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The BlackBerry Storm was badly bruised by reviewers soon after its release, especially by an overwhelmingly negative review by David Pogue, the most influential tech writer, in The New York Times. Afterwards, there was so much piling-on, that you might expect the Storm to be the worst product of 2008. But it's far from that—especially after a much-needed and welcome software update. As the first BlackBerry with a touch-screen interface and no physical keyboard, it's a radical departure from previous models and a worthy challenger to the iPhone. It has its share of flaws, many of which were lessened by the first software update, but we suspect it will appeal most to people who haven't used a BlackBerry before. The Storm has an attractive glossy black exterior, and is actually larger and heavier than the iPhone (4.43 x 2.4 x 0.55 inches, 5.47 ounces.) by a slight amount. It feels solid and sturdy in the hand, with comfortable contouring on the sides. It doesn't feel like it's going to slip out of your hand, like the iPhone does. Where the iPhone puts nearly all of its controls on-screen, the Storm offers four physical buttons along the bottom of the screen: call start and end, menu, and go back. There's a voice dialing button on the left edge and volume keys and a camera button along the right. You'll also find a 3.5mm headphone jack on the right edge, which means you can use standard headphones with the Storm.  Application Menu The top offers lock and mute buttons. These last ones aren't external buttons, though, but areas where you can push down and feel a click. We didn't like the lock button placement, as we kept pushing it accidentally when carrying the phone in a pocket. There's no keyboard on the Storm, but a 3.3-inch, 360 x 480 pixel, touch screen, with attractively vibrant colors. Thankfully, there's no stylus either; this interface is designed for finger taps. The rear holds the 3.2-megapixel camera lens, along with a bright flash. Interface RIM know that the traditional BlackBerry interface might be an impediment with a touch screen, so the Storm's interface is real break from tradition. Either way, it takes getting used to, and isn't as intuitive or uncluttered as the iPhone's. We're not sure why the designers made some of the choices that they did. For example, the home screen shows eight buttons for often-used tools, such as messages, contacts, and calendar. If you tap the physical menu button along the bottom, you'll get a full-screen view of all the available applications. You can swipe a finger to scroll through this list, but you can't open or close it with the touch screen; you open it with the menu button and close it with the go back button. The designers took a risk in creating the Storm's most notorious feature: the physical click needed to tap something on the screen. It's called SurePress. Unlike other touch screens, where you simply tap the item you want, the Storm requires you to depress the screen slightly until you feel a click. The whole screen acts like a physical button. We can see how it was meant to appeal to people new to touch screens who might not be comfortable with them, but using it is no pleasure. Making that little extra press is tiring, especially when you're composing e-mail. The touchscreen also isn't perfectly reliable. We often selected one thing when we meant to touch another. We found it best to tap the screen just enough to highlight the item we wanted, and then actually click it. We were much more accurate then. This improved with the update, but more on that later. iPhone's Missing FeaturesThose many little features that the iPhone still doesn't have are all found here, thankfully. You can send and receive images in text messages. You can select text, then copy and paste it. And, since this is a BlackBerry, of course there's true push e-mail. There's also a working video camera (although the images are pretty grainy, much worse than with still