BlackBerry Storm OTA update now available on Verizon
By Darren Murph 
posted December 8th 2008 5:53PM
posted December 8th 2008 5:53PM
posted December 8th 2008 5:53PM
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Bill I received my update directly on my phone. When I woke up there was a message on my phone that let me know I needed to update the software. I clicked okay and it just started on it's own...took about 15 to 20 minutes tops.
IT WORKS NOW STOP THE QQ FEST
Received my storm one week after launch.
The update totally fixed all the Bull S**T
it turns in less than a second.
Calendar is much snappier
all the function seem to be a little better.
You still need to do a pull and restart with the battery at least once a day.
I use my BBS for business and all my appointments
hate hate hate... my storm works perfectly fine :) no lag or nothin :) haha sucks to be all yall :) and umm...sorry apple fans...but its a bit better than the iphone :) i had one :)
Sure its better. Some people though horse and buggies were better than cars! Without WiFi, locked GPS, and almost NO apps what you have is a phone with email! HAHAHA
Think you missed the point. While you worry if your BB lags or it doesn't lag, the iPhone has more and more apps. Where the Storm REALLY "LAGS" is in innovation and app development.
ummm why in the world must it have wifi? the storm is 3g and i get excellent coverage where im at and im in a country hick town in frickin texas! ive also got wifi and i tested it on my ipod and i found that my storm was only ten seconds lower on basic pages...its not that huge a deal sonn and secondly...apps...nice for the iphone i have to tell you they are nice but blackberry just started doin apps for the stormm...sheesh... oh yeaa...and email / text and all that...is great on the storm :) it actually get stuff done and doesnt freeze up on me every 30 seconds ... oh ya did i mention??? you can send video!!! omg!! hows that for frickin innovation!! with a 3.2 mgp!! omg!!! INNOVATION!! haha thot your iphone had it all :) haha guess it doesnt hahahaha!! ((it is kind of slow on taking pictures...but i can live :) ))
Alex,
Actually, I prefer devices with WiFi because it works so well for making my device into a wireless router. It's much better than tethering with Bluetooth or a cable. I use WMWifiRouter, but I'm sure that lots of similar apps are out for all platforms, including Blackberry, Symbian and the iPhone.
ya you have a point...but what are you gonna do when youa re on the go? then you need 3G :) and the storm does it well :)
You can't be serious!!! Hahahahaaaaa... The original iPhone debuted to a 92% customer satisfaction rating. THAT'S 92% PEOPLE!!! The highest ever achieved by a phone of any kind, and has maintained a high level of user satisfaction since. That can't be said for your Blackberry Storm. Its release was and continue to be a disaster on all levels. No amount of add-ons or updates will ever put it on the same level as the iPhone. So get used to that and move on. You don't beat the undisputed champ by knocking yourself out in the first round. It doesn't mean, however, that you shouldn't enjoy and love your Blackberry. I encourage you to do just that. Just keep in mind that it's no iPhone killer. Move on and make room for the next challenger.
Do you know WHY it received such a high customer satisfaction rating?? Because the Original iPhone was really the first of its kind! Even if it had its own problems (which it did), of course people are going to say they're loving it, because they felt that what they had was so much better than the "dumb" alternatives out there. It's easy to look past the faults in a situation like that, where your phone is (for all intents and purposes of this conversation) the only one of its kind out on the market.
Now, if the Storm had been in that position, the first touch screen phone with its different capabilities, I'm sure much more people would feel satisfied with the device, but instead, BECAUSE of the iPhone being out for a couple years now, and other "smartphones" out on the market, it's much easier for people to go "Yea, but this other phone has this, and that other phone has that, why cant my storm have them? *whine*".
The original iPhone didnt have the whole "grass is greener on the other side" problem, because at the time, the neighbor next door didnt even have a yard
This is somewhat old news, the firmware was available for me as a OTA download friday night. I downloaded it and it installed in about half an hour.
The screen rotation is now much faster, the gps locks faster, rotation while using the camera was greatly improved, but it still takes forever to take actual pictures, but geo tagging of the pictures actually works now, and works quite well at that.
the biggest improvement was in media playback. Music plays back much faster now, and thumbnails load much quicker.
