BlackBerry Storm buyer's remorse? You're not alone!
By Paul Miller 
posted December 18th 2008 11:29AM
posted December 18th 2008 11:29AM
Update: So Verizon has hit up Boy Genius Report to clarify (well, maybe clarify) the situation: "The Storm has the lowest return rate of any of our PDAs and at this point in its life cycle, it has the lowest return rate of any PDA we currently sell." That kinda sounds like doublespeak to us -- if the Storm was really so thoroughly un-returned, couldn't they have said it in simpler terms? -- but that's about all we've got to go on at the moment.
| Software update helped but I would've kept mine anyways. | |
|---|---|
| Was considering punting it back to Canada, but software update saved it. | |
| Returned mine before the software update. | |
| Returned mine after the software update. | |
| I didn't buy one, just here for empathy's sake. |
I don't think there's iPhone evny, I got bored of my 16GB model really quick, but I surely didn't want to lose it I could've sold it to someone, it was in mint condition. I think all phone manufactures have the touch interface fever, and there's only a couple who have done it right.
In reading all these comments I think maybe 2 people have actually have the phone. I have an iphone and a storm currently. Ok so let me first say that the iphone is the gold standard of smart phones on the market right now, in my opinion. But here's the thing. The storm is a great phone. Mine came preloaded with .76 out of the box. I havent had any real problems with the device. The phone does lag up at times but overall not that bad. The keyboard in landscape mode still needs some work. Portrait typing with the suretype is a breeze. But I will say its definitely better then when the iphone first came out. Does no one remember the awful lag, the closing of apps, the soft resets needed twice a week on the iphone? Im not even talking about the first iphone either Im talking about the 3G. The lag when trying to get a contact was HORRIBLE. I love have everyone just forgets that the iphone software really took about a year and a half to be as good as it currently is. Give that much time to the blackberry and we'll see who has buyers remorse! But overall the difference between the storm and the iphone isnt that much to be honest. Typing on the iphone I make a mistake about every sentence. Typing in portrait mode on the blackberry is a little bit slower but way more accurate. The browser is of course better on the iphone, but the Storm's browser Im pleased with more than the browser on the Omina that I had which i returned promptly for how slow it was. Overall if I was to rate the iphone as 10 on a scale of 1-10, the storm would be a 7. Oh yeah and the iphone is on att which I've had for about 3 years now.....Who's network in MY AREA is just not as good as verizon. Now let me say I didnt know it was bad until i compared it to verizon which is amazing. And isnt the point of a phone to make calls???? Here the Storm is hands down the winner!!!!!
Rim needs to start doing public beta testing.
As an FYI this is my second phone i swapped out the first one because it was horrible. The battery would be dead by 12 pm with regular use
This phone is horrible. The fact that it shipped before .75 is insane but .75 is still crap.
The phone never knows what orientation it is in. When you set the phone down itll flip orientations many times
you can only lock the thing you cant put it in stand by
verizons lovely visual voicemail app only works part of the time
the speakers in this phone have to be the worst speaker blackberry has EVER used. My 8330 and 8830 BBs are more stable and sound 100 times better.
whats the point of putting the answer and end buttons on the touch screen? neither of them actually work.
i think a 10 year old pos kodak digital camera could still autofocus and take a better picture than this thing. the camera is ridiculously slow and pretty much useless.. Maybe they should put a tripod adapter on it so we can carry one with us when we want to use the camera
when you are on a call and want to put it between your face and shoulder you end up pushing buttons, hanging up on people, muting people, flashing to nothing etc etc. When on a call you should be able to use the lock button or something its stupid.
Over all this phone is a failure. i gave it plenty of chances, compared it with other phones and yes i even owned an iphone at once and went back to the 8830 for email reasons, i then switched to the 8330 to get a camera. Rim and Verizon need to go back to engineer school or dedicate their time to fixing this OS.. Release a beta OS to the public. Let the public report the bugs. maybe they will actually fix the phone with in a few months. I dont see this phone being great until the BB Storm2 comes out at the rate they are going....
Once the new os was installed, I was good to go with it. Yes it has some software blemishes, but it works well and does everything i need it to do ESPECIALLY maintain that 3G feeling!!!!!!
check it out
http://mycrackberrystorm.com
Scott the fact that users are cutting business cards and putting them behind the battery to improve the phone says so much its not even funny..
YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO RIG YOUR BRAND NEW PHONE WITH PAPER TO MAKE IT WORK!!!!!!
Didn't people poke holes in the speaker cover on the 1st gen iPhones to make them louder?
From what I've read there are two screws under the battery that are too tight. A torx 6 screwdriver and a 1/4 to 1/2 turn makes the screen way better.
Makes no matter to me.. As long as there is a BB 8830, there is no practical business reason to deploy a Storm. Not worth the time or money to train our support staff to support it. Like the iPhone, and the Omnia.. it's a toy that just isn't worth it.
Paul...great article...maybe in the poll at the bottom you could add those of us who just bought an Iphone!
http://hessmo.com/blog/2008/12/18/blackberry-storm-review/
my own little review after having a storm for several weeks
I don't have any witty or insightful information to add, but did want to offer my opinion. I'm very satisfied with my Storm, and have been using a BlackBerry since the 6750. It's easy to use, feels good in the hand, and doesn't have a huge learning curve to it. The keyboard does not slow me down any, and the 'keys' are larger than those on some current BlackBerrys. I will agree with some of Engadget's review, like the light leak around the screen and buttons is annoying, and should be tightened up. Overall, I am going to keep it, and enjoy seeing what others think.
They needed to go with the Niagara first, stick to their bread and butter, get all the Bold type phones out and hold off on the touchscreens first. Keyboard Motherf$%#er!!!!! It's that simple
I returned mine and got an iPhone.
4 Words:
I LOVE THE STORM.
Have had it since release day. The update has assuaged a lot of my initial frustration.
Fact: I couldn't type nearly as quickly as I had wanted to in my first week or two of owning this phone. Never had a BB before so SureType was scaring me off for some time. Then realized I wanted to type one-handed and that I would be making more mistakes than I would have liked using landscape QWERTY. Learned SureType in 5 min and have loved it ever since. I type more quickly and more accurately than I ever did on my previous non-smartphones.
Fact: E-mail is AWESOME on this phone. Simply holding down your finger on a message in your inbox will search for other similar emails by sender and subject line. Wherever along the message in the inbox you press, these two progress bars move from each end of the phone to your wherever your finger is. Pretty neat, I think.
Also, being able to highlight multiple messages in my inbox and mark them read, or for whatever purpose, is so handy. I never really got this excited to use my iPod Touch for email, so this is a testament to how awesome BB has always been for email and how well it has translated into the Storm.
What Verizon actually said (and I'm not trying to hate) is taht less of this phone has been returned than any of our other PDA phones as of now. Well that BS because you have sold signigifcanty less of this phone than any other phone so even if everyone returned their storms it might not compareto say the number of returns of say the 8800 series phone because much more of those have been shipped bough and probally returned. BS double talk, if they meant what they are trying to imply and were proud they would say it. I'm a lawyer I know double talk when i see it and i know how to read through it; I do it for a living.
i got a confession.,i believed the hype,n tried to be different. so i gave up my iphone 3g cuz i didnt want to be called applefanboi anymore,so i got the storm tried it for 21 days here in los angeles.,it sucked so bad.,compared to the iphone 3g in so many different ways.i believe with 1 cell that apple has brought out, is still ahead of the pack of all cell manufacturers worldwide in innovation//user interface etc.,
It almost looks like every time you press the Shift key a comma comes out...
Just a question do you know what an e-mail is ?
Cause you credibility would drop very quickly answering no, but on the other hand it would drop even quicker if you said the iPhone email client is better than BB Storm one.
I own both an Iphone3G and a Storm.
Since then i disconnected my Iphone.
I agree with most that the iphone is a beautifull phone, however, i use my phone for business purposes, not personal.
My montly statements are ususally $500 and up due to international calling + minute overages.
-The two main reasons i like my storm over my Iphone are the following:
I have a LOT of dropped calls on the iphone, and also calls where i pickup and i cant hear the person, mind you my phone isnt jailbroken and has the latest update from itunes.
-The email app on the iphone isnt the best compared to the Storm, especially if you use multiple email accounts like i do.
this for me is enough to change.
