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
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Do your homework!
This phone is "ok" for some people, and bad for others.
Pros: Cool internet, good for music/video (except for bluetooth issue).
Cons:
My advice is this....
If you are a big texter, or e-mailer, DON'T GET THIS PHONE. You will be annoyed with the keyboard. Nothing can replace having actual buttons to push. I'm sure at some point RIM will fix the speed/accuracy issue. Until then, save yourself the time and money and get a proven phone like the Curve. Trust me, I have sold phones every day for the last 10 years. No touch screen has been as accurate or as fast as having an actual keyboard.
YES, the iPhone is cool, but its overpriced, and you really need to ask yourself "Do i actually need this? Or do i just need to be productive and organized?" If you want to be productive and organized, get the Curve. If you want to be cool and have less than 1% of the population notice how cool you are, get an iPhone.
Also, This phone in comparison to the iPhone:
They are both capable of similar things. I think the user experience will be better on the iPhone because it is a snappier device. However, i think we all know Verizon has a superior network, and the point of a cell phone is to make calls, and get service where and when you need it, Verizon provides that, ATT does not (in my experience).
Example: I have a friend who works for Best Buy, he bought the 3g iPhone. He had the 3g turned off (in a best buy store), reception was great! He turned on the 3g, and it dropped to NOTHING.
Verizon will be the first to deploy 4g, and it will be the fastest, biggest, and most reliable. Do yourself a favor and avoid getting stuck with an inferior service. Get a CURVE!
CRACKBERRY ADDICT
THIS IS MY FIRST BLACKBERRY AND I LOVE IT... THE ONLY NEGATIVE COMMENTS I HAVE WITH THIS PHONE IS THE BATTERY LIFE WHICH COULD BE BETTER AND IT HAS NO WI-FI. ASIDE FROM THAT THE PHONE IS GREAT!!!
Very Impressed
After reading all of the negative reviews I was extremely reluctant to purchase this phone. However, the salesman at Verizon said that he was very happy with his Storm. After living with an iPhone that was rushed to the market, I figured that I would give the Storm a try...and I was very glad that I did.
I was happy with my iPhone, but after a mishap on a snowy day in Whole Foods parking lot, had to replace the phone. Since I was not entitled to upgrade, I decided to use it as an opportunity to shop different phones and carriers.
Storm Pros:
--Call Quality
--Call Volume
--Reception
--Screen
--Application Store
--Easy to Use
--Size
Storm Cons:
--Phone lag at times
--Virtual keyboard---I bascially had the same issues with the iPhone
Storm just landed and I wanna go out in the rain.
Okay. So I have had Verizon since 2003. I have been a Blackberry Crackhead since 2006. I most recently owned the curve since its inception with Verizon. I absolutely love that phone. When I saw the Storm, I wanted to be all over it, but the negative feedback from its release date last November delayed my interest. I broke down and brought one and I have had it for 24 hours. The first thing I did was download a new Operating System(OS 4.7.O.113). For all Storm owners google this system and download it to your phone. It had to be done through your computer and BB Manager. Your phone will move faster than Flash Gordon.
Before upgrade:
Phone was slow.
Would not switch between portrait and landscape quick enough.
Scrolling through messages was laborous.
Downloaded software and internet was slow.
Still, I loved the weight of the phone and was intrigued by the phone potential.
After upgrade:
Phone is lightning fast.
Scrolling through messages and pictures is like the iphone(oops, didn't mean to use that phone as a comparison b/c they are both good in there own right).
Everything about the phone now seems better than the stock version.
I was going to keep my curve, but I am sold on the storm and putting the curve on Ebay.
Also, It is great that BB launched it apps store today as well.
Taking the World by Storm
Blackberry Storm 9530
Software Verizon 4.7.0.75
Pros
-Clicking Touchscreen
-Multiple Multimedia Options
-View/Edit Excel, Word, Powerpoint
-Full HTML Web Browser
-Bluetooth
-Music Player
-Blackberry Maps & VZ Navigator
-3.2 Megapixel Camera/Video w/ Flash
-Email on Demand
-Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, ESPN
-TXT, PiX, FLiX messaging
-Great Signal Strength
-Personalize Contacts (Calls/Messaging)
-Mobile IM & Blackberry Messenger
-QWERTY keypad (Landscape only)
-Visual Voice Mail
Cons
-Weak Battery
-Vibrate then Ring (not Vib & Ring)
-Speakerphone not loud enough
-Only 1 Built-In Theme
The BBerry Storm is the best device I have owned so far. To this point I have owned an LG Voyager, LG Dare, and now the Storm. I am eager to see what software improvements are released from RIM in the near future. Touch Screen phones are not for everyone, but I have truly enjoyed this device. I recommend the Storm to anyone who sends/receives a lot of email and enjoys the benefit of an interactive device.
Great!
I am only 12, and this is the greatest phone any young teenager would want, it has everything! trust me!
Excillent Phone!!!!!!!!!!