I wouldn't say that all the quicks are out now, I've still had about one phantom re-boot a day, and it does seem to get really slow about once every couple of hours of usage, but this software has allowed me to actually recommend this phone to friends and family.
3g phones have been round for about 4 years now!!!!!! Im sorry the gsm carriers suck and verizon and sprint had 3g in 05.The iphone is not anywhere near the 1st 3g phone. i love my ppc 6700, i still see people around with one today.
Also, why did RIM cripple the storm with such a slow cpu? the bold and the 8900 have faster cpus.
I'm getting an 8900 - even if it's 3g less, i rarely surf the web thanks to viigo, and ill take a fast device over a slow one that chokes on 3g anyday. And itll have uma calling and wifi.
Just exactly where do you get this ota upgrade?
@ Alex:
You might want WiFi if you had he desire for faster browsing, faster downloads than the best 3G. You might want WiFi if you wanted to use VoIP, join a local network, use multi-player games, and watch video without data limitations.
When traveling using VoIP and data at a hotspot can save you international charges. Joining a local network allows for active file sharing. No matter what network you are on there will me weak spots in buildings, campuses, offices, etc, With WiFi available everywhere including most peoples homes, WiFi can be also useful.
If you smartphone is used only as a phone, that is great for you. But many of us are using our devices as a laptop replacement. If you just want a phone, buy a JitterBug!
BB has been around for many years and they ONLY have about 700 apps for All the various BB models combined. They didn't just start. The iPhone has well over 11 THOUSAND in only 5 months. CHOICE IS AWESOME!
... i also use my storm as a 3g modem for my computer...which is amazing ... secondly...verizon has the best service and i get it everywhere so theres no need to worry about that...and then i pay on my plan for unlimited data :) or at least so it says hahaha ... i hardly need a hole bunch of apps with viigo, my instant messengers, cut & paste, micro word... i mean most of the apps are games on the iphone..and there are a whole lot of third party application makers that are already makin them especially for the storm :)
if you can get a phone with wifi, then you must go that route. saying "my network is strong, i don't need it" is absurd. if you say that, then you clearly have no idea how useful and important wifi can be as a feature on your phone. there is a reason why you need wifi to purchase songs on itunes via an iphone, or update your apps: because your 3G connection simply isn't fast enough. i was at the doctors last week. waiting in the office, no signal, EDGE. turn on wifi, presto, i'm on the hospital's free network.
as for apps, they are amazing. i use a whole different types of apps, none of them games, and i love them. you get used to the touchscreen. any iphone user will tell you that. the problem with the storm is that you have to physically hit a button. with an iphone, you can tap letters in succession in blazing speeds because the phone recognizes your line of push commands. i can type an 8 letter word a hell of a lot quicker with an iphone vs. a storm.
call quality? never missed or had a dropped call. i have 3G coverage almost everywhere I go (suburbs of Boston). the storm is RIM/Verizon's attempt to satisfy all the Iphone desiring consumers who don't want to leave Verizon. I was one of them too (12 year Verizon wireless customer), then I tried the Storm in a Verizon store, hated it, and jumped shipped to the Iphone. And it's the best purchase I could have made. I absolutely love it.
down the road, you will realize in the near future that the storm was just another Iphone competitor that couldn't come close (and joining the G1, instinct, etc).
and no i'm not an apple fan boy. just a consumer who knows a lot about tech devices (and uses pc's and macs).
I'm still disappointed about the lack of wifi
No WIFI? And they want to call this phone a smart phone? Why not call it StoneAge instead of Storm! LOL
meh if you dont have a verizon signal chances are theres no wifi around either, its not a big deal, i love how all the iphone lovers always jump to that point, but i know at least two people with iphones (im still on a 3 year old razr and LOVE it) and they never use wifi because it makes the shitty lasting battery in the iphone even shittier.
oh yeah and its also funny to hear people rave about the 'app store' phones have had that shit for YEARS, and 11k apps? maybe 1% of them are actually useful.
BS! Most people have access to WIFI at work these days unless you work for a stoneage company. The funny part is BB touts their phones as business phone. Even school kids can access to WIFI on campus. If this phone is not a stoneage phone then I'm not sure what is. LOL
@d889,
Let me make something clear. If you come to this site and post how not having wifi is "not a big deal" you are an absolute moron. This isn't an opinion. It's a fact.
