The Blackberry Storm 9500 – the Most Innovative Email Mobile Phone Ever Made?
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It’s now available to buy, so let’s take a look at the fabulous new Blackberry Storm, and ask the question: is it really the best email-centric mobile phone ever made?
Fruit-based fact-file – the history of Blackberry mobile phones
Blackberry mobile phones have been available for many years, now, and right from the very start of their of their existence, they’ve been known for one feature above all others: email. The name Blackberry has become synonymous for instant email, wherever you are, right from the early days of their little, monochrome-screened devices that weren’t actually very good as mobile phones, and weren’t actually that appealing. However, since then, it’s fair to say that Blackberrys have taken off in a big, big way. It’s also fair to say they’ve evolved from pure email devices into proper, full-blooded smartphones. Their portfolio’s now filled with top-end mobile phones like the Blackberry Bold, the Blackberry Pearl…
…and the phone we’re here to look at today: the most advanced Blackberry ever made, the stunning Blackberry Storm.
Blackberry Storm – a touch of genius
There’s one glaringly obvious thing about the Blackberry Storm, and that’s the complete lack of a physical keyboard. That should give the game away, that the Blackberry Storm has a touchscreen; in fact, it’s the first of the wealth of mobile phones to come from Blackberry to ever have a touchscreen. Ah, but, it doesn’t just stop at the touchscreen, because it’s a special one. You see, the Blackberry Storm has a screen that can be pressed down into the body of the mobile phone, with a satisfying clicky action. In essence, it’s designed to feel like you’re pressing a real, physical button, and believe me, when you’re typing out an email using the virtual keyboard on the Blackberry Storm, that kind of physical motion and click is absolutely invaluable. No other touchscreen mobile phones can touch (pun ever so slightly intended) the Blackberry Storm, when it comes to tactile feedback.
The Perfect Storm?
The question, though, is whether the Blackberry Storm is the perfect email device, and whether it can be the perfect smartphone. It certainly has a massive list of features, beginning with the touchscreen, and taking in such varied things as a 3 megapixel camera, and superb video playback, meaning you have your very own pocket entertainment system, with the Blackberry Storm. And, of course, with HSDPA internet access and WiFi, as well as a massive screen, the Blackberry Storm (or Blackberry Storm 9500, to give it its full name) really is one of the better internet mobile phones out there. So for email and internet access, as well as for entertainment, it really is brilliant. But… there are a couple of flaws, and things to consider. First, the software interface on the Blackberry Storm has some, well, let’s call them idiosyncrasies, and it can be a bit finicky at times. Also, your may find it disconcerting have a screen that moves. It’s a brilliant, brilliant feature, and it will benefit you no end, but the first time you feel it moving and wiggling, the screen on the Blackberry Storm IS going to freak you out. If you can get past its relatively minor flaws, though, you’ll that the Blackberry Storm is one heck of a good mobile phones, and one that I really can’t recommend enough!
Watch the video related to Blackberry storm
Here it is! The much anticipated BlackBerry Storm. Noah takes it out of the box and checks out the unique clickable touchscreen. How is it for pointing, clicking, and typing? Find out in part one of our hands-on. Much more on Storm @ www.phonedog.com
Help answer the question about Blackberry storm
How is the Blackberry Storm for texting, picture messaging?I am considering buying the Blackberry Storm but I would like to know a few things. How is the keyboard for texting? Do you find it to be accurate most of the time? Also, can you send sounds with pictures? All Verizon phones that I've had let me send pictures, text, and sounds in a picture message. Is this the same for the Blackberry Storm? Thanks.
EDIT: How would you compare typing on the Blackberry Storm to the Voyager? I can type reallly fast on the Voyager.
About Author
Expert on mobile phones, having worked involved in the industry for over 7 years.
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18 Comments
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
your a fag
August 23rd, 2009 at 8:04 pm
blackberry storm is the worst phone ever
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
i just got mine and i love it. though you do have to be aware of the buttons you press because if you slip up well enough u get pretty flipped around. the texting could be better. but ive tried the diffrent PDA's and touch screen fones and email and texting fones. all of them i swear. and the storm is the best. you just have to be patient sometimes and wait for it to catch up.
unless you have fat fingers.. in that case you need a diffrent fone.
hope i helped
and if you do get one you can go to options and screen/ keyboard
and set it to go faster when ur texting
but it will take a day or to to get used to
but if you have any questions about them you can ask here or go to crackberry.com. it really helps.
well peace out. and i hope you get the storm you won't regret it!
