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iPhone vs Blackberry Storm ?

Samsung Omnia

Another phone to consider in place of a Storm is the Samsung Omnia. It has lots of features going for it:

-Built in wifi
-GPS
-5MP camera
-Exchange support
-MP3 Player
-Opera Web Browser
-Visual Voicemail (although this function doesn't work with a bluetooth head set and won't work if you have your phone volume turned down . . .WTF?)

I've used this phone for about a month now. The biggest drawback of course is that it runs windows mobile. I just don't really understand what the point is of producing a phone with a full touch screen and loading it with an interface that is designed to be used with a stylus. On the plus side its touchscreen keyboard, which uses "haptic" feedback (ie. a small vibration*when you hit a key) works MUCH more accurately than the iphone keyboard.

Other drawbacks to this phone is that the volume controls are ridiculously difficult to use and the speaker phone isn't loud enough in any environment other than a small enclosed room. Also, the accelerometer isn't as accurate as the iphone: it doesn't respond as quickly, gets stuck for several seconds in landscape when you are holding it in portrait mode, and for some reason the software allows the display to go "upside down" (there is just no logical reason to allow for this as there is no added functionality to it and it is just one more direction for the screen to be stuck or confused).

But our company is stuck on verizon and I need a phone that is wireless sync compatible. This phone is by far the best choice to fit those needs.
 
ITASOR said:
Verizon requires data plans on all smart phones, including BlackBerry phones, so you can't even have one without a data plan. :(
Click to expand...

there's always eBay for some idiot that might just want the device for a PDA... but the question was, do you have to have the highest data plan to sync with your mac... you don't really have to have service at all.
 
whatwereusaying said:
there's always eBay for some idiot that might just want the device for a PDA... but the question was, do you have to have the highest data plan to sync with your mac... you don't really have to have service at all.
Click to expand...

right - you sync through a usb cable or bluetooth

a couple of weeks ago i faced this exact decision - iphone or storm. i am 22 and just started paying my bills, so verizon and att were both options. i initially went iwth the iphone because i'm a lifelong mac user and it was just more comfortable. while signing up, because i have no credit (again, 22), att wanted me to put down money on my contract to be refunded later.. money i didnt have. verizon didnt ask for that so i went with verizon and the storm.

it took me a while to get used to. it doesnt have the reliable, intuitive mac feel, and any mac user is going to notice that immediately. i have used the iphone quite a bit in the past year or two, and no matter how accustomed to it i am, typing remains difficult. after three days iwht the storm, typing was natural and smooth, with far fewer mistakes than i made on the iphone. the click screen is great. i challenge anyone who says they hate it to live with it for a week and report to me after.

verizon service is more reliable than att, but similarly priced. the blackberry is not hte gaming device that apple seems to be trying to turn the iphone/ipod touch into, but there are all the non-gaming apps youll really need available. like others have said, the app store RIM is launching sooner or later will make getting apps easier.

the OS is clunky and slow, but from what i've seen the first iphone os was too. an update was just leaked that i installed, and it made it faster. i guess a few more updates are due by next spring, and hoepfully by next summer hte os will be at full speed.

it handles email better, and the browser is comparable to the iphone's safari. the media browser on the blackberry is lacking, but, frankly, the movies and songs still play. it comes with an 8 gb sd card.

the bulk/weight, lack of wifi, slow OS, and lack of games are hte storm's deficiencies when compared to the iphone. 3g is sufficiently reliable to make the wifi problem negligible, and hte slow OS is sure to improve.

all in all, i think they are pretty comparable phones. the storm really is just a blackberry-ified iphone. they each cater to their demographics - the techy vs. the business/on-the-go user, i guess. it just depends which you want.

EDIT: i forget to add something rather important - syncing is possible, but it's a hassle. i've heard missing sync is good, but its expensive. pocket mac, which is free, is as bare bones a program as you can find. it works after a few adjustments of hte settings on your blackberry. it likely will not sync out of hte box, which just plain sucks. RIM released a media sync program, whcih works but nuked by pocketmac, which meant i could only sync media, not ical and stuff like that. i had to uninstall both programs, reinstall pocketmac, and mess around with the settings all over again to get it up and working. reports are that RIM is putting out a full desktop manager of their own for mac in the first half of '09. it couldn't come soon enough.
 
ITASOR said:
Verizon requires data plans on all smart phones, including BlackBerry phones, so you can't even have one without a data plan. :(
Click to expand...

I don't think thats true for ALL smart phones.

My mother has a Centro on Verizon without a data plan.
 
I think WiFi would be a big big plus for me personally hence the iPhone 3G though the 3G doesn't apply out here since no carriers support it (you'd think a resort town of 20k people and visitors from around the world would have 3G). I'm going with the iPhone since being able to sync right out of the box with my mac back and forth is really importaint and WiFi for those times when I'm just at home and can use high speed. The Storm looks nice it probably is but in this day and age how do you not have WiFi built into a device.. sorry Verizon and RIM but you lost me as a potential first time blackberry customer.
 
KelchM said:
I don't think thats true for ALL smart phones.

My mother has a Centro on Verizon without a data plan.
Click to expand...

It is now, unfortunately. As of November 14, 2008, Verizon requires you to add a data plan when you get a smart phone. I have a Motorola Q9c with no data plan. I've been looking to upgrade to something else, but I can't get any of the new smart phones without data plan because of the new rule.

I have read that sometime later in 2009, even phones like the LG Dare and LG Voyager are going to require the VCast Unlimited package for ~$15/month.

whatwereusaying said:
there's always eBay for some idiot that might just want the device for a PDA... but the question was, do you have to have the highest data plan to sync with your mac... you don't really have to have service at all.
Click to expand...