Also, to be fair, the voice quality is better on the iphone than on the storm, however that has to do with the device not the network, and by the way i can load engadget.com on my storm way faster than on the iphone on 3g mode.
i wouldnt say storm is competeing agains the iphone since blackberry is more of a business tool where the iphone is targeted as a "cool everyone device."
I also agree with ppl that you should only vote if you have one.
Cheers!!
Honestly, i hope verizons sales do bad so they lose exclusive rights, comeee to sprint!!!!
instead of verizons bootlegged network that claims to have the best coverage ever... yeah and iphones copy and paste...
Who was it that gave the iPhone the nickname of Jesus phone? That's really just awful. It doesn't even MMS and you have to download something for it do copy/paste. And I'm supposed to liken the iPhone to the awe-inspiring features of Jesus?
Get a life Engadget. Honestly, get your hand out of your pants and the framed photo of Steve in your bathroom. What a horribly biased poll. And you're one to talk about VZW double speak. Piss poor blogging, Paul. Buyer's remorse? Really? That's like saying I have buyer's remorse for buying that $9.99 app for my iPhone/iPod Touch (i.e. not a big deal). The Storm is not at that sort of price point to warrant buyer's remorse. But a Sony X1 is.
While I love the screen, web access, tethering ability, VISUAL VOICEMAIL..... I also disdain the reality that a 'virtual' keyboard, querty or not, does not suffice for those of us wanting real TEXTING ability! I've searched Verizon's archives and stores for another phone that would better this STORM, such as the Samsung Saga, but the Saga does not support Visual Voicemail(duh???).... I guess I'm keeping it for now... signed: "Would rather, but can't."
i dont see it at all...i LOVE my storm...sure there are a few kinks here and there, but overall, it is a great piece of machine...effective typing...as long as you dont pollute the thing it is excellent, and for how early it was released...i couldnt ask for much more
I was looking forward to the Storm and I finally found one to play with at a mall kiosk. I picked it up, clicked a few icons, typed a bit and put it down. Ho Hum. I was expecting to be blown away and in only a minute I was left disappointed. I own a Blackberry Curve and It's a fine phone but there is definitely no "wow" factor in it. If anyone ever wants to stop Apple's momentum they really need to kick it up a notch.
I'm a current 1st generation iPhone user, Blackberry 8330 Curve user and a store manager for a Verizon store in CT. I have experience with both phones in hands on settings and I can say that I was severely underwhelmed with the Storm. The initial software was HORRID as others here have said. But the new software is NOT that much better. I don't believe BB's current UI is flexible enough to handle the flexibility a touch screen provides.
I also am not a fan of the coating on the Storm's screen. Something about moisture on the screen or certain ways of "sliding" your finger on make your finger stick to the screen instead of sliding over it. This is something I have not encountered on my iPhone.
I wasn't expecting the weight of the Storm either. It's heavy yes, but I don't get a sense of good build quality from the phone. Just feels heavy and dense.
I think with a dedicated UI and some better materials it could be a great phone.
I'm very pleased to be able to share your feelings but I have a question : do you have any facts ? do you have anything reliable?
You're lack of objectivity is terrifying.
I recently tried out 3 phones all at the same time: The Bold, the Storm and the iPhone. I was on Verizon and had been for 4 years and was very happy with the service.
Have you noticed the use of the past tense? The reason I was looking was because I just moved and Verizon for some reason has poor coverage in my new house.
Skipping to the conclusion for a moment, I ended up switching to AT&T. And it had nothing to do with the reception.
I just skimmed through a truckload of comments here and see that people seem to be comparing this thing to the iPhone. However I think comparing the Storm to the iPhone is not really a worthwhile exercise, they're really apples and oranges. Yes, they both have a touchscreen, yes they're both smartphones, blah blah blah. Blackberries are primarily business machines, even with all the media they can handle these days. An iPhone is primarily a toy (yes, a seriously kickass toy, and I love using it), but really it's more for recreation than work.
What I found is that comparing the Storm to the Bold is a lot more meaningful. And that's what I did. When it comes down to it, I found the Bold very easy to use, very powerful and rock solid. I can type ridiculously fast on it (try that with your iPhone!), and it never ever locks up, drops calls or screws with my data. And the screen on it, though small, is incredible in quality. I mean it. You really have to watch video on this thing to believe it.