August 23rd, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I've used the storm for several weeks now and I was frustrated with it before I installed the new update, because the phone would lag and freeze all the time and the touch-screen keyboard was slow to respond.
After the update (which was considerable and took about 20 minutes to fully complete), all these problems disappeared, and now I love the phone. I think it is VERY worthwhile to upgrade to the storm…especially if you like to use your phone for web surfing, because it really is the best I've ever seen with its large screen! Bluetooth also works better than on the Dare.
If you want to use it extensively for games, be prepared to pay some hefty prices…a lot of third-party vendors who typically sell Blackberry games haven't caught up to the Storm yet, and those that do have Storm games charge an average of $10 per game application, and some as much as $25.
For free ringtones, the storm works great with mytinyphone.com, though!
August 24th, 2009 at 9:06 am
verizon’s plans are so damn confusing, why can’t it just be select wtf you want and be that.
August 24th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
look at all the frieken phones he has in the backround!
August 24th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Well, let me just say that the Blackberry storm is one of the greatest phones i've ever used in my life. Really when you push down on the screen the fact that it clicks and pushes in is great for the accuracy of what your are pressing. It is very fast and has great features. Truly a great phone.
Yes, it is compatible with Macs and Itunes if they are recent products for the past four years of generations. So if your mac and your Itunes are new and have been updated in the past four years then your set. GET THE PHONE!
August 24th, 2009 at 7:12 am
You don't need to unlock the phone. Since the 8830 and Storm are both GSM phones on CDMA network. You would not be able to use the GSM in North American but outside NA all you have to do is simply pop in the GSM SIM and it should work.
If you see GPRS instead of 1XEV that you seen on the top right hand corner then you are on GSM. If you do not see that then go into your Options Network and switch off CDMA.
August 24th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
i think that the storm would be better with
1. No bugs
2. Trackball
3. Non-clickable touch screen
August 25th, 2009 at 6:14 am
wow your one of the uglyest person i seen in a long time
August 25th, 2009 at 11:09 am
The phone itself costs $249.99 with a new, two-year contract. You'll receive a voucher for a $50 mail-in rebate with that, making the effective price $199.99. Verizon also sells all of their phones with one year contracts ($349.99) and month-to-month ($399.99).
You must buy this phone with an applicable data plan. The minimum plan for this phone is $49.99 for data only, no voice. For both voice and data, you'll pay at least $69.99 total; $29.99 for the personal data plan and $39.99 for a 450-minute voice plan. That includes e-mail and Web browsing, but it doesn't include SMS text messaging. SMS messaging packages range from $5 to $20/month depending on how many messages they include.
If you use the BlackBerry with a corporate server, add another $15. If you want to use it as a modem for your PC, add another $15. If you want to use it in foreign countries, add $10 or $20 depending on your existing plan.
—
You will be able to go through vzw.com and price it yourself once it is available (tomorrow 11/21)
August 26th, 2009 at 12:47 am
the iphone is better than the blackberry storm
August 25th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
You can always make deals with carriers and Verizon is no exception. Just go into the negotiation knowing that is what you want. I can't imagine Verizon not wanting you to sign on for 2 years, that's what every carrier wants, but you may have to pay a cancellation fee on the phone. But everything is negotiable. Carriers take hit on the handsets, even when they are not free. They have to subzidize them by having customers sign on for long periods and putting in the cancellation fee. Ask if you could sign a 3 year contract if you can get out of your original one. That might do it. Be creative. You could try this site for more information.
http://www.shopblackberrystorm.com
August 25th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
I own a Storm and the capabilities are exactly the same as other BB's. Before Storm I used to use iPhone. I found iPhone's sensitivity better than Storm. For Storm, everytime you want to press a key/button, you have to click it hard, so it's not just touching it. And that's a problem since in vertical mode, you don't have the qwerty keyboard but only the regular phone keypads or their version called SureType (I hate the latter though, it's confusing and it's mixed with their dictionary which isn't all that complete either). When in horizontal mode, you have the Qwerty and the accuracy it's pretty weak. I keep pressing the button next to the one I really want.
