My Blackberry Pearl has served me well over the last two years.
The ease of use and no-frills usefulness of the BB Pearl’s trackball has given me the best, and problem free, mobile phone experience since my first cell phone fifteen years ago (remember those brick phones by Motolora?).
However, I’ve been enviously looking over the shoulders of all my friends who now have iPhones. The sleek multimedia images and touchscreen browsing made my Pearl feel like a fossil. For a time, I was content just texting and calling. Plus, I hate Apple and everything that hippie/yuppie, marketing genius of a corporation stands for. Alas, the urge to get something with more multimedia features was too strong and I almost settled for an iPhone.
Now, with the Storm, I hope I can have the best of both worlds. I don’t usually like to get new technology when it first comes out. I try to get the 2nd or 3rd generation when they manage to work out the kinks. Oh well, call this an early Christmas gift for myself.
At first glance, the Storm is a sleek, sexy device. It is a nice compact size but carries some weight due to its metal construction. No cheap plastic parts here. It’s about the size of the Blackberry Curve, big enough for a good sized display and still compact enough to fit in your pocket.
The touch screen is unique in that it acts much like a computer mouse. Touching the screen selects items and depressing the screen (yes the whole screen goes in) initiates the icon selected. Although it is a neat enough feature, I found myself missing the simple trackball technology and I think most people familiar with the trackball will agree that the touch screen takes some getting used to. There is definitely a greater learning curve associated with the Storm than any other Blackberry predecessor. The keyboard changes orientation from portrait to landscape, depending on how you’re holding the device. People with big fingers will have trouble with the keyboard.
The high resolution screen is amazing and turning the phone sideways for a landscape screen allows for better multimedia viewing.
The speaker is LOUD. The loudest speaker I have ever heard on a phone. A nice change from the muffled Pearl speaker that was hidden behind the battery cover.
The 3.2 megapixel camera and video camera is a nice addition and the flash/LED video light is very bright. So bright is the LED it actually comes in handy as a mini flashlight.
Applications are few, expect that number to increase as the Storm gains in popularity, but don’t expect iPhone levels of application madness. It is still a business phone after all.
Browsing is a little slower than expected and you still can’t view a lot of online movies because there are no Flash or Quicktime drivers for the Storm. I hope that changes soon because most download sites have an option for iPods and iPhones.
Overall, it’s a great phone for people like me who detest iPhones and want the basic functionality of a business Blackberry but would like the expanded multimedia features of the iPhone. The Storm is a good first attempt by Blackberry to compete in the iPhone dominated segment and I’m sure subsequent models will bear more improvements. I still wish it had a trackball though.
What BlackBerry Storm 9530 comes with:
- 3G Blackberry Storm 9530 Smartphone
- Li-ion battery
- Travel charger
- User guide
- 8 GB microSD card (yup, that’s a good size)
- Charging data cable
- Premium stereo headphones
- SIM card (which technically means you can unlock this phone and use it on any GSM network)
- Quick reference guide
- Blackberry user tools CD
- International travel guide
- Pocket carrying case
Posted on December 19th, 2008 by Leo
Filed under: Lucid Thoughts, Reviews
Sounds like a pretty cool phone. For now, I’m content with my Motorola V9M, but I might keep this in mind for the future.
Nicks last blog post..Chrysler’s Temporary Plant Shutdown: My Quest For More Information – Part I
The funny thing is that after I got my new Storm I walked next door to the dental office and the receptionist bought my old Pearl from me.
Leos last blog post..The new BlackBerry STORM
Which provider are you with? I’m just wondering if you got a subsidized version from Telus/Bell or if you bought an unlocked one to use elsewhere.
Michael Kwans last blog post..Dot Com Pho: Sally Makes Faces
After 15 years, I left Rogers and went with Bell. I got a nice plan with unlimited internet/data, texts, emails, incoming calls, free evenings (starting at 6pm) and weekends and 500 minutes free (+300 for 3 months). They also waived the system activation fee. I only pay $70/month and got the phone for $250.
The Storm retails for about $750, so an unlocked one would probably cost about $1000 after taxes. Maybe more because the demand is so high for such a limited number.
Leos last blog post..The new BlackBerry STORM
I currently have an iphone not the 3g but the older one, with firmware 2. something..i forgot…but it serves me well, yet one of my friends have a storm and it looks pretty good, sort of like the iphone and the blackberry fused together..im thikning of getting the storm as well..but cant let go of my iphone.
PheakTols last blog post..Ranking High With Search Engines
[...] a good boy this year, so he treated himself to an early Christmas present in the form of the new BlackBerry Storm. The old Pearl served the stunt actor just fine for a couple of years, but he felt it was time for [...]
My razr has seen its’ better day, I really need to upgrade for data. Have been looking into the storm, it look like it may do the job.
natrons last blog post..Proof that Nothing Good happens at 3am
wow.. great phone
The Storm is definitely a good first touch screen attempt from Blackberry but it did have some issues. The new version is set to release soon and should be even better!
My brother has a storm and it’s a good Phone. I am actually using an iPhone 3GS though, and I think it’s way better. I always thought of Blackberry as a Business phone, iPhone is more for geeks (and I am a proud one)
What’s on the Christmas list this year for a new phone for you? Have you made the move away from Blackberry or do you still have the Blackberry thumbs?