BB Storm takes bite out of Apple

Funny video, but not reality. Trust me. I know. I have both devices.

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QIK: Focus Group for BB Storm and iPhone

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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.

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Blackberry Storm reviews

If you're a gadget geek, you have to love Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal. The guy gives it to you straight. No BS. No company marketing spin. The guy just understands who these devices work, what flaws they have, what's great about them and how they stack up against the competition.

All the rage today and tomorrow will be about the Blackberry Storm. My fawning over it has been documented here (just as much as my fawning over the iPhone).

Here's what Walt has to say about the BB Storm:


Two other reviews that should be checked out if you're in the market for this device is Hiawatha Bray's of the Boston Globe and the USA Today review. Read more!

Pt. 2 of VZW's BB Storm Commercial

Oh man...

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So maybe I won't get an iPhone

Cruising around the interwebs this morning and trolling through my RSS reader and I've been reading a lot of chatter about the Blackberry Storm 9530. If the iPhone does come to Verizon AND it can handle my Lotus Notes email, this might be a tough decision. Of course, this will be a self-funded item (non-work related) so I'm hoping that the costs are relatively decent so it doesn't kill the wallet. Rumors of the storm are in the $200 range without a new contract. We'll see about that.

November is the launch date so either I am an early adopter OR I wait to see what MacWorld brings to the Verizon line-up (read: potentially the iPhone).

In the meantime, check out this promo video.

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Blackberry Thunder or iPhone?

This sounds very intriguing.

The Thunder, exclusive to Verizon, sounds like a nice device, but for me, it's still all about the iPhone and having full work functionality. The issue I'm facing is the fact that I'm with Verizon AND work uses Lotus Notes.

For a self-proclaimed tech geek, this doesn't sit well. Read more!

Braveheat-type clash featuring Apple and RIM

I'm a tech geek. I love the gadgets. I use a Blackberry (RIM, research in motion). I want an iPhone but need Blackberry corporate email capabilities. Will the two over converge?

Probably not. However, they will be battling over the same customers though.

VS.

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