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
Best Touch Screen Yet!!!
I love this phone, I just owned the LG Dare for a few months and after replacing it 5 times I got the Storm and WOW. This is leaps and bounds better than anything LG could ever dream of. It has an awesome touch screen and great interface. I would recommend this phone to anyone wanting a touch screen and great applications. They are still working on a few bugs but other than that this is the way to go. There is so much on it's way out for this phone in regards to applications. Get it now cause the Iphone can't come close to it. Thank you RIM.
PROS:
Touch Screen
Phone
Interface
Apps
Solid feel
Bright Clear Pictures
3.2 Mp Camera
CONS:
None Yet
Excellent Phone
Let me first start off saying that this is an awesome phone. That being said, this phone needs to suit your needs, and it does that better for some then others. If you need a phone to surf the web, this phone will do it, but it is a small part of what this phone can do. So if you need just that, keep on looking. If you need more, I mean a lot more, get this phone.
Pros:
Touchscreen is responsive and accurate (on .75 version at least)
Bright and crisp screen
Long battery life
Lots of expandable memory
Solid feel in your hand
Cons:
Speakerphone can be louder
Vibrate can be stronger (this is probably because the phone is heavier then your typical bb)
For those of you who continue to whine about lack of wi-fi and slow camera, all I have to say is grow up.
Wifi is useless when you have solid 3g, and if you need a decent responsive camera, buy one.
A Keeper, and it's Getting Better
After a full week of use I'm calling it a keeper. There are a few things that need improvement, but overall it's a great BlackBerry.
If you're switching to the Storm from another popular touch screen phone and get frustrated at first, look at it this way: Let's say you shop regularly at a supermarket that you like and you know where everything is and the selections to expect. But then you move and start shopping at a new store- everything is there but it will take a little time to learn where they put it and after you find it, everything is fast and comfortable, just the way you like it.
Pros:
Verizon network coverage and speed.
Great phone- loud with good tonal quality of all calls.
Hard buttons to start and end a call.
You can get push email all day long and still have a lot of battery life left.
Instant push email.
Loud ringer, speaker phone, and good volume on Bluetooth devices.
Ability to hover and then click (as opposed to accidentally selecting while hovering).
Selection of three input keyboards.
LED notifications of messages and other status.
Notification (ringer) profiles.
Standard micro-USB data and charger interface.
Decent camera with zoom, flash, and focus.
Great GPS, especially with VZ Navigator and all the extras it has (turn-by-turn, traffic, movies, local search, weather, etc.)
Cons:
Less polished touch interface than the other touch phone.
Send/End buttons seem a little loose (below main screen).
Need to close applications if things seem sluggish.
It may be obvious that I came from an iPhone 3G where poor AT&T coverage and slow "3G" speeds were a problem. Push email on the iPhone will kill a battery by 5 PM and the low volumes on everything assume you live in some kind of quiet zen world.
There is some room for improvement in the Storm touch interface, but after a week I've learned how to get around and the .75 firmware update helps.
Don't understand the negativity
I bought this phone as soon as it was released and I have to say I absolutely love it. Of course I went in expecting it to be a little buggy at first (Its 1st gen, duh) but it actually exceeded my expectations. The click screen is wonderful, the speed is great, and of my only few complaints, I think only one won't be able to be addressed. (I can't access my bank's mobile banking site since it uses flash.)
Pros:
Beautiful screen
Great touch functionality
LOUD
Very customizable
Syncs well with everything I've tried
Cons: (All of which can be fixed with software)
A little slow
Not many apps out
Love this phone, a few tips
I have had this phone for a little over a week now and I love it. I came from the Blackberry Curve, which until now was my favorite device.
The Storm is very easy to use, however I can see how some people may have problems using it. Its not a "beginners" phone. If you have never used a touch screen or smartphone before then this will take some getting used to.
I have a couple tips for people using this phone that will help with battery life and help it run faster and smother.
1. You need to make sure you are closing your programs and not just hitting the end key to return to the home screen. So if you are in contacts, messaging, browser, etc. and you don't close out, it will stay running and make the phone slower and kill your battery.
2. Use the auto on/off at night. I set mine to turn itself off at 4am and turn back on at 4:45am. This simple power cycle will do wonders for the speed of the operating system, plus your asleep, best time to do it.
Here are my PROs and CONs
PROs
1. Screen is fantastic
2. Click response is easy and accurate
3. Easy to put music and movies on, It took me ten minutes to load about 1,000 songs and 3 full length movies.
4. The email is awesome. I use it on my BES server at work. Nothing tops a BB.
5. Browser is fast and Verizons 3g network is awesome.
CONs
1. Battery life. I use it all day from email and data to music and movies. It cant last forever i guess.
2. Cases. I cant really find a case that works well with it.
3. fingerprints. Issue with all touchscreens.
4. Wish it still had the roller ball. The touch is great but that would have been a nice option.
All and all I would say that this is the best device I have ever owned. I think that people that complain about it just dont understand how to use it.