Let me just tell you I have had this Phone since Dec 7, 2008 & I'm returning it only because in order to have the phone the bill is going to more than I want to pay & can afford ($175.00) With unlimited calling ($99), Unlimited texting ($20), & the much needed Multi Media package in order to have the Internet ($29), also in order to use the GPS Navigation App on the phone it's another ($9). The other $5 is the insurance of course. None the less the phone is wonderful beyond approval. There a few of things tho I didn't care for. 1st the texting is to some degree kind of a headache. The true touch needs to be revamped & thought out properly. 2nd you can not get the V-Cast on this phone either (which would another coast), 3rd the fact that you can only type 160 characters per text is a headache as well. Once you reach your 160 character limit you have send your text msg & then start another to finish your thought. Most of the time by the time you finish they are responding to your first text & that would not have been all you wanted to say. Now on the Blackberry Curve & T-Mobile Wing you can type up to as many pages as 6 & then send all six at one time. Depending on what type of phoone the person you are sending text messages to, it will come in as one big text msg. That's so much better. None the less I would recommend this phone to anyone that can afford the bill that will come with it. It's truly wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cons: 1 Keyboard takes alot of getting use to.
2 Limited texting characters on your texting.
3 V-Cast package no available for the phone.
Pro: 1 Great apps
2 GPS Navigation W/Turn By Turn even thru your Blue tooth headset.
3 Real easy to manage multiple e-mail account if you have them.
4 Pictures look great.
5 Videos are great
6 Comes with an 8 gig SD mini memory card.
7 My favorite. I syncs with Micro soft Outlook for your contacts & calender events. (All phones should do this).
Not Perfect!! But still happy with the phone.
For all who currently own or are considering purchasing this phone, update to the latest firmware from Verizon v4.7.0.75. Since my upgrade, I have noticed a BIG difference in performance. The phone still have a fews bugs, but I can live with them. I am using this phone unlocked on T Mobile and I have all features working!! (Web, MMS, email,etc.)
As more updates are released, this phone will get better and better.
Pro's
-Excellent Build Quality
-Loud and Clear Earpiece and Speakerphone
-All the features of other blackberrys
-Easy the learn user interface
-624 Mhz Processor
-1GB onboard memory and 8GB microSD card
-Web Browser as good as iPhone
Con's
-User interface can become slow at times
-Phone sometimes randomly reboots
-No WiFi
I came from the iPhone 3G and I think this is a whole lot better.
So dissapointing.
I really wanted to like this phone. I've been waiting for a Verizon touch screen phone to be available. I send a lot of photos for my job and the quality of the camera was heralded as spectacular. I also travel overseas and the rumor is that this phone is unlockable and would work on the GSM networks. This made it all the better, and all the other features seemed to play right into my needs. (except the lack of Wi-Fi.)
My birthday is Nov 28th and thought I could got to Verizon and get myself a gift for once. What a disappointment. My store had two Storms on display. That these were production units is hard for me to believe. I picked up the phone, turned it to landscape and counted the seconds 1,2,3,4,5,6! 6 seconds to flip. I Tried a few more times-the same thing. Then I experienced all sorts of odd behaviors when trying to scroll and move between menus/applications. I figured I'd try the other phone as it was possible this one was somehow scr**ed. Another customer was experimenting with it so I figured I'd wait. When they walked away in disgust (muttering "what crap")I switched over. Same thing! Only difference was that this one showed "snow" like a TV with no signal for about 8 sec before bringing up the menu. The other one would show a big black square over 1/2 the screen. How could a company put these in a show room?
People here have posted that the lag other problems can be adjusted out, and that we the inexperienced just need to learn how. This would suggest that the Verizon staff must be morons then if they can't make these adjustments on display models. This thing is going to sell a lot of iPhones if they don't get a fix in soon.
My Verizon contract is up in Feb. Maybe I'll check back then.
NOT UP TO MY EXPECTATIONS OF RIM
The phone is nice looking and feels good in your hand. I have to say, the screen is beautiful! All of the typical BB functions are there along with some new ones that are nice but not necessary. The interface lags and is frustrating. The flip screen/accelerometer is slow to react. The one thing that I did like about it is you can flip the screen to the right or left. I have an 8830 now and will probably just get a new one at this point.
The one thing that I hoped for but didnât expect and didnât get was email synchronization. I have been a BB user for about 2 years and still havenât got used to how it handles (or doesnât handle) emails. If RIM would start handling emails like windows, that would be the bomb! Just syncing them via a USB cable would be great but wireless sync would great as well without having to be part of server system.
PROS:
-Nice looking
-Screen is beautiful
-Seems like a solid built phone
CONS:
-Lags
-Accelerometer is slow to react
-Keyboard in either position takes up most of the screen leaving little room to see the message you typing
-USB cable changed to something non-standard
-Doesnât come with a holster. It is nice to get a holster with the phone that is specifically built for it.
I think that RIM should have bagged the âBig Buttonâ touch screen, kept the tract ball and added a slide out qwerty keyboard. Actually, the design was probably Verizonâs idea. With all the hype that Verizon created with this phone I am very disappointed in the end product.
