BlackBerry Storm: the aftermath

With day zero of the Age of the Storm (well, Verizon's day zero, anyway) now behind us, it's probably a good idea to pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and reflect on what just went down. First and foremost, we're hearing that stock levels are pretty bleak at the moment in many areas; in some cases, stores didn't get as many Storms as they'd been expecting, leading to speedy sell-outs. Some of those that were able to snatch a scarce unit were met with activation issues, Verizon's servers seemingly meeting the same fate as AT&T's and Apple's on iPhone 3G launch day. Will the situation improve? We can only imagine -- but it's hard to say just how long it'll take before you'll be able to stroll into the store (or shady mall kiosk) of your choice and score a Storm sight unseen, especially in light of the firmware drama unfolding before our very eyes. In the meantime, owners (and hopefuls, too), keep sending in your reports from the field!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Tetero @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:04AM]

seriously, we're authorized retailers and that friday 21st was a nightmare trying to activate or upgrade any service for a customer because the system was so delayed.... and nothing was possible to be done. So all that was left to do was tell the customers to take the phones with them and it would be activated next day.

[RazorD @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:54AM]

According to Stephen Fry on his twitter this morning (http://twitter.com/stephenfry) - it's not worth it, either!

[Flashpoint @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:05AM]

I may get downranked for this but...

I went to Circuit City yesterday because they have a Verizon store. I wanted to give the Blackberry Storm a fair comparison to my iPhone.

The Storm has alot of features I like (that my iPhone lacks) such as:

#1 the ability to tether it to a computer for a modem on Verizon's fast CDMA network
#2 replaceable battery
#3 Verizon turn-by-turn navigator as an option
#4 Video capture
#5 copy/paste
#6 the click screen
#7 BlackBerry's Enterprise server (which I don't actually need at my office since I use yahoo sync)


But the truth of the matter is, I was terribly dissapointed by the device's firmware. It really isn't built for the specific capabilities of the phone itself. Navigating on the storm was HORRIBLE. With iPhone, you can slide through menus quickly and easily because not only does you're finger easily begin the screen manipulation, but, your motions have INERTIA which makes gestures much better accepted when you navigate. The LG Dare and the Motorola K. have touch feedback vibration which feels really good, but they too lack the iPhone's polished inertial motion.

And the software on the Storm was terrible. The camera takes pictures really slow and apps open really slow. Someone on the Storm review claimed it takes iPhone 5 seconds to open apps. That's bullshit. It takes 2 seconds TOPS. But even with time delays, the iPhone is a much more polished device and I saw no reason to change phones.

[Flashpoint @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:09AM]

the lack of wifi is a deal breaker for me. If i want to use this device in the absense of Verizon's fantastic network, I should be able to.

I have a wireless router with FIOS in my place and I download to my iPhone at top speed. No cellular network can match that.

[Levi @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:36AM]

@ flash: It may only take a second for the iPhone to open an app, but there is a noticeable lag between that time and when it is useable. I don't know if this lag time is affected by how full the storage is, or if it has just gotten worse due to some of the updates, but it can definitely last 5 seconds or more. Notepad is actually the worst for me, it opens right up, but I'll sit there tapping the "Notes" button over and over as it tries to fully load the program for a while before it actually goes back to the previous menu. It's one of the features of the iPhone I find most annoying. I'd take a video and throw it on YouTube if I could, but I don't have a video camera :/ I still love the phone, but I just wanted to counter with that.

Either way, I commend an honest comparison to the iPhone. Most of the time it is either a fanboy throwing out ridiculous blind inaccuracies, or a hater doing the same, and your comparison sounded legit. I +1'd :)

[rimbuk @ Nov 23rd 2008 1:20PM]

To be (even more) fair... I played with the in-store demo's of the Storm and they were pretty bad.
I got one myself because the in-store was an older firmware version (.61 instead of .65) and I knew that upgrades would fix the issues.
I've got to say that, more often that not, I don't notice any lag or delay when opening apps up. Facebook, myspace, Brickbreaker, Word Mole, google maps, browser, etc... They all work about as expected (well, word mole is slow)

There are some bugs, I won't even try to deny that. Its just that most of the bugs are very minor and dont affect the usability of the device. Then again, maybe thats because i'm a tech person who knows how to work with gadgets. My wife probably wouldn't do as well as I am with the storm.

