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Blackberry Storm? Anyone seriously considering it???

Tenorsaw said:
Here you go:

http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/10/31/the-real-reason-the-blackberry-storm-doesnt-have-wi-fi-or-tri-band-hsdpa/

No excuses for Verizon.
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That's mostly about not including GSM for the USA.

You should know by now that editorials on the internet are often suspect. They stuck on the word "WiFI" because it makes headlines.

Again, the FACT is that Verizon has left WiFi in any device that was designed with WiFi. However, many CDMA models (Sprint's as well) don't come with it (even if the GSM version does). And RIM rarely puts WiFi on their phones since the whole idea is to use Push over the carrier network from their NOCs.

However, I think it was a mistake to leave WiFi out of what should be a nice non-business phone. If it would've required a slightly thicker case, so be it.

PS. Such bogus rumors are especially meaningless now that Verizon is going to be requiring data plans with smartphones (a la ATT-iPhone).
 
Personally, the only time I use WiFi on my iphone is on cydia and the app store. I dont mind it at all... Not saying id get the phone, but it wouldnt be a deal breaker.
 
I would agree that competition is good. Also, here is a fact, Verizon has over 75 million subscribers and although a lot have jumped ship for the iPhone, I have talked to a lot of people who say, "I would get an iPhone, but I can't (due to family plans) or don't want to switch to AT&T." Although, most of us know that the Storm is not real competition to the App Store or the main base of iPhone users, I have a feeling that it will gain a lot of market share for iPhone wanters who don't have the ability or guts to switch to AT&T. Basically, this a valient effort by RIMM and Verizon, but it is not going to save either over time from losing marketshare to AT&T and more importantly and largely to the iPhone.
 
kdarling said:
That's mostly about not including GSM for the USA.

You should know by now that editorials on the internet are often suspect. They stuck on the word "WiFI" because it makes headlines.

Again, the FACT is that Verizon has left WiFi in any device that was designed with WiFi. However, many CDMA models (Sprint's as well) don't come with it (even if the GSM version does). And RIM rarely puts WiFi on their phones since the whole idea is to use Push over the carrier network from their NOCs.

However, I think it was a mistake to leave WiFi out of what should be a nice non-business phone. If it would've required a slightly thicker case, so be it.

PS. Such bogus rumors are especially meaningless now that Verizon is going to be requiring data plans with smartphones (a la ATT-iPhone).
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Verizon is notorious for doing these types of things. They cripple their bluetooth devices, GPS, etc. Given their history, I would say they had input on whether this device shipped with wi-fi.

Come on, in this day and age it's ridiculous for it not to come wi-fi. I remember seeing this same debate with the Treo in 2004. It's now four years later.

Hey, it may not be important for many people like you said. I just think it gives people an option, especially since most providers are now implementing 5GB caps.
 
Since public WiFi is becomming more and more common and the iPhone tarrifs (in the UK anyway) come with free WiFi coverage i often find myself using it

When i am at Home / Work i use Wifi to make calls over fring etc... When podcast downloading comes into 2.2 i'll be downloading podcasts over WiFi

For me 3G coverage in my particular location is poor (bad geography) and if i didn't use WiFi i'd be limited to GPRS many times ....

Also, i think that the developer community are split over the iPhone and G1... those that want open and freedom can go G1, those that seek the riches and apple seek iphone .... the Storm just doesn't seem to sit in either so i think 3rd party apps will be much more limited.

Nice 1st try but missed the mark in my opinion
 
Although I don't want one, a friend of mine will be getting one very soon, as he's on Vodafone. He wanted a 3G, but has "waited long enough" for an unlock to arrive for it, so he's gettng Storm instead. It'll be good for me, as I'll get to see it first hand.
 
Tenorsaw said:
Verizon is notorious for doing these types of things. They cripple their bluetooth devices, GPS, etc. Given their history, I would say they had input on whether this device shipped with wi-fi.
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Water under the bridge. Verizon crippled file transfer on a couple of phones for one year back in 2005. They also prevented use as a modem on one or two smartphones. I haven't seen either happen for a while.

Fast forward to today, and check out the iPhone, which has very little Bluetooth support, and can't yet officially act as a modem.

As for GPS, I wholeheartedly agree that it's short-sighted for Verizon to keep it locked down and prevent other apps from using it. Of course, people can download patches (like jailbreaking an iPhone) to get around it.

Again, I'd like WiFi for my home use, but I use Sling over EVDO and have no complaints. Haven't been lucky enough to have a Rev A phone yet, where we get into real speed.
 
kdarling said:
Water under the bridge. Verizon crippled file transfer on a couple of phones for one year back in 2005. They also prevented use as a modem on one or two smartphones. I haven't seen either happen for a while.

Fast forward to today, and check out the iPhone, which has very little Bluetooth support, and can't yet officially act as a modem.

As for GPS, I wholeheartedly agree that it's short-sighted for Verizon to keep it locked down and prevent other apps from using it. Of course, people can download patches (like jailbreaking an iPhone) to get around it.

Again, I'd like WiFi for my home use, but I use Sling over EVDO and have no complaints. Haven't been lucky enough to have a Rev A phone yet, where we get into real speed.
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I hear you, but as 'synagence' posted, there are many uses for wi-fi that are very useful to me at the moment. I guess those who want wi-fi won't buy it and those who don't care will.

Verizon has a great network. I'll be the first to admit it, but it comes at a trade-off. They have very few phones that are worth buying. For gadget lovers, GSM (specifically, at&t) is where it's at.
 
Storm for me

There is no question I am getting the Storm when it comes out.