The Storm, on the other hand, just frustrated me nonstop. Yes, this was before the update came out, but I don't think it would have made any difference. Typing on it was even worse than the iPhone, which is pretty bad if you ask me. The portrait mode was considerably better than qwerty, but that in itself is kind of pathetic. Why on earth should it be easier to type sentences on a ten-key than on a real keyboard? It's kind of ridiculous. And that they left off a trackball is unconscionable in my book. Yes, you can touch and click, but because of some of the selections being really small (like autocorrect lists), it's really hard to do that just touching the screen. And zooming on web pages just sucks. Why on earth would they force you to use the same stupid zoom menu selection on a multi-touch capable screen that they built for a non-touch device? Were they afraid Apple would sue if they dared to use gestures? And am I the only one who noticed how slow it was by comparison to both the Bold AND the iPhone? It's painful. And don't even get me started on the click screen. Gawd. I won't go into it because it's clearly a feature that some people hate and others love. But you can count me in the former list.
So to make a long story short (too late!), I ended up keeping the Bold for myself and the iPhone for my wife. I think the Storm is an interesting idea, but was executed poorly. As a result it's inferior to the Bold for business use and inferior to the iPhone for recreational use. And AT&T just got 3 new lines of service at Verizon's expense because of it.
You ask me, Verizon really has to get off their thumbs and release some interesting phones, or they may be going the way of Sprint in the next couple years.
i love my storm .. and mine came with the new OS. Stil not instant accelerometer .. but its damn fast and a lot of the returns ... btw .. were because the screens were screwed on a lil tight ... and causing probs ... but it runs great. Its definitely still a Blackberry ..and has a few OS updates needed but its certainly geared at a different market then traditional blackberries are.
what i TOTALLY dislike about Verizon is that alllll those commercials use VERY SIMULATED images... and although they do flash that comment for 3 seconds ... in the tiniest font possible ... i believe it is totally misleading and adds to disgruntled and dismayed shoppers
I want Santa to bring me a Storm for Christmas ;-)
I figure it will take about 3 weeks to become pro on the keyboard and customize it up. After that, there will be no looking back. RIM will likely come out with device upgrade in about 6months and it will be better than ever. I'm looking forward to some new twists on an already solid email platform too. I remember when BlackBerrys looked like ugly little pagers, but the owners always loved them. Some people have mentioned that the screen can be tricky, but on the ones I've used they seem fine. I don't know about sticking business cards in the battery or whatever, but some guy commented that you can tighten a couple screws on the back... this could be worth investigating.
All in all, RIM pulled off a Monster Garage deal on this one and I'm thankful they did.
Fact: No software driven technology is perfect. I've come to terms with that which is why I use Linux... you can fix stuff yourself ;-)
Oh I'm sure RIMs not lying, they've just been careful with their words lately. I have nothing against them (I personally have and like both the iPhone 3G and the Bold). What I don't like is the outcries for attention with these lawyer-drafted statements. "Lowest return rate" probably based on the number of phones manufactured or something - I'm sure if they had made more of them and more people were able to get their hands on it, with time there's no way this could be true.And they're only talking about devices that they currently sell, I'm sure with the test of time they'll see it change. whether they want to admit it or not.
I think it's a great phone, extremely innovative, and a bit of a gamble. With that innovation comes the "absolutely love it" or "I f**kin hate this thing", you know?
The problem is this: Buisness users don't want a touchscreen phone for belting out emails, not even a clicky screen one.
And fashonistas and morons who want a pretty touchscreen phone are going to get an iPhone anyway.
No just No
Touchscreen Blackberry? That doesn't equate to a good PDA at all, the Iphone was a gimmick and the Storm is just another gimmick trying to buy up the regular phone users.
I just noticed, none of those poll options are positive. There is no option for if you kept it....
Stay classy, Engadget. You have NO facts, yet you report them as if it's official that Storms are getting returned. How much is Jobs paying you?