[El Taco @ Nov 23rd 2008 1:29PM]

@flashpoint

if you're not in a spot that has Verizon coverage, you're probably not in a spot with wifi either.

[Michael Scrip @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:31PM]

@flashpoint

And if you're in an area that doesn't have any Verizon cell coverage at all, even slow non-3G data... maybe your e-mail and sports scores can wait.

You act as though every phone has 3G and wifi. There have been millions of Blackberries WITHOUT wifi for years. I'm glad you can use your iPhone in your home at top speed in your home. But being able to do Blackberry stuff outside your home is what Blackberries are all about.

[Flashpoint @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:35PM]

EL TACO


NO WIFI - as in NO WIFI AT ALL. It doesn't have the antennae for it.

Now ask yourself...do you want a cellphone that can't connect to wifi networks when you leave coverage areas?

[jumbalaya tree @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:44PM]

This fellow WordPress blogger has done a bangup job, read his review.

http://admiralh.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/why-the-blackberry-storm-is-no-iphone-killer/

Sumz up everything i wanted to say

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:52PM]

I'm not sure why flashpoint listed VZ Navigator as a plus. Is it halfway decent? I had it on a Verizon flip-phone about 2 years ago, and it got me lost more often than it helped. The Samsung SCHa930 had a hard time getting a GPS signal, and the directions always came too late and were frequently wrong.

Perhaps the problem was that my phone was too crappy to get a good GPS fix, and the directions updates were processed too slowly by the phone to happen in realtime? But I just assumed the poor directions were Verizon's fault rather than the phone's.

[GiF @ Nov 23rd 2008 4:11PM]

The Storm looks really weird, are those buttons on the front really big or what?
The curve looks more like a BLACKBERRY than this Storm.

[loosely_coupled @ Nov 24th 2008 2:19AM]

Have to agree with Flashpoint here, and It is not surprising that this is the case... After the release and subsequent failure of a handful of touchscreen iPhone challengers from different manufacturers, I think many of us were at least cautiously optimistic that RIM could finally be the company that could actually create a decent iPhone challenger with a modicum of usability and user interface polish. Unfortunately, this is not the case --- The general interface and applications are very slow, laggy, and overall just unpleasant to use... the fact that RIM didn't even bother to use a decent ARM CPU with at least a minimal level of graphics acceleration or SIMD functionality is just pathetic...

Like so many others, they spend their time solely on the hardware (although in this case the processor and non-existent GPU is crap) and treat the actual software and interface as something of an afterthought. Why so many companies continue to do this is beyond reason. It's crazy! After the Lesson of the iPhone and given the resources at the disposal of Samsung, Sony, LG, RIM, Nokia, etc, you would think these companies would be hiring top notch designers, human-computer interface experts, and software engineers!!! What is wrong with them??

[Nano @ Nov 29th 2008 11:21AM]

Well down here in Tucson, AZ I had no problems purchasing or setting up my new Storm. I'm unsure why everyone else was having so much difficulty.

[haX0r @ Nov 24th 2008 2:50PM]

I checked it out. It wasn't a bad phone but not the best either. The BB Storm, G1 and iPhone have good qualities. Just depends on your taste. I am waiting to see the Xperia and then I will pick up a phone after Christmas when they go on sale.

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:07AM]

What happened the the last post. I mean 730 posts.
This phones lacks in too many places. Wi-fi for a starter. Multimedia features. Really slow. A disappointment. I can't wait till after Christmas/new year for the new phones. Especially the the new nokia.

[Anti-China @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:32AM]

you don't need wi-fi on this phone since verizon requires you to add data plan no matter what

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:48AM]

Firstly I want wi-fi secondly there is no verizon in the UK but it probably applies to voda.

