Verizon BlackBerry Storm ambushed by Mr. Blurrycam

Yep, that's the BlackBerry Storm, with Verizon branding and everything -- too bad there isn't a shot of the pricetag or release date. Soon, please? Check two more at the read link.

[SteveJr_Ri @ Sep 15th 2008 1:41PM]

Will someone please pitch in and help Mr Blurry Cam get a nice camera so we can actually get decent spy shots

[Anthony @ Sep 15th 2008 3:05PM]

Actually, if there's something that needs to be pitched in it's a novel way for Engadget to end all their posts.

Rhetoricals to producers (i.e. ending every entry w/ "X, please?") got old fast.

[And yet.. @ Sep 15th 2008 4:41PM]

You do realize it was taken on an 8130 shooting a PC screen don't you?..It's from the internal video that was sent to VZW employee's earlier today go read the exif data off the pics posted from their source on crackberry.

[Wwhat @ Sep 16th 2008 1:07AM]

yeah it's clearly a photo of a screen running a low res video

[Flashpoint @ Sep 15th 2008 1:42PM]

Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster AND the Blackberry Storm must all exist.

Anything that is photographed with a blurry cam must exist.

[Ron @ Sep 15th 2008 1:43PM]

Looks good even though it's all blurred. I wonder if it'll have a smooth UI, we don't need another WM.

[orky @ Sep 15th 2008 3:58PM]

actually the UI will be blurry too

[Ysleiro @ Sep 15th 2008 1:46PM]

Man I'm really thinking about this phone.

My T-mo plan is almost up. Guys do you think Verizon is a good move for me?

I like T-mo but they have been sucking in the phones department for about a year now. Not to mention that they are so slow at implementing 3G that it pisses me off.

The only thing I like about what they are doing is the HTC Dream and the fact that they finally are rolling out 3G.

[Ysleiro @ Sep 15th 2008 1:47PM]

Or should I wait until other "Storm" variations arrive at T-mo.

Assuming RIM doesn't let Verizon be the only carrier. Should I be assuming that?

Help please.

[Kobutah @ Sep 15th 2008 1:52PM]

For those who haven't been following the Thunder/Storm for the past 6 months, it is a Verizon exclusive. It will be for at least a few months. Their network is strong and this is supposed to be a world phone, so no worries there.

[zargon @ Sep 15th 2008 1:55PM]

For me personally, it isn't about the phone (but great and new phones are always a bonus), but rather the service.

If you are seriously think about switching carriers, whether it is Verizon or someone else, I would talk to people in your area to get an idea of the service. I use to be with AT&T, before the whole Crapular mess and in the Twin Cities they had the best service. However, once Crapular took over, the server went to crap. No one knew why, or at least they wouldn't tell us and this wasn't just my wife and myself, it was everyone I knew. Now I know that just people I knew isn't exactly the best of proof, but all that mattered for me is that I could no longer get reception in my apartment when I could before. We made the switch to Verizon and haven't been happier with the service, I have not had any major issues with Verizon at all, any where I traveled. Which is all that matters to make, to make sure I have a good service back bone as the foundation, phones on top of that is just icing on the cake.

[Ysleiro @ Sep 15th 2008 1:58PM]

So basically you are saying other carriers will get it just not right away. Thanks.

Ps. Does anyone know how long it usually takes for the exclusivity to wear off? I know the Pearl was exclusive to T-mo at first, wasn't that 3 months.

[goober_nut @ Sep 15th 2008 1:56PM]

I'm actually thinking about dropping my Verizon service at the end of this year when it expires. Sure their service is great, very few dropped calls, but their pricing sucks.
So, if money isn't an issue, go for Verizon...otherwise choose your carrier carefully.

[Ysleiro @ Sep 15th 2008 2:06PM]

@Zargon: Thanks bud. I see your point. What good is having great looking phones if they can't perform their most basic function: Calls.

