BlackBerry Storm 9530
Phone Scoop Review
Nov 20, 2008 by Eric M. Zeman
RIM's first touch-screen BlackBerry finally hits the market. Find out if RIM's Storm lives up to the hype. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
Stormin Norman
Finally, R.I.M puts some money into the aesthetics of a phone! although ive always been a fan of the RIM blackberry line, ive never been much impressed with the appearance or feel of the luggy bar style genre theyve stuck with for so long. yeah, the introduction of the pearl combated this, but also sacrificed certain flagship blackberry features.
but to get to the storm. it SUCKS! like i said, aesthetically its awesome, but its basically a curve with the new blackberry OS platform, wich isnt much of an improvement. if i didnt know any better, id say they just reskinned the old blackberry OS. and the touch screen, although amazing resolution and clerity, sucks in way of responsivness, getting virtually murdered by the iphone, htc diamond, and even the LG glimmer.
overall id say RIM did a good job with the phone, and new blackberry/smartphone users will be thouroughly impressed, but the seasoned PDA vets should be able to see right through it. my 4.5 rating is strictly due to my prediction of the masses reaction to a touch screen blackberry!
I love this Phone but have to Rate it Low
This is my first review and why not the Storm to start off my Real Deal Review here on Phone Scoop.
In two months I have used Three (3) Blackberry Storms and have encountered several rationales on why I rated this Phone Low.
PROs:
*Great Big Screen
*Easy to Text or Email
*Navigation displays Great on the Landscape Mode.
*Awesome Memory
*Speedy Browser
*Keys take a while to get use to (I have very big hands and was able to get the hang of clicking the keys)
*In Portrait View the text provides a suggestions for quick input; the Landscape View the text has to be inputed accurately without suggestions (I found myself using Portrait View more than landscape view during both text and email)
Cons:
*The Handset Speaker does not work well, between all three Blackberry Storms I used they averaged 6 out of 10 dropped calls, client or friend could not hear my voice (complaint - sounded muffled, in a tunnel, or far away from the receiver). I had to use the speaker 70% of the time and the remaining used an LG Blue-tooth. I normally prefer to use the phone verses the speaker unless I am at my desk - I usually will plug into my desktop speakers for better audio. It really comes down to preference.
*Car Charger a MUST - Battery runs out quickly.
*Slow at times - especially between application changes
*Camera quality fair to good but does take too long to auto focus before taking picture.
*Video will sometimes freeze when recording and a call comes in
These are the highlights of this review and in my opinion as a professional and someone who interacts with clients, family, and friends frequently this phone may not be suited to your needs.
Lastly, Blackberry Storm has severe bugs that hinder its performance.
I WANTED TO LOVE IT
Well, I finally did it - went back to the iPhone.
I wanted to badly to love this phone - and I do love the BB OS a lot!
But this phone was just so damn buggy - I upgraded to the .75 software and I swear, I could tell the difference.
PROS
BB
Incredible Screen
Good call clarity
MMS
CONS
VERY slow touchscreen
So-So camera
Does not have that iPod feeling
Browser - Not close to Safari
APPS - They are getting there
I just think overall the iPhone is just a better and a more fun device.
I just wish Apple would pull their heads out of their...and get MMS and a better keyboard for texting.
Storm&Thunder
Real talk- this phone is crap. I must have gotten a bad one out the bunch, or maybe they snuck the display one into my box, but this is and was not the phone for me to show off and profile. Got the phn on day 1, on day 14 the screen starts running together, and then a fuzzy screen, like a bad cable box. The screen is loose as well, seems like it wont last. a bit on the heavy side, and too much to hold against the ear. Texting is big in my life, and this phn does not live up to that. I'm typing, next thing you know my camera is on. I like the screen color quality, and the Push email. Talking on it wasn't as great. Easy to learn and navigate, but frustrating to pull out the battery and replace when it needed to be reset. Phone was exchanged on Day 17 to the Samsung Omnia. They should have called mines the blackberry lighting..since that is what my screen turned into.
Pros-
Great display
Nice color hard shells
VZ network
Push email
Music quality, and ringtones
Outstanding battery life
Cons-
Screen fixture
Buttons too close
Time to reset
Heaviness for a BB
Lagging navigation
No WIFI
Sure type press.. (rather the vibrate press)
I feel for those who are still waiting to experience this on Dec 16!!!!