Like I stated in my doctor room example, wifi can be found at times when you least expect it. And no, having wifi on does not zap the Iphone battery. If I keep wifi and 3G on for 16 hours i'm at 80% of my battery when I go to bed (with lite web browsing thrown in there). Whatever battery issues Iphone users had is almost squashed with the 2.2 update.
Every smartphone should pack wifi. It's not an issue for debate. You cannot rely on your carrier's network to always have a signal, because it is inevitable that you will find yourself in situations where 3G is not there, and wifi would have been a huge plus.
personally, i'd rather have verizon's 3g over wifi at my school.
i attend a boarding academy in rural nw georgia.
the closest apple 3g is in rome. you can get that 3g when you're right under the signal booster in the dormitory lobby.
the wifi access is extremely filtered. no social networking, no youtube, nothing remotely high-bandwidth. nothing decent. maybe fox news. lol.
verizon's 3g is always reliable, even in our cells, wait, no, our rooms, in spite of our cinderblock walls. in fact it's better than the 1x coverage that i got on my old samsung flip.
the guys with iphones hate the lack of 3g. and wifi's no help.
at least this time, i'd rather have storm over iphone.
I can't believe how much on the bandwagon people are for WiFi..
Honestly if I'm out somewhere.. in a park.. a mall etc.. and walking around trying to find something.. most likely wifi isnt the best thing. Can wifi jump routers?
Like if Im on a wifi and need a phone number.. don't I have to sit in one place to stay within range of the signal?
If we are driving down the street and trying to look up a phone number for a restaurant.. or down a highway (the passenger would be looking it up of course) .. would WiFi really help me?
If your sitting in a Drs office..then thats a waste of your life.. get out and do some exercise..and you'll spend MUCH less time in the Dr's office. I can honestly say I spend less than 10 mins a year waiting in my Dr's office.
I'm considering this phone but I would really like to see one feature implemented. The touchscreen be a single click..and when you PRESS the screen.. consider it a double click.
I think that feature would be really neat.. or even the click screen would be a "right click" option type thing..
I don't have wifi hooked up at our work because then it can get "leeched"... I know we could lock it down.. but it's a waste of time. We just plug up our laptops when we come into the offices onto the docks and we are set. KB, mouse, external hd, internet, printers.. all with 1 plug!
@Mike,
I was going to reply to your post, but then I re-thought this part of your post:
If your sitting in a Drs office..then thats a waste of your life.. get out and do some exercise..and you'll spend MUCH less time in the Dr's office. I can honestly say I spend less than 10 mins a year waiting in my Dr's office.
You are a complete moron. What an absurd thing to right. That is all.
I admit that the updates have definitely improved the my phone
I think the update fixed a lot of issues. The rotation is much faster and more responsive. The lag is pretty much gone as far as I am concerned. The only downside I can see right now is the limited apps that are in the app center, at least for Verizon. Otherwise I am very happy with the rotation, the internet browser and the speed at which it renders websites.
The OTA update for my Blackberry Storm helped with a few things, but ruined my camera and video capture capabilities completely. As far as I can tell, no one else is having this issue. I can get into the camera mode, but if I try to take a picture, it "snaps" it, but then turns the screen white and doesn't save it to disk. Then I can't get out of the white screen except by removing the battery.
If anyone else is having this problem, please let me know here.
Hi,
I've been researching the storm as I sorely need a new phone and would like the features of the newest phones out there. I've read through everyone's comments on this review (and the review). I'm a total neophyte to the tech aspects of these phones, and to this site. So, with that said just didn't want to be flamed for bein an idiot.
I see that there's been more than one request on how to get to the update they kicked out for this about 2 weeks ago. I found it as I was lookin through the verizon site, ( I remember thinking that's wild that there is an update for something so new?) neophyte, remember?
Anyway, thought I'd throw the url here as I didn't see anyone answer the question.
http://learning.verizonwireless.com/learning/
Right under Featured device you'll see the link "Upgrade software Now"
I hope that's what you're looking for, if you haven't already found it.
Also, Thanks for all the info and opinions on the storm and the other 3G phones.