I just wonder what ever happened to this sentiment in a hands on review with PRE RELEASE software
"But the true test of any touch-based phone is typing, and we won't hold any punches here: we're in love. In fact, we like it enough to pit it against regular button-based keyboards, since it easily leaves traditional touchscreen typing (even that hokey haptics stuff, Nokia, LG) in the dust."
That is from the Engadget hands on review over a month before the phone launched. The software worsened since its launch? And you like it less now? What gives?
I bought my storm on the day it was released. I have been somewhat happy to have the phone be it I upgraded from the 8830. I have to be honest in that I hoped for a lot from this phone. The device delivered some cool features, but damn did it lag! A week or so later, the update comes out that put a band aid on some issues, but I would be lying if I said I didn't have buyers remorse some moments. I think what frustrates me most is that the phone cant seem to keep up. Typing has seemed to be an issue for some and I fall into that category. Not only can it not keep up, the cursor seems to move to an earlier part of the line I'm on. This happens frequently. I hate when I have to click an icon twice for my command to be accepted as well. I whole heartedly agree that hardware graphics acceleration would have been wonderful! I have refused to get an iphone because I don't plan on changing networks. This is the best touchscreen device I feel there is out of my options. I don't know how much help software updated will be, but I must admit I am disappointed a bit at the moment. With a new OS version leaked, I hope to hear some good things!
This isn't a horrible device at all. My issue is that I bought into all of the hype.
I have no remorse... I had a curve now I have a storm, I wouldn't go back...
You need another option (No Remorse, I love it!) as a voting option!
I just purchased one and at first I was like "Why the hell did I just waste $200 on this phone." After I started sending texts I got used to both of the keyboards and the "click" feature. Moving some pictures from my old phone (a touchscreen) I found myself already adjusted to the Storm's screen and "click" feature. My only complaint is that the vibrate on the phone isn't loud at all. Once you get used to it, it's fine.
I upgraded from the 8830 World Edition which has a full keyboard and real keys. The improved features on the Storm are amazing, but at this point I'd rather downgrade because 1) the Storm is non-responsive!!!. I have to hit the screen several times or wait just to be able to enter my password. Or you have to wait for the thing to catch up when you turn it to get the full keyboard. 2) I have to go through several more steps to do something than on the World. Example: On my old one I could just start typing someone's name and with one button I could call, text, or e-mail them. On the Storm, I have to hit contacts, start typing a name, push the screen with my finger and hope I didn't unintentionally select the next name. And lastly 3) Typing is much tougher. I could type a lot really fast on the World Edition with the textured keys. I could type without even looking. I choose to send less on the Storm, because it's not worth the effort.
wi-fi wi-fi wi-fi.....does the Storm have it? IF not.....lame, but then, of course any Storm review is going to be bias, and it's simply
because Apple was lucky wit the timing of the iPhone release and
Apples popularity due to the iPod and their computers. In my opinion,
this isn't fair and Blackberry had the SmartPhone vision first. If
Blackberry was known for making computers at the same caliber as
Apple, the Storm would have just as much interest and close to as many
useful apps as the iPhone. I'm not impressed with Apples integration
of their computers with a phone and feel that it's even cheating. The
whole wi-fi argument is pointless. I have a computer with wi-fi and
don't really need it on my Storm. Phones are too small to enjoy the
web anyway. Anyway, if Blackberry had the technological headstart and
money that Apple has due to their computers, the the Storm would do
twice what the iPhone does. I think the storm would even be running
all the Adobe graphic programs by now. I don't care if the iPhone does
more, has more apps, or sells more. I've always been a fan of
Blackberry and I'm sticking with it. Like Ford Automotive, Blackberry
is a pioneer in their market (okay, so I drive a Honda, but only cause
they last forever). I'm not sure if that supports my argument for the
Storm, but just wait and see. I bet soon they add wi-fi and multi-
touch that will be better than the iPhone's, and watch the
Blackberry's list of apps out grow Apples list by double. Guaranteed!
Screw Apple and the elitists who use them! I hate movies and music
anyway. It was all better before computers gave everyone the ability
to do it. That killed everything.
Bill,
That supports your argument, the iPhone is better, you're right. That's why I own one.
A smart Honda driving guy like you should know that pioneering is one thing, making something work, and work well is another. I guess you could say that the iPhone IS the Honda, and the Blackberry IS the Ford. True, I'll give you that.