Terrible
I have been a BB user for about 6 yrs now, so when I saw the marketing efforts RIM along with Verizon were putting into this phone I thought it was a no brainer that this was a must have and it obviously I wasn't I wasn't the only one as the phone sold out in near minutes. Well they got me! This thing is TERRIBLE!!! From the screen freezing, to "Sim Card Rejected" Although its a "World" phone I wasnt aware that a CDMA handset could reject a sim card. They say that there is a software update coming out December 8th however I think the issues are far beyond an update
The honeymoon was over quickly
RIM made a huge mistake trying to be an apple product. They should have just stayed what they were. The best darned business tool on the market which could also browse the net and play a song or video on occasion.
Instead they tried to imitate another flawed product from Apple and lost who they are. Now they are nothing special.
At first I enjoyed playing with it but then realized my typing speed was extremely diminished, the phone stalled like crazy, crashed multiple times, and would often "loose it's way" while navigating menus.I will be returning mine in the morning.
I seriously hope the new Blackberry for Verizon rumors are true. This phone suffers hard from trying to be an apple product. All of it's good points are actually things it tried to copy from apple. unfortunately those things are not enough to make the iPhone worth while and they are not enough for the Storm either. Also emulating Apple has weakened them on all their previously strong points.
Pros: High resolution screen, large screen, cut and paste, slick design, feels good in the hand, and impressive graphic transitions.
Cons: Very slow software, unpredictable screen, typing on the clickable screen is slower than a touch only screen, seems fragile, thick/heavy in the pocket, menus a bit counter intuitive (I am not sure I like the new RIM software), lack of wifi for when 3G network is not available, and many more.
NOT The Perfect Storm
I wanted to like this phone but unfortunately after many looking many times before purchasing and finally taking the leap, I found myself sorely disappointed and yearning for my reliable Curve 8330 back ... so I had to exchange it and go back to the stone ages.
Here were some of my major issues with this device (even with the updated software):
Screen was unusable when BB was flat on a desk.
Typing is nearly impossible if you're not completely stationary.
There was a lag between when I hit "answer" and when phone calls actually connected.
It is very hard to dial a phone number reliably and accurately.
Texting just sucks.
It's hard to hold the phone and talk on it for long periods of time.
One can easily accidentally hit mute or flash with one's cheek while on a call.
There is a lag using absolutely any function whatsoever.
Only a few good things I'd like to note:
Audio quality is very, very good.
EVDO Rev. A. is pretty darn fast.
The phone's brushed metal back cover is attractive.
Overall, this phone frustrated me so much that I wanted to cry a number of times during my three-day ownership, I was HAPPY to pay a restocking fee to get a Curve. I guess I'm just too old-fashioned and not hip enough to be a part of the "Storm".
Sorry, but not so good....
I took my storm back today to the Verizon store today. What a disappointment! I have owned at least 10 BlackBerry devices and I think RIM makes the best products. My primary use of these phones is for business purposes - emailing (mostly), calendaring, and lots of phone calls. The phone I had was updated with the most recent software, so most of the "lag" problems were not apparent to me. The problem was the keyboard. I don't understand how anyone can use the thing! It is so frustrating and takes a really long time just to type even a few sentences. I can see where this would be okay if you were just sending text and email every so often. But it just didn't work for me. I also own an iPhone (as my personal phone) and have no problems using the touchscreen for typing email on it. All in all, if you are intending to use this phone for business - don't get it! If for personal use (and you haven't used BB before), it would probably be a decent phone for you.
no good...
wow what a let down, screen res is the only good thing about this phone; with in 10 minutes of leaving the store the problems started; trying to create emails just turned the phone into i guess a reboot mode? almost 3 minutes to come back on??
pros;
I took it back!
cons;
I should have read the receipt before doing so, i got hit with the $35 RS fee and no way did I want another one!
The Storm Has Come!!!
I love my Storm!! I was so excited when it arrived the day before Thanksgiving. Of course it had it's glitches and kinks just like any other new phone does but it's all good now since the software update. Granted it does have it's issues every now and then but what doesn't? The screen is ultra sensitive when you need to go from landscape view to portrait view. I'm somewhat new to BlackBerry, I always had Windows based devices. So far so good though. I think this phone and I will be together for quite some time. I usually get really bored with phone and replace them with another in 6 months but this is gonna stick around for awhile. I think that the people giving this phone bad reviews and complaining about every little thing needs to get over themselves. It's a friggin phone, an electronic, they have issues sometimes just like everything else. These devices are PHONES!!!!! They are not meant to replace your home computer or your digital cameras. GET OVER IT PEOPLE!!!
Pros:
Beautiful screen
Great touch/click screen
Fast Internet surfing
There's just sooooooo much that I love about the phone. Too much to name.
Cons:
Did have issues upon release
Sometimes takes a minute to recognize your touch when answering a call
Overall it's a great phone.