[Ian10101 @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:52AM]

It doesn't lack in multimedia? I use it for an MP3 player and I can put movies on it too.

It's not that slow when you start really using it because everything gets loaded properly after a day or two. Also the OS updates will fix that

[RIMM Job @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:10AM]

I can't hang with this thing... on Monday I'm going to return my BB Storm. I hyped it up to my co-workers how this is the true iPhone Killer and the end of the iPhone era as we know it. Now I'll have to face them with my tail between my legs.

Maybe after a reliable firmware update I'll be back.

[Flashpoint @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:05PM]

There really is no worse feeling for a technophile than backing the wrong gadget.

Now you know how I feel after hyping the PS3.

[ASDF @ Nov 23rd 2008 11:52PM]

I know what you mean, same with the iPhone, but I couldn't because I couldn't find another phone I liked, I really want to replace my iPhone, I really do. I just can't find another phone that I could live with. The closest is the G1 but I have AT&T, and I want 3G.


Help? :D

[Anthony @ Nov 24th 2008 12:03PM]

I gave the Storm the entire weekend to convince me to keep it. It didn't pass. It's just way too cumbersome to use, especially if you've used Blackberries for a long time.

It's a nice looking device and fun enough to use while sitting on your couch, but by the time you've navigated to the SMS compose screen you could've sent 2 texts with the Curve.

[broli @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:12AM]

What gives Engadget. There's so much unreported news on the M8 from Meizu.

[Plothole @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:15AM]

That should be saved until after someone takes the "broken record" of the Engadget deck.

[FLaSHBaCK @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:13AM]

Definitely

[Levi @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:39AM]

I think the MiniOne lost most of its appeal once it stopped being the only iPhone competitor. I followed that thing pretty closely back when the iPhone was new, but eventually just lost interest. Not that it doesn't look like a good phone or anything, it's just not something to report every little detail on anymore. Also, though, they hardly ever RELEASE details on the phone that could be reported on..

[broli @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:44AM]

Levi. Do your homework. The M8 is about to be released now. All the specs are also known now and there are even new videos out one is 1 day old. They also have a new website since today featuring the M8...

http://www.meizu.com/

For a device that's on paper better speced than the iphone and 2 times cheaper than the iPhone and pretty much all the other touchscreen phones mountain of crap, it sure is not getting a lot of attention.

[SPOKE @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:24AM]

There were no activation issues, AND they had only a few hundred per store. of course, that is going to sell out. Vzw is just looking for the WOW PUBLICITY.

The only product(s) that will do this type of thing is apple stuff. I was there for that, the G1 and the Storm. The iphone was friggin chaos... and its not because of how good (or not) the phone is, its because of its mental fans. What do we call you? iHeads? iWhores? Aah, better now.

[KarlW @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:57AM]

The iPhone lines weren't full of fanboys - they were full of all sorts of people. When it was first announced, it was pretty exciting. Touch screens were pretty lame, and nobody had done it even close to right. Apple made a touchscreen product that worked.

It was an exciting product that was way ahead of competing products. It appealed to people on the street who could afford it. To say that it was just full of fanboys is just plain wrong. Most buyers didn't own a Mac, many didn't own an iPod. At the time, the iPhone was a breakthrough. It's pretty much set the bar for smartphones since then.

[Nick8708 @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:31PM]

KarlW makes a good point and more people need to have such a sensible outlook. Whether it's the phone for you or not (it isn't for me), you should at least be able to admit that they put out an attractive, usable product that works well for many people. They did set the bar for mass consumption of a smart phone - as in, you can make the argument it isn't the best smartphone on the market, but it did light a fire under a lot of other companies to make their phones more powerful, more intuitive, and more attractive to attract a larger crowd than just the powerusers. In the end, everybody wins.

[Glenn M @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:36AM]

In my Blackberry 8700g, I can send SMS Text with more than 160 characters. It will just appear as multiple SMS Text to someone receiving the SMS Test.