Verizon's service has always, ALWAYS been excellent. I never drop any call and always have service regardless of wherever I may be.

For a while I was thinking about jumping ship, since my contract has been up for a while, and going to AT&T for the iPhone. Instead I decided to hold out and wait for something better. I've heard too many stories from my friends who have horrible service with AT&T that I've decided it's not worth it.

Apple should have put iPhone on Verizon in the first place.
 
karleaglemac said:
There is no question I am getting the Storm when it comes out.

Verizon's service has always, ALWAYS been excellent. I never drop any call and always have service regardless of wherever I may be.

For a while I was thinking about jumping ship, since my contract has been up for a while, and going to AT&T for the iPhone. Instead I decided to hold out and wait for something better. I've heard too many stories from my friends who have horrible service with AT&T that I've decided it's not worth it.

Apple should have put iPhone on Verizon in the first place.
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Now, I don't know if this is true or not but, I thought Apple had pitched the iPhone initially to Verizon and they declined because supposedly they didn't want to accept the profit sharing agreement that Apple wanted. They then went to AT&T and they agreed to the terms. iPhone became available about a year later and behold there were millions of people storming to the stores to get the iPhone. :D
 
Alisstar said:
Now, I don't know if this is true or not but, I thought Apple had pitched the iPhone initially to Verizon and they declined because supposedly they didn't want to accept the profit sharing agreement that Apple wanted.
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Here's one of the original articles on this topic. (Jan 29, 2007)

Ironically, one of the main sticking points at the time was that Apple refused to let Verizon sell iPhones through their partners such as Best Buy and Walmart.

They then went to AT&T and they agreed to the terms. iPhone became available about a year later and behold there were millions of people storming to the stores to get the iPhone. :D
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After trying for a year to get Verizon, Apple gave up and went back to ATT. They signed a contract in the summer of 2006.

One thing for sure: Verizon would never have let Apple put out a 2G phone.
 
If I didn't have the iPhone I would consider buying the storm but my friend is getting it tomorrow so well see how it is..
 
macbookairapple said:
Not so good reviews for the Storm, I haven't even seen one positive review and I've read all the main sites.
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Yeah, here's what I gathered from The Boy Genius:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/11/20/verizon-blackberry-storm-review/

Pros:
IM is great.
Media Player is good.
Voice calling is great.
Physical build feels good.

Cons:
No WiFi, so no hope of getting email when you're out of data coverage.
With no phone calls, the battery went from 100% at 9AM to 20% by 4PM.
The touch-screen is tiring to use and feels cheap.
Autocorrect is a total joke.
The "App Store" is a carrier controlled and just refers you to a web page to download an application.
Browser is only adequate, doesn't compare to Safari.
Auto screen rotation is irritating.

I'm still interested (since my work is footing the bill), but I was hoping for better initial reviews.
 
I think RIM should have developed an entire different OS for the Storm from the ground, it's like they took the existing OS, made a few changes to it for touch and packed it.
 
macbookairapple said:
I think RIM should have developed an entire different OS for the Storm from the ground, it's like they took the existing OS, made a few changes to it for touch and packed it.
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Yeah, that's something both BG and Engadget commented on.

What you first should know is that the operating system used on this phone is almost identical to previous BlackBerry OSs -- notably 4.6, as seen on the Bold. The main reason for stating that is because you must understand the basis for the UI design. All modern BlackBerrys use a QWERTY or SureType keypad coupled with a trackball for navigation, in addition to heavy emphasis on a pop-up menu accessible by the "menu" key from pretty much every section of the OS. The difference in 4.7 is not a paradigmatic shift away from this approach, rather, the company has added touch and multitouch functionality to take the place of trackball movements. What this means is that unlike the iPhone, which is most certainly the closest competitor on the market to this phone, the Storm's UI is not custom built for touch navigation -- touch navigation is added after the fact. Things which flow naturally on an iPhone -- flicking through lists, scrolling for a contact, moving around in a webpage or looking through photos -- feel inelegant and uncomfortable on the Storm. There's no inertia to movement, no assurance that your finger is the lynchpin to control of the device. The screen is sensitive enough, surely, but how its software reacts to those touches makes all the difference, and here the feeling is that you're never completely in charge of the phone.
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http://www.engadget.com/2008/11/19/blackberry-storm-review/
 
I was mildly interested in checking out the Storm but the reviews keep coming in and they are fairly middling. PC Magazine's called it a "Troubled Storm" (3/5) and CNET gave it a 3.5/5...Gizmodo, Engadget, and BGR all have similar conclusions too. Oh well.
 
Verizon customers will still buy it. They are still looking for an iPhone replacement. No one even talks about the Voyager anymore.
 
UMHurricanes34 said:
Am I the only one that absolutely *loves* typing on the iPhone?

I'd take it over a clickable touch screen everyday. It will just serve to slow my typing speed down.

I'd like to give it a shot and play with it, but I don't understand the complaints against the iPhone's keyboard. I'm faster and more accurate than I've ever been on any phone, with or without physical keys.
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Me too, but I think we're the exceptions, not the rule.
 
The phones they are testing have an older OS on them, much like the iPhone had...

It will be a fantastic phone. Two different fruits though. The iphone is for media, the BB is for communications.

End of story.
 
bbplayer5 said:
The phones they are testing have an older OS on them, much like the iPhone had...

It will be a fantastic phone. Two different fruits though. The iphone is for media, the BB is for communications.

End of story.
Click to expand...

Yes, BB's are known for communications, but the storm is clearly aimed at being a media device.
 
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