I understood the question, I was just pointing it out. If you bought a BlackBerry storm on eBay (or another new smart phone), I believe that you would still need to add a data plan to activate it on your line.
 
what's everyone's opinion now that the Storm has had a few months of updates.

For me right now I have the 16gb iPhone 3G and the Blackberry Curve II (8900). I'd get rid of the Curve in a second if the iPhone had better email capabilities, but it doesn't and I don't think it will improve anytime soon ... it's a shame, when mobile email is important to most people now, blackberry is KING of email for sure, without that they'd be nothing ...

even if Apple allowed us to change from to addresses easily, direct mail into one folder with much fewer clicks...
 
entatlrg said:
what's everyone's opinion now that the Storm has had a few months of updates.

For me right now I have the 16gb iPhone 3G and the Blackberry Curve II (8900). I'd get rid of the Curve in a second if the iPhone had better email capabilities, but it doesn't and I don't think it will improve anytime soon ... it's a shame, when mobile email is important to most people now, blackberry is KING of email for sure, without that they'd be nothing ...

even if Apple allowed us to change from to addresses easily, direct mail into one folder with much fewer clicks...
Click to expand...

My only real complaint about my Storm is that it requires frequent resets. Like every 3 days. Other than that, I like the click screen better than iPhone now that I'm used to it... much fewer keystroke mistakes. If Apple would add text selection+cut/copy+paste capability it would help the iPhone. But the lack of this type of thing makes it less of a work horse and more of a play toy-- a glorified iPod. Also I'm beyond ready for the iPhone to become available (legit) on a better network than AT&T.

For somebody who does a LOT of web browsing, email and text, and depends on a calendar to integrate with all the rest, blackberry is (still) the only way to go, Storm or otherwise. I'm thinking the next big iPhone upgrade will make it more competitive, if not better; but until then I'll keep my grown-up BlackBerry.
 
entatlrg said:
what's everyone's opinion now that the Storm has had a few months of updates.

For me right now I have the 16gb iPhone 3G and the Blackberry Curve II (8900). I'd get rid of the Curve in a second if the iPhone had better email capabilities, but it doesn't and I don't think it will improve anytime soon ... it's a shame, when mobile email is important to most people now, blackberry is KING of email for sure, without that they'd be nothing ...

even if Apple allowed us to change from to addresses easily, direct mail into one folder with much fewer clicks...
Click to expand...

I recently switched from a Samsung Omnia to the Storm. My wife has an iPhone 3G, which I'm very much in the habbit of borrowing... and I'm stuck with Verizon through my work so last December I picked up the Omnia to replace my Palm Treo 700wx.

The Omnia was very tempting with a list of great features, . . . but ultimately it is a windows mobile device, and hence just virtually unusable. Months of frustration led me to pick up a Storm, even though it isn't compatible with Verizon's Wireless Sync Software which my company uses to sync outlook calenders, email and contacts.

In the end I'm finding that the Storm is a very nice phone. I personally find the clickable screen much more friendly than the iPhone's touch screen, but THAT is just user prefference in my opinion and nothing else. Don't let anyone tell you that one phone's touch screen sucks compared to the other - go out and try it yourself and see which one you find easier to type with and navigate the phone with.

The only thing I find myself wishing the Storm had which the iPhone has nailed is the App Store (and more internal memory with which to run apps). Blackberry's AppWorld is pretty lame in comparison, though to be fair it only recently launched. But really there is no comparison at this point. And I've been finding that once you install a few hefty size apps the Storm runs out of "application memory". After a quick google search I've found I'm not the only one who finds this very limiting and problematic. The lack of programs available on AppWorld becomes a moot point since you can only install a handful of them anyways.

But overall the Storm's email functionality (and via Google calendar and Contact Sync I also have my outlook calendar and contacts on my storm) really outshine the iPhone, and it is so much easier (for me) to use as a typing device.
 
The $45 plan from verizon is the business plan for blackberries on RIM's BES network. the $30 plan is unlimited data as well. I switched from the iphone to the storm and i love the storm. but i should also say that really the only reason i switched was due to poor service with att in my area. The storm does take a little longer to get used to as it has a steep learning curve, but once i got used to it, i havent had a problem.
 
iPhone. The Storm's disable touchscreen really pisses me off. Why do you have to push the screen like a button? This is TOUCHscreen not PUSHscreen. The touch screen is horrible compared to the iPhone. It's good in some areas, but it seems like a half finished product rushed out the door. And it's really bulky. My friend let me look at hers and it sucks. The App World is like App Island really. Not many apps, the ones it does have suck, and you can't install many of them.
 
New Mac user needs new PDA and advice for syncing

2 issues:
need new PDA phone
software to sync new phone to MacBook Pro


I'm a new Mac user and an old Treo (700P) user (which I used and loved, with Outlook on my PC). I'm having a horrible time syncing my email folders (where I store years of emails from clients, ex husbands, etc!) from Outlook, into Entourage or anything else on the Mac. I bought O2M software but can't seem to import from it.


It's time for a new PDA to replace my Treo. My needs mostly are keeping track of clients on both my phone/PDA and my desktop (on MacBook Pro) and filing emails and calendar. Also like to be able to take photos.

I'm currently a Verizon customer and happy with them...but would change for a better phone.

They have the Curve or Storm or Omni, but I need to be able to sync whatever I buy into a desktop program where I store calender contacts and maybe email (though I am willing to have email separate)

Help?!

thanks -- great Forum for new user.
 
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