Overall in my area (North NJ) I'm "kinda" happy with my T-mo reception. Although I do lose reception when we go to PA once a year. But honestly if I find out that Verizon has better reception out here (I think it does) and I like one of their plans, I'm switching.

[aaron @ Sep 15th 2008 2:07PM]

@zargon

I believe that it was AT&T that took over "Crapular"...

[zargon @ Sep 15th 2008 2:58PM]

@aaron

Nope, AT&T bought out some carrier(s) to get into the cellular and it stayed AT&T for some time. Then AT&T was looking to get out of the cellular market and sold it to Cingular. SBC then purchased AT&T and shortly after that the new AT&T purchase Bell South, who owned Cingular, and they decided to go with the AT&T name.

[a ham sandwich @ Sep 15th 2008 3:23PM]

@ zargon

lol that sounds like the colbert skit about at&t!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6nuwQmhrZ8

[Raul @ Sep 15th 2008 1:53PM]

So Fartworthy,

I may switch to the VZW

[MARV @ Sep 15th 2008 1:59PM]

WHEN IS IT COMING OUT

[Johan S @ Sep 15th 2008 2:05PM]

What's the resolution of it?

[Ysleiro @ Sep 15th 2008 2:35PM]

360 by 480

According to this site. It's not VGA but it's MUCH higher that QVGA. I wish it was VGA though.

http://www.zimbio.com/Mobile+Phone+Design/articles/4386/Verizon+Blackberry+Storm+called+Storm+not

[don @ Sep 15th 2008 3:18PM]

iphone 3g still kills it..nice try though

[Shane @ Sep 15th 2008 3:32PM]

Actually, the iPhone 3G doesn't "kill it". The iPhone will never (1) be a Blackberry or (2) be on Verizon's network. These two advantages are all that is necessary for me and many others to make the choice of the Storm over an iPhone 3G. Many, many companies out there require their employees to use Blackberries because they spent a lot of money purchasing and implementing the Blackberry Enterprise Server. Some of those companies might allow their employees to use an iPhone, but most won't. The connectivity issues the iPhone is having on AT&T's network wouldn't be happening if they were on the Verizon network. My Blackberry gets data service pretty much everywhere I take it, and it is fast too.

[DON @ Sep 15th 2008 4:36PM]

actually sorry it does not kill the iphone 3g: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XosVnkm6UL4

besides the phone being bashed on that video trust me that phone stands no chance against the iphone. the interface is horrible and it the phone isnt true touch screen. i understand if your a "business" person you may need a blackberry or whatever then i guess you could get this and try to take it out but you will not be happy when the person with the iphone 3g takes out there phone and laughs at you. verizon has a "decent" network. i have had to many discussions with people saying they get no signal with verizon. i have had every network from cingular to att to verizon to sprint and now im back with att. and surprisingly the iphone 3g gets just as a good or if not better signal than sprint. ive had numerous phones from the q to q9c to the instinct. trust me i hate apple but this made me change my thinking. the only phone that stands a chance against the iphone is going to be the htc HD and we all know thats going to sprint so....verizon people get your cancellation fee money ready.

[Heshmati4 @ Sep 15th 2008 5:02PM]

@Shane:

I don't think businesses would buy the Storm even if it was a blackberry because it doesn't have a tactile keyboard. The Storm is aimed at consumers rather than business users.

[Shane @ Sep 15th 2008 6:29PM]

I think most businesses don't really care which BB you use, they all work with BES. My company gives me the choice of using the BB they provide, or letting me get my own that they reimburse me for. As long as it is a BB, that is all that matters.

[Andrew T. @ Sep 15th 2008 6:38PM]

To DON:
Trust you? Why? Do you have the FINAL product?. And why would someone "laugh" at the BlackBerry user? Because it ISN'T an iPhone? How can you make a comparison from just that video? You have no idea what the final OS will be like and how it will function. What you stated throughout your whole comment was ALL assumption. With your assumptions, all you're saying is that "it looks like an iPhone but it isn't an iPhone, (haha)" or looks are everything, "my iPhone looks better than your BlackBerry". That's like me saying, "Hey, that DON guy is a douche, trust me", but I don't even know who you are - only know you through this comment system.