I would rather you get a Bold or Javelin or an iPhone (if you're not a BB freak).
August 26th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Does anyone know if you have to buy the blackberry service with the phone? Thanx.
August 26th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
no really?
August 26th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Try it for yourself. That's the best personal advice I can give you.
For me personally, I loved the phone and ordered one a few days ago. Although I don't like comparing it to the IPhone, since you said you own an IPhone I will try and compare it in terms of what you're used to. BB Storm has basically all the same features the IPhone has except the ability of WiFi. However, in my opinion, this disadvantage is nullified since Verizon's 3G network is superior to AT&T's. Overall, Verizon's coverage has proven to be the best available. With that said, you may find that where you live, Verizon coverage is poor, so once again, it works wonders to simply try the phone out before buying it.
In terms of features, the BB Storm has a full HTML browser, can view Youtube, etc. The Browser has a few kinks, but in the recent update by RIM, most of them have been removed and the speed is identical to that of the IPhone 3G. It has full multimedia capabilites including be able to transfer your music over, including ITunes. And unlike the IPhone where you cannot get more memory storage, the BB Storm allows you to buy MicroSD Cards for a very fair price; so now you wont have to worry about running out of storage space. The BB Storm has a stunning screen and videos look tremendous on it.
It includes a 3.2 MP camera as opposed to IPhone 2.0. It also allows video capture.
Some things the BB Storm has but the IPhone doesn't:
Copy/Paste Feature
MMS
Unrivaled 'Push' E-mail. (The IPhone has been trying to catch up with this technology, but RIM is truly in a league of its own. You will be amazed by the e-mail features of a Blackberry.)
SurePress Screen (More on this in a second)
Additional storage capabilities
Video Capture
Better Network (Let's face it, although IPhone is a good phone, AT&T is a drag compared to Verizon's coverage. Though this could be different in your area.)
The Big thing about the BB Storm is its Sure-Press Screen. It is not like a normal touch screen on the IPhone. When you touch the screen, you 'hover' over your selection. But in order to make any selection, you actually have to push in to the screen, similar to that of a mouse click. This (in theory) makes selecting choices much more reliable, removes the possibility of error in typing, and allows more intuitive features in browsing. This technology is not for everyone, and it definitely has a learning curve to get used to it. I didn't like it at first, but the more I played with it, the more I liked it. I'm not sure if this is true, because I don't have mine yet, but I have heard that if you don't like the Sure-Press, you can go to the Phone Settings and allow double-taps to also select options.
It should be noted again, that there are still looming bugs in the Storm's software. But this is to be expected when a new phone is released. There is no reason not to assume RIM will be taking care of these issues through continuous updates.
Beyond what I have said, and I am sure I have missed a lot, you could also check out some reviews of the Storm on Youtube. I found this one most useful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RXagnb8oPQ
It's long, but hey: there's so many features, it is hard to be any more concise without leaving out some of the content.
Edit: As far as the pricing goes, yes, for a 2 yr contract, it is $250 with a $50 rebate, thus dropping it to $200. You will be required to purchase a data plan with it which includes unlimited web browsing and e-mail for $29.95. For an additional $15, you can use your BB Storm as a wireless broadband modem for your laptop as it does have that technology. The plans vary for minutes and texting, so you would be best checking out the Verizon website for that information.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
iTunes downloaded audio files (M4P – "protected AAC") have DRM protection which prevent users from converting it to other formats or playing iTunes media with other incompatible players like Blackberry storm.
So, you will need a professional DRM converter to convert the DRM M4P files to mp3 for your blackberry storm.
Free download this converter, drag and drop the protected files to it:
http://www.wmatomp3-converter.com/digital-music-converter.html#123
It can convert the DRM protected music (wma,m4p) to any other formats and extract audios from DRM video (wmv, m4v, asf, etc).
Hope it helps, happy holiday:)