In Storm, it does not allow me to do it. It just display this message "Field Full" if you try going beyond the 160 characters limitation. I cannot find an option to change it.

Is this a limitation of the phone? Imposed by VerizonWireless? Now I have to compose multiple messages if its more than 160 characters.

[Mike @ Nov 23rd 2008 11:44AM]

I think the 160 character limit is a monster of Verizon. I now have the storm, but i don't see that as an issue. I've faced this same problem on my moto q9M and my BB 8830, so i just use to it as will you.

[Ian10101 @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:52AM]

that will definitely get changed with an OS update

[Greg @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:25AM]

use picture message, it allows unlimited text in the message. and since you have the data plan .....its "free" to use.

[phail @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:45PM]

that is how verizon phones work. only other verizon customers can receive your texts longer than 160 chars. sms to all other carriers is cut down to 160. if you send one longer than that it will cut off the extra and send you a FREE_VZW_MSG letting you know.

[Gyrlwolf @ Nov 23rd 2008 8:49AM]

I for one really like my Storm. I was a IPhone user for a year and a half and sure I miss some of the ease of use of the IPhone (like the Safari Browser and the IPhone's "pinching method") but all in all I think this is a pretty decent phone. As a worker in retail at the "Other Team" (IPHONE) I understand the frustration that goes into a first day launch and it's a lot of work and sometime no matter how hard you plan things just don't work out. The IPhone is on it's 2nd Gen and still is getting updates to fix bugs it has so I think people should relax and give Verizon and Rim a chance to release some software updates and I'm sure they will to fix any minor lag or glitches the Storm has. But for a first time out, I think they did pretty damn good. Keeping my Storm and giving them a chance. Previously was with Verizon for 10 yrs with NO ISSUES and left for the IPhone. AT & T suxed and after 5 IPhone swaps, I'd had enough, so I returned to Verizon and haven't had any dropped calls, call clarity on my Storm is amazing and really have had only minor gripes with my Storm. (I.E. occasional slight lag when changing from portrait mode to landscape, getting used to the keyboard now (same as I had to do when I first got my IPhone), but no other problems really.

[Levi @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:46AM]

I'm starting to wonder if it's just the Albany region in NY that has a 'win' AT&T network... I see absolutely no problems with it. I never get any dropped calls or problems. The only issues we have here is with sending and receiving texts to and from my girlfriend's Verizon phone. Call clarity is as good as the iPhone's mediocre call quality will allow. When I had the AT&T Tilt for a short while, reception was amazing, and talking on the 3G network was a huge step forward in call clarity.

Plus the iPhone returns... that's Apple, not AT&T. I heard there were some problem units. I must have just gotten lucky. I bought mine the day the price went down - I got it refurbished for $250 and have had zero out of the ordinary issues. I've also dropped the thing a bazillion times and it still works, thank Buddha.

[utahnkid @ Nov 23rd 2008 6:50PM]

If you don't go back to the iPhone for it's better usability, you will for the app store.

Until RIM makes a touchscreen device with an OS developed specifically to take advantage of their inherent advantages, then somehow creates the same kind of manic hype the iPhone pulled off, and does this all in one shot with one device so programmers first of all WANT to develop for it, but can also feel comfortable investing in a device they know won't significantly change in 6 months only to be replaced by a different and incompatible model knowing that they only have to make ONE program that works on EVERY user's device no matter when they bought it or what "version" they got, they'll never be able to catch up with the already dominating Jesus Phone.

RIP Storm, we hardly knew ye'

[raeesgillani @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:07AM]

Is it jus me.....or have otherpeople noticed that engadget has been reporting a bit too much on the blackberry storm?.... what happend endgadget....no other news!!

[Ian10101 @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:52AM]

you mean they haven't been reporting enough on apple and the iphone? Because they report on that more than rim or the storm

[TheAngryGamer @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:39AM]

IMHO, it's just you, really. The Blackberry Storm is arguably the most anticipated gadget of Q4 2008. When you compare the number of articles about the BB Storm at launch to...say... the number of articles about the iPhone on any given week, it certainly doesn't begin to warrant calls of "excess". If anything, this phone launch has been severely underhyped by blogs like Engadget.

