ray player.
Plus, I fail to see what that has to do with the BB Storm anyway.
They easily could have added those extra features but in the style of the old interface. It was much easier to navigate and I believe it had a much better categorization. I instinctively knew where to go when I first saw that old UI. I still get lost in the new UI. I still can't figure out how to view active downloads with the new UI. If I can't find something without going online for help, its not an intuitive UI.
In any case, I think his point is that companies should wait longer to release something and make sure it works. Now, I'm a Sony fan (I still think the PS3 is superior), but they lost out because they released it too early. So... kinda ironic. I mean, they released with close to no games and none were even really in the pipelines. They rushed it to help push blu-ray and I honestly think it worked (for blu-ray, not for the ps3).
Anyone claiming that the PS3 doesn't have any good games either doesn't own one, or hasn't bothered to check out anything released in the last year and a half.
And for what it's worth, both work well with MediaMall's PlayOn media server for streaming Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, CSS, and ESPN content *without* a Gold subscription.[/rant]
Back on track: My wife recently replaced her WM phone with an iPhone because she saw how mine, jailbroken and with some tweaks, worked much better and more reliably than her WM phone ever did. Random loss of Internet config and broken sync were her two most frequent issues.
yes, the iphone had a few minor annoyances early on, but today it works far better than the storm of any revision.
and when steve left in 85, he was simply a menace to the firm. at age 24 what can you expect? today, he controls the cell market with an iron grip.
the storm by all accounts is a failure, but yes, blackberry really tried, but they are no match for a computer firm with 3 decades of software and hardware experience. that's why nokia and samsung will no longer rule cell phones in the coming years, the massive computing experience of apple will wipe them out. look what happened to IBM and microsoft, they are mere shells of their former power all because apple wiped them out.
face it, the iPhone & especially the iPod Touch over the next 2 decades will rule the entire mobile space, and there is nothing you can do about it. Free WiFi calls via the Touch, and the Cell industry is TOAST... companies like samsug, mot, nokia focused on rudimentary devices, but forgot about "communication" and that is where apple shines.
jump ship now, or forever hold your peace.
30 years of software and hardware development yet things like MMS messaging & copy/paste still elude them.
Maybe you need to define shell and mere?
I think he means that the companies are mere shells of their former selfs. They lost what made them industry leaders and have lost their innovation and are thus doomed to fail, until they find it again.
Why do Apple haters always feel the the need to bash something they try for 90 seconds?
It's not Apple's fault that tens of millions of people love their products.
"All I can say to you Apple die-hards is, "remember what happened to Apple the last time Jobs left the building?"
That was over 20 years ago. What's your point? That was then, this is now. Apple is now a big-time leader in technology and consumer electronics and, as a result, they tend to **** off people who have some personal issue in dealing with this very real fact. Know what? That's your problem.
"The Storm's a far better communication device . . . iPhone is a media toy. "
Right. That's why Apple, just behind RIM, owns the Smartphone industry in the US.
I'd upload a reality check for you, but you are so clearly not ready for it.
Blackberry really should have waited a little bit longer to release this device. I don't understand what's with this American way of thinking that they should just rush a product out as fast as they can and fix the bugs as they go (or keep things in "beta testing"). Gone is the idea of coming out with a fully working and functional piece of hardware/software that is fully usable. I'm pointing my finger at every company because each one is guilty of this, it doesn't matter whether you have an iPhone, an X-Box 360, or whatever, there is no such thing as a finished product.
for starters the battery life was poor, texting on the screen would add a letter i didnt press, no support for hotmail account, the 3g speeds were slugish, itunes is not my music player of choice, it froze twice while i had it and so on and so on....
2) You're in the minority. The majority of people who own iPhones love them.
3) Why did you post a comment about how much you hate the iPhone on an article about the Storm?
