RIM clears up BlackBerry Storm OS situation
By Donald Melanson 
posted November 24th 2008 4:06PM
posted November 24th 2008 4:06PM
Well, it looks it looks like we can put the first Storm conspiracy theory to rest, as RIM has now come out and said that the supposed delay-causing Storm OS glitch was, in fact, more of a sticker glitch, and that there was never such a thing as an OS version 4.7.0.82. As you may recall, the rumors started flying when some Storms started showing up with a sticker indicating the OS version as 4.7.0.82, while the device itself showed that the OS was version 4.7.0.65. That prompted some to speculate that the OS had to be downgraded at the last minute, prompting the delay, but according to RIM, the problem was simply that "several thousand" boxes were printed with the incorrect version number, which then had to be covered up with the proper sticker. Unfortunately, RIM didn't have anything to say about an actual update for the OS, which could certainly use a little patching up of its own.
I have a Storm, just got it the other day, I am I very happy with it. It does sometime get stuck in portrait or landscape mode after unlocking the screen, but otherwise is very nice. There is some lag when flipping, but that is only a few times. There have been some mentions that removing VZ Nav helps it lag less and I have already removed it. That said, I will look forward to any new OS update to smooth out the occasional lag.
You won't find user vomments on the RIM forum because Storm owners can't register. The device number required for log in/registration is 17 charachters and the Storm's ID # is only 16, so I keep getting refused. In first using the Storm the Browser was impossible to use - I kept getting the camera turned on and then the entire device would lock-up in the camera mode and I couldn't even turn the it off. The key board options sound nice but in practice are a pain the butt - the second guessing of what you want to type gets old fast. I'm happy that Verizon has a 30 day return policy and, as small business owner, we have a good relationship with them. If RIM doesn't get their software sorted out I'll bring my Storm back on day 29 and go on to a device that will get the job done. In their rush to get to market for the Christmas buying season RIM may have screwed up big time if they don't get this crap fixed. Also, their desktop software crashes on start up and I'm all current on my XP OS, so I have no idea what's going on there, either. This is my first and probably last BlackBerry purchase because I am simply not impressed.