Blackberry Storm review

My passion for technology is well document on this blog, Twitter, Facebook, etc. For those that read this blog, you know that I've been itching for the iPhone since it came out. I'm on VZW and my work email isn't supported by the iPhone so when the Blackberry Storm came out, I instantly wanted to get it.

However, I held out because first generation devices are typically buggy. A few people in the office got the Storm before I did and I took every opportunity I could to mess around with theirs - try and get a feel for it.

Here are my first reactions, likes, dislikes, etc. since being a Storm owner for three days now.

On first glance, the device is a sharp looking piece of equipment. It's sleek, cutting edge in terms of design. It's a little heavier than my Blackberry Curve, but that was ok because I don't like flimsy feeling-type gadgets.

Here are some other bulleted thoughts:

1. I was very hesitant at first about the keyboard. I have an iPod touch and it took me quite some time to get used to clicking a screen versus hitting buttons. I have big hands and clumsy thumbs. I mastered the Curve and was banging emails out in seconds. I read all the reviews on the Storm and that was the biggest issue with it. Hardcore BB users would not like it because it wasn't as easy to type with. However, after reading some real user reviews, the sense was that you had train your thumbs to manipulate the keyboard. After three days, I've become pretty fast in typing - not as quick as with the Curve, but getting better as the usage rolls along.
   
   
2. Another complaint about the Storm is the navigation. Users liked the track ball and said that you could get to whatever app you needed quickly. I agree that you have to take a couple more steps to get to what you want to open/use on the Storm. However, the customization is great on the Storm, giving you the opportunity to create folders and put frequently-used apps on the home screen. You could do this on the Curve, but in my experience, it's much easier to do on the Storm.
   
   
3. I love the idea of an application center on the Storm. I'm hoping that the volume of apps becomes as deep as what's available for the iPhone/iPod Touch. It's a great concept and one that has great potential.
   
   
4. Flipping back and forth to items on the Storm is as easy as holding down the menu key and switching via a Mac Dock-like function. Lots of folks complained that you can't get to what you need to use on the Storm without clicking a few times. That's not entirely true with the use of the switch app functionality (also available on other BB devices, but not has easy to trigger as it is on the Storm).
   
   
5. The screen is also a source for contention with some users. You see, the touch screen is actually one big button. You actually have to "click" the screen into order to type and select applications. There are two other functions to the screen. One is the moving, scrolling, zooming functions - all the stuff you need to read email and browse the web. Secondly, there's a mid-touch-type function that allows you to scroll through points of text. It's a half click or sorts that allows you to edit text and scroll side to side, top to bottom in emails and documents.
   
   
6. The camera on the phone is decent, not great, but does what it needs to do. The quality of the pictures, on a scale of one to 10, is about a six. It's good in situation when the light is ample. The flash, in dark situation, sometimes can be too powerful - a problem I experienced on the Curve as well.
   

Overall, I find the Storm to be exactly how I expected - a Blackberry at heart with cool functionality, great graphics capabilities, more multi-media options and the ability to view the web in full versus in a mobile version.

I'm glad I made the switch and am looking forward to the next generation of Blackberry's with touch screen capabilities, unless, of course, the iPhone comes to Verizon and it supports Lotus Notes.

;)