I struggled to get the Web browser started. It would not start. I struggled to try other things. None of them would do anything. The I figured out how hard you had to push to get something to go. Some things worked, and some don't. The physical feedback is ludicrous. I can't imagine how anyone could possibly like this phone when compared to an iPhone.
I don't like AT&T. But I like the iPhone enough to use them. There is no comparison. The Storm is a joke compared to the iPhone in every way I could see. Not one thing was better on the Blackberry. Not one single thing.
BTW, if you want one better thing on the blackberry (or almost any phone for that matter), try to send an MMS.
I was disappointed at the blackberry storm also, after I liked the pearl so much...
Last time I checked the data plan for the iphone is no where near $75 its $45 for unlimited.
Lastly some of us are over 30 and have several nice cars (just an FYI before you make broad statements like that)
Oh and my company supports the iPhone and I do travel.
If some new car company came to market and released a clone of the Model T, would you excuse it as it's "just a first gen product"?
All product releases are not perfect RIM and Apple both had issues with their releases, but Apple has a large following that RIM doesn't in terms of consumers. This is why Apple was able to gain ground so quickly and why RIM is struggling to find its place. What I suggest is that RIM stick to what it does best -- provide solid business phones. There will always be a market for that.
It is hard to really say whether I would chose the iPhone or the Storm because the whole issue of carrier contracts muddies the water. I was stuck with Verizon for at least another year and they happen to have better service at my home. So, I went with the Storm.
It would be most cool if we could simply pay retail for the phone, no carrier subsidies, and chose the carrier that best fits our need as the consumer. This would be a total win-win for us.
My husband and I tried the Iphone at the store for a couple of hours and compared it with the storm. I think for the money the storm is a better deal. Micro sd upgradability and ease of changing the battery, made all the difference for us.
I've owned 3 ipods and once that battery stops holding charge is either time to perform a complicated battery changing operation or buy a new one. Thinking that the Iphone is in a similar situation as the Ipod., we decided on the Storm just due to that fact. Verizon works better for us than AT&T also, and all our friends have Verizon so network free calls are great. I think altogether and when it comes to cost the Storm is a much better deal.
Then again all other manufacturers do the "smart" thing by building phones with replaceable batteries so you get to keep your old beat-up phone...how thoughtful.
As for replacing your iPhone all because of the damn battery...guess you just like having to reload all your stuff and redo all your settings on your 'new' phone, all in the name of returning to some scratch-free jumping-off point again. Me...I'd rather have the EASE of the user-accessible and replaceable battery, and the knowledge that MY device already works EXACTLY like I want it to, no mulligans thank you very much.
Lastly - where are the third party cases? I have seen no cases that have flip up protector screens. My screen is already scratched from being in a pocket - the cases don't fit it - RIM should have made sure that the big case OEMs would have some cases available for it besides a silicon skin!!
http://www.fommy.com/view-full-page.asp?divid=Blackberry&model=BlackBerry+Storm+9530&cat=Cases&skuno=82324
and
http://www.krusell.se/products/1/?catid=75&productid=3617
I bought the Krusell one, and love it. Only minor drawback is the edges of the opening can interfere a little with edge keyboard keys - but the case is excellent.
- by stigmattaman January 26, 2009 10:50 AM PST
- I think the WSJ, and all the people linking to the story, are taking the wrong angle on it: sure, it's a bumpy start compared to the iPhone, but half a million units in a quarter for a single device is really, really good. For comparison, the G1 sold only about 300,000 in as many markets as the Storm.
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Showing 1 of 4 pages (115 Comments)The iPhone's sort of a different category: huge demand, game-changing App Store, Apple fanbo.. afficionados, multiple markets. True, it's the gold standard for hit consumer phones, and I don't think any one can deny that. But there's plenty of room for multiple players, as the smartphone market it expected to be nearly 130 million in the U.S. alone.
I own a Storm and love it. They definitely sh*t the bed with the initial software, but the updates make the device smooth as butter. The iPhone does what it does extremely well, but I couldn't imagine not having a multitasking device.