To further my point, looking at the ten articles in my RSS reader from Engadget right now, 2 are BB Storm, 1 is Tmo G1, 1 is iPhone, and the remaining 6 are entirely unrelated. Seeing as how this is a mere two days after the launch of the Storm, I'm really not sure what you're thinking.

[Gavin @ Nov 23rd 2008 11:08AM]

Are u serious, I'm an Iphone user and this is less then a fraction of the reports of the Iphone so relax. I also enjoy hearing about competion for the Iphone cause it lets me know what i might be missing. I was thinking of jumping ship for the HTC Fuse.

[Gadgetman007 @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:07AM]

This will be an evolving process for the firmware problems. Being involved in technology, when a release date is close and a bug (or two) is discovered you can't just stop the date from occuring. Much to the disappointment of consumers a decision has to be made that if it is a software issue instead of a hardware issue then they will try to fix it with a software patch once a resolution is discovered. In the meantime, product is shipped out to meet deadlines. I assure you Verizon is well aware of the issues and is actively working to resolve them. This is arguably the largest wireless network in the United States and they will do something quickly to help the situation. Bug repair is an evolving process after product is released, let us not forget Apple came out with rev. 2.2 for the iPhone this past week. I knew plenty of people who wanted to throw iPhones through the AT&T store windows when they got them (myself included - I got one for my wife), but now they are happy owners for the most part after some software patches (my wife included). I ordered my Storm Friday morning and I am looking forward to getting it. It won't be perfect out of the box, but Verizon and RIM will make it better in short order.

[Amigos @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:35AM]

Well SAID Gadgetman007 . I used Iphone for a year and a half and absolutely loved it. Then I had to move because of job and had to switch to Verizon cause ATT sucks where I am. I have been with Verizon for 3 months now and love their service. I switched from Dare to Curve and fell in love the first day. I have been waiting for storm since day 1 and I can't agree with you anymore. There will be a lot of software updates and I am sure RIM will fix things up. They have to otherwise there will be people returning Storms everywhere. I am just waiting for my STORM to play with it. Hopefully not too long.

[Mobius_1 @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:40AM]

Could we stop this post spamming? Not funny at all, just a big nuisance.

And Engadget, have you guys become BlackBerry fanboys now?

[TheAngryGamer @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:46AM]

The spamming bit I agree with.

OTOH, since 11/14/08, there have been 6 posts tagged with "Storm" and 10 posts tagged with "iPhone". It be noted that the Storm LAUNCHED within those ten days.

How the hell anyone can call engadget anything other than an Apple fanboy is beyond me. It should be called iGadget.

[Levi @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:49AM]

TheAngryGamer: I agree with your opinion on the matter, but looking at it from Engadget's perspective, iAnything gets them hits. The comments counter in the bottom right of anything about the iPhone or MacBook proves that.

I find it unfortunate, though, that we can't all be treated as equals :(

[TheAngryGamer @ Nov 23rd 2008 10:57PM]

Levi: I fully agree and understand. I also understand that the iPhone is one of those devices that really does have some type of new information coming out about it (or at least about a new app) nearly every day. My only retort to that is...

WTH do they have TUAW.com for if they're just going to copy/paste the articles here as well... not to mention on engadgetmobile, for the trifecta.

Nonetheless, this is a post about the Storm, so I'm sorry for the off-topic ranting. Perhaps I'm just venting because I'm jealous that my "New Every Two" doesn't come up until May.

[Jb @ Nov 23rd 2008 9:52AM]

I stood in line at 6 in the morning got my phone at about 8:30 (They opened a little early because so many people outside in the cold) I was setup by 10:30 and was all hooked up making phone calls and sending emails. I would also like to say is wifi is old and this phone does not need it at all it is super fast, it has beaten the browser on the iphone time in and time out, this phone is amazing I love it, and if you spend more then 15 min with it you will love it to. HOOKEM


OU STILL SUCKS