Woot! The BlackBerry Storm (9530) on Verizon's 3G EV-DO network has been announced. Support on Vodafone was also announced. Finally, a touch-screen smartphone made by somebody who knows how to deliver what customers really want, instead of what socialist Big Brother Apple dictates. Storm has all the goodies: touch screen, GPS, accelerometer, rotating display, multi-touch, tap, gestures, 3.2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth and headset jack. Storm overcomes Apple's black-box limitations by including a microSD memory slot for 1, 2, ... 8, 16 or 32MB card (instead of forcing you to buy expensive iPhone replacements for more storage memory), a removable battery (to be able to offer extended battery options, so users avoid sending in phones for battery repairs), both SureType and QWERTY touch-screen keyboard modes (portrait and landscape, respectively), speech-recognition voice dialing, and a secondary microphone for noise canceling during calls. Here's a pretty detailed look at the Storm hardware and software.
And the Storm extends the touch-screen interface with gentle "click" force feedback. The Storm is just slightly bigger than the BlackBerry Curve and has a 480x360 display (a 12% increase in pixels over the iPhone). One of the best features of Storm is something it doesn't have: iTunes, another black-box piece of software Apple forces users to endure. When iTunes isn't busy bricking phones during upgrades, it's busy upgrading itself with new patches and fixes that seemingly arrive on an almost daily basis. Oh, and customers don't have to live with AT&T's subpar network. Storm "supports all major overseas GSM and 3G networks" according to Phone Scoop's review of the hardware, and thanks to Verizon's roaming agreements in Europe and Asia.
While I won't stand in line or shell out any bucks to get an iPhone 3G, whose battery life and software force users to turn off Wi-Fi and 3G network features, or suffer through software upgrades that wipe phones, I will be one of the first to get a BlackBerry Storm when they hit Verizon online and store shelves. My phone upgrade with Verizon is up again this month. Sweet.
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storm
Mitchell ! what a naive rant....
1) this thing doesn't have WLAN (is this a sick joke ???)
2) it doesn't support itunes DRM (you think people will spend time to separate their DRM music from the regular ripped stuff ??)
3) the clickable screen has received some unfavorable reviews already !!
4) no WLAN, no WLAN, no WLAN.....I mean BB, come on...giving in to Verizon so early....so no Voip etc. etc...just great BB ....thx for that innovation
so have fun with your Storm Mitchell because this thing doesn't even come close the iphone
Dieter
Whata you talkin about!
WiFi? Is that what you're ripping on, that fact that Storm doesn't have WiFi?
Gimme a break. First, the only reason you want WiFi is because AT&T's network quality coverage is so crappy that you have to use WiFi instead. But bottom line is you can't use WiFI on your iPhone for very long anyway, trying to save every little bit of battery life you can squeeze out of your iPhone.
The last conference I attended had iPhone 3G users scurrying from electric outlet to outlet getting a hit to charge their iPhones, reminiscent of Dennis Hopper and his oxygen mask in the movie Blue Velvet! lol
As far as DRM goes, I'd like to introduce you to FreeM4a to MP3 Converter. Those song files will be outta my iPod into a Storm faster than Sarah Palin can check Russia from her house!
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
You people who dont want to
You people who dont want to give in to the iphone are so eager to finally find something that is supposed to be the iphone killer. That just proves to me that in reality, the iphone is the bench mark for all smart phones on the market. Ok the battery life isn't that great but what makes you think the storms battery life is better, if a phone is on 3g that means loads of power usage and a dead battery. Look how pitiful you sound backing a phone that doesn't measure up to the pioneer and benchmark that any phone has yet to surpass. Have you owned an iphone? From what it looks like, you haven't and by how ignorant you sound when you talk about the iphone, you sound like sarah palin during a Katie Couric interview.
You people? Oh, you mean "that one"!
A comment that starts out with "you people" sounds as condescending as John McCain pointing to his opponent as "that one"!
Anthony, I just call 'em as I see 'em. Apple products are trendy, cool and innovative, but that shouldn’t stop us from calling out Apple for huge flaws in their products and Apple’s overreaching approach with customers. If you really look past the glitz and advanced features of the iPhone, you’ll find a poor quality phone. You’ll also find a phone that frequently wipes when performing upgrades. And, like its early iPod brethren, the iPhone suffers from a poor battery. I expect we’ll see a class action lawsuit against the iPhone because of its battery problems, just like the class action lawsuit that benefited me because of the battery issues with my iPod classic.
Because a product is innovative doesn’t mean customers should have to live with its major flaws. Lets expect more from our vendors. Just because it says Apple on the cover, or any other vendor for that matter, doesn’t mean we should accept the flaws Apple ships in their products. Don’t let brand loyalty, or zealotry in Apple’s case, blind you to Apple’s deficiencies. Expect more and you’ll get more.
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
My phone has never wiped
My phone has never wiped after an upgrade and i've had mine since the start, and even IF it would all you would have to do is sync it to itunes and all your stuff is back on the phone. Can you do that with the Blackberry... i honestly dont know, the ease of use of the iphone is unparalleled by any other smartphone. I live with these so called flaws just fine, what phone doesn't have flaws, you are talking about the storm like it is the perfect all knowing all doing phone... it's not. Get over it, I think you got burned by apple some how and you are bent on spending the rest of your life opposing anything apple. Look Mitchell i'm not saying that the iphone is the perfect phone because it is not, all i'm saying is that anyone who picks up an iphone will know how to use it alot faster than any Blackberry or any other phone for that matter. And there are so many Apps on the App Store (that are free) thats can remedy some of these flaws that you speak of, check it out. Apple doesn't impose how they do things on you Apple lets you use your logic to use your phone.
You are very perceptive, Anthony.
Some of those most opposed to smoking are x-smokers. I guess I fall into that category when it comes to Apple, Anthony. You are very perceptive.
Here's my Confessions of a Former Apple Zealot story. No one was a bigger fan of Apple than I was, but no more. Apple continues to innovate but deliver an unfinished product and expect customers to live with it because Apple believes they get a pass. That cultish behavior has now moved into the consumer space with Apples products. They still wear the same strips of arrogance and unfinished, flawed products.
I just refuse to compromise for a lessor product when another better vendor will come along and create the product Apple forgot to finish. The SmartPhone market isn't like the consumer iPod market. There are too many powerful players and multiple carriers, all who will rush to take Apple's innovation, improve on it and utimately deliver a better product that doesn't come with all of Apple's rediculous socialist entanglements.
Mitchell Ashley
Converging Network, LLC
Personal blog: http://theconvergingnetwork.com
Personal podcast: http://www.clickcaster.com/ss
Huh?
Seriously... no WiFi? That's inexcusable in this day and age from a company like BlackBerry that's supposed to be a market leader. Even digital cams have WiFi now.
Good points, Mitch. And more
Good points, Mitch. And more importantly, it's your fault for buying Apple's DRM'd shit. Use a store that doesn't lock you down like AmazonMP3, unles you're an Apple fanboy.
iphone vs storm
i have had an iphone for a year, i must say yes its ease of use is great, but for a phone that is the benchmark it lacks the basics... There is no flash, its only 2 mp, no video, no true mms, and above all att service sucks horribly. Even if i have all my bars i still get dropped calls and poor quality. Just got my storm and I am pleased to say it by far has blown the iphone out of the water, yeah it doesnt have itunes or the app store but you know what I get my calls loud and clear and oh a flash, video and finally MMS I love it and would never go back to att. Even with the second gen iphone they still have yet to fix the basics of what a phone should have......Good luck apple your ship is sinking!!!!