Let's wait for the product to actually be released before making comparisons.

Also, why do people bring up signal coverage? If you're going to argue which carrier is better, that's the LAST thing (if at all) to compare and discuss. It differs by location. Through everyone's opinion on here, not ONE carrier has the best coverage throughout America, some places might be great for AT&T and some not and that goes for Verizon as well.

[Shane @ Sep 15th 2008 2:14PM]

My understanding is that it is a lifetime VZW exclusive so long as they hit certain sales targets after the first year. I've had T-Mobile and AT&T in the past, and neither could compare to Verizon's coverage. My Verizon phone virtually always has a signal, even when I traveled up to Alaska. I was even surprised to find I had coverage when out on a cruise ship miles from shore traveling along the coast of Canada. Verizon is definitely the best when it comes to being able to make calls.

[somebody7 @ Sep 15th 2008 2:33PM]

Were you able to see Russia from Alaska too?

[Sofunnytom @ Sep 15th 2008 6:31PM]

thats because cruise ships have pretty much built in femtocells that charge you for roaming, so you get 5 bars, but there should be a roaming symbol on the top

[Shane @ Sep 15th 2008 6:54PM]

Actually, this was not a signal I was getting from the cruise ship. It was coming from land, as I could not pick it up when we were too far out to sea. This cruise was several months ago as well, and I wasn't charged any roaming charges.

[jollyllama @ Sep 15th 2008 2:19PM]

Quick question: Why is RIM lately naming all their products like they're Gaterade flavors?

[tpadekar @ Sep 15th 2008 3:26PM]

They're trying to "refresh" their brand! :-P

[Anthony @ Sep 15th 2008 4:21PM]

"It's got electrolytes."

[Chris @ Sep 15th 2008 2:32PM]

I think the blurry cam is part of the excitement like he had to take the pictures really fast so nobody would see him.

[Heshmati4 @ Sep 15th 2008 5:01PM]

Shane:

I don't think businesses would buy the Storm even if it was a blackberry because it doesn't have a tactile keyboard. The Storm is aimed at consumers rather than business users.

[Heshmati4 @ Sep 15th 2008 5:02PM]

Grrrr! Wrong reply button!

[lorddshadow @ Sep 15th 2008 5:59PM]

darn you blurrycam! daaaarrrrrnnnn yoooouuu!!!

[ANON @ Sep 15th 2008 8:32PM]

The clicking/moving screen is novel and sounds very interesting, but it is a cause for concern for me (and I'm sure others that type very quickly).

In particular, on any regular qwerty keyboard, in a sequence of keystrokes, I depress the next key in the sequence before the previous key is fully released. In other words, when typing "key" I hit "k", and as the key is coming up, I'm already pressing "e" down. Obviously, there is no problem with this on non-touch keyboards, since both keys have independant action (and so long as you are not hitting the keys simultaneously).

But what happens when you have one giant key? I feel that the typing speed will be limited because the user will have to wait until the entire screen releases before hitting the screen again. I realize that this is matter of fractions of seconds, but fractions of seconds make all the difference in the world for fast twitch type activities like this.

It would be sweet if the screen could recognize when you are typing very fast, and demphasize or disable the click necessity, so that you can type just as you would on any other touch device (e.g., iphone).

[ATX @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:03PM]

Anyone think we'll get our hijacked GPS chip to use like the rest of the world that isn't stuck with poorly designed apps that charge you?

[Bernardo @ Nov 6th 2008 5:05AM]

Eh - I got the Bold in Europe anyway. I was show the storm in the store, and a touch keyboard also means that I don't have buttons - therefore, unless I'm looking at it pretty closely, I'll miss my keys. Hope Blackberry makes a touch+qwerty phone - touch is useful when browsing and looking at pictures especially, but the mini-keyboard is a lot more practical when it comes to writing emails etc.