Bill (post above),
I'm with you man! Everyting sucks since Apple got ther paws on it. Especially the damn iPhone. What a joke, I mean, why don't they just make a tiny laptop. It seems that the stupid iPhone is just more of a computer antway. I already have a sweet Vaio and I don't need something so small it fits in my pocker. My laptop screen is desined for the internet, and the iPhone is just too small for web browsing or using as an actual computer. I don't care if you can use it to access your network, grt over it and just use your computer. There's nothing like a full-sized kezboard either. I tried thr iPhone and had noting but typos becuase of it. I'll never use one for the wedb. I have a Storm and it ruls!
Most of the replies seem to have forgotten all the problems Apple has gone through with the IPhone, even the 3G had it's problems at first. I bought the Storm and have had NO problems...none! I really considered switching to AT&T and buying an IPhone, but discovered that "the World's largest network" is a load of s.... I live just outside the Chicago metropolitan area, and if I drive 5 miles out in the country, AT&T has service, but if I stay in town, and this is not a small town, they have no coverage in most of the city, and I mean NO coverage.
I've been on Verizon for several years, and continually find that their coverage is absolutely the best. After several years of owning multiple Treos, I find the Storm very exciting, easy to use, no crashes, etc. It's a bit early to be bashing the Storm, and by the way, the Storm has been on backorder from Verizon several times in our area, since they are selling more than they can keep up with. I have had conversations with the guys in the Verizo store, and they are not seeing the returns that this forum suggests.
I really really would like the Storm to work for me. Verizon has awesome coverage and admirably good customer service.
1. At best (with 3 weeks practice), I can type maybe 1/3 as fast as former TREO -- i assume this compares with any other querty key pad device.
2. Have you ever tried to edit and email/ text? Getting to the right spot takes longer then the actual email, almost without exception.
3. Do you find the menus intuitive? Very little about the navigation makes sense. Lots of menus and extra clicks. Like learning a new language, and not consistent.
4. Upgraded and still buggy. Have you seen the TV commercials? I'd keep this one if it worked like that.
I have one. So far I'm liking it compared to my older Q9, especially for work purposes. But I am wondering if I can pop in my wifi microSD card and see if that would work or not.
What does take getting used to is the typing, especially having to click down. By that I mean, getting the timing right so that you can type fast and not miss letters/symbols, which has taken some getting used to. On the plus side, it's a lot harder to text while driving compared to having a physical keyboard.
Why are you comparing this to Apple? I am looking at the Storm because of Apple, never had it and never will. The first Mac I used crashed and later got a virus. Later, I tried iTunes because of the DRM commercial. Needless to say iTunes has a horrid DRM or used to. Apple seems to flip every problem they have to a competitor. As such, they will continue to be lagging in desktop sales and do well with other electronics. Proprietary, well, you get the idea. I hope you are happy with your Apple choices but leave Apple out of reviews because I and the likes of me do not come back to these sites.
Thanks for the pro Apple comparison review of the storm.
This phone stresses me out. I've had 2 other generations before this Storm. I loved them, that's what made me stick with BlackBerry. This Storm on the other hand. Glitchy, slow, freezes up, and up loading through the media manager is a huge painful task. I've considered throwing this thing out the window many times. I will go back to the 8830 world phone. This contraption needs some over hauling. I don't recommend this phone to anyone who runs a business or needs a reliable phone, this thing will ruin your day for sure.
I'll give it a good review if nobody will...
I've had this phone for a couple weeks now - with the most current verizon approved OS, and while it has frozen a couple times, and it has crashed on me maybe twice... I don't use my desktop computer without expecting at least some hardware/software issues at some point! I have a Mac with the most current OS, and am an IT manger for a Linux/XP pro environment. All computers have limitations!
You can't go from a standard phone that has an OS that is altogether like 1meg in size, to a mini-computer like a blackberry and expect it to operate exactly the same, and with the same speeds!
I love my storm. The screen clicking took a day to get used to, but after that it is great. The internet features are fast, and it does what I expected it to!
Looking forward to future OS updates, to see if it fixes some speed issues and such, but all in all I'm keeping mine, and am satisfied!