Thorough Review
Iâm ready to write my review. Iâve had my Blackberry Storm since December 2nd, and I would have to say overall itâs actually a very nice phone. Coming from a Samsung Flipshot and have never owned a Blackberry Device this was a huge adjustment but it was an easy adjustment.
I had the device before and after the upgrade was made available and my huge complaint was the delay of the screen and response time, I didnât have freezing problems.
The email works amazing; I have work, school and personal synced to my phone and man, when they send itâs already on my phone. Iâve used the VZ Navigator, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and they work amazing.
The movement between screens and applications is seemingly easy, and the keyboard was an adjustment but I am very use to it now, I can type very quickly and accurate. So compliments to Blackberry for the Keyboard.
The Resolution of the screen is amazing and I do emphasize amazing. I have like 4 movies on my memory card, and they look like I am playing a DVD, thatâs how clear they are.
(BTW) The speakers on the phone are amazing.
The camera on it is similar to my Flipshot as far as quality of the picture, I havenât had an issue with loss of picture quality, and uploading them in emails is very easy.
I almost forgot about the Internet, itâs like the internet on my computer, very easy to use, zooming in, selecting, just everything.
My only real CON, is that sometimes I have issues with the phone catching what view itâs in, Landscape or Portrait and it gets frustrating when I am in Portrait and it wantsâ to be in Landscape.
I would say get the phone, itâs an awesome device with a lot to offer, I wish I could write more but I donât want to write a novel.
A lot to love
Bought the Storm - returned it. Bought the Samsung Omnia - returned it (sucked worse)
Gave the Storm a second chance after reading glowing reviews since the firmware update on 12/5 - f*cking love this phone now. I'm glad I gave it a second chance. And more improvements on the way! Gotta love RIM for being on top of sh*t and keeping their sh*t tight. This phone definitely takes some getting used to, but if you take the time and learn it, you will undoubtedly love it. Verizon coverage is the BEST no matter what other dipsh*ts say about AT&T - just look at their coverage maps on their Web sites and I'll gladly debate this with whoever wants to be put in their place. Now, for the review -
Pros:
* Fantastic Screen - clear, bright, beautiful
* Great UI - Nice design, layout, and the black background makes the phone look sleek & classy
* Very good camera, though a tad slow on the flash
* Good Web browser - certainly not the best, but it's a phone, not a computer. If you want kick ass internet use your damn computer. It does the job fine and I'm sure there will be improvements coming soon
* The sure click keyboard, while it certainly requires a learning curve and some time getting used to, it's a great thing. I f*cking love it
Media - Very good and easy to sync, transfer, etc.
* Very good battery life - with some tweaking (program removals) as well as the firmware updates, the battery life is rock solid
* FANTASTIC call quality - I had to turn the Omnia all the way up to even barely hear with the sound all the way up using a Motorola H15 bluetooth - which also rocks btw. The Storm - great volume only halfway up and CLEAR!
Cons:
* No wifi - not a big deal to me I'm in Chicago - great coverage
* No apps yet (March 09?)
I think RIM certainly did a fairly good job on its first attempt in merging a business phone & exceptional media capabilities. If you like mixing business with a little pleasure, don't hesitate in getting this phone - you will not be disappointed.
Much Improved
So far I love this phone. Got it on release day and I must admit I was underwhelmed with the lagginess of the accelerometer and some aspects of the OS felt clunky. However, after playing with it for 2 weeks now and still finding new things that this phone can do I must say I am extremely happy with it. Couple that with the firmware update RIM/Verizon released last weekend and this Blackberry is just an excellent all around phone.
For messaging and and emails RIM's Suretype text input is fantastic and then the ability to switch to full QWERTY for web browsing is great.
Pros:
Loud, great connection and call clarity, screen is gorgeous, text input, personally a huge fan of the Surepress (screen pushing in), the list goes on
Cons:
Camera is still really slow (3 seconds to take a pic)
App Store isn't up and running...yet
Updated Software Offers Immense Improvement
Running 4.7.0.75
Pros
1) Good reception and sound quality.
2) Loud speakerphone.
3) User friendly.
4) SurePress touch screen makes typing easier than other touch screen phones.
5) Stereo Bluetooth.
6) Expandable memory.
Cons
1) Copy and paste is not easy.
3) Not enough applications. Most have yet to be updated for the Storm's touch UI.
Since upgrading to 4.7.0.75, the phone has become much more responsive and capable. Running 4.7.0.65, the accelerometer had a mind of its own and there was a lot of lag. Now, lag is minimal and the accelerometer is extremely responsive.
BLACKBERRY STORM
The new software did not do so much or at least for me. The phone still has bugs that pop up at the most unneeded times. That being said the phone has many great features and the e-mail option is really great. I think that we must keep in mind that we are asking a phone to do more and more of things that are unrelated to the real purpose of a phone, talking to others.
Even though the phone is buggy I will stick with the phone until something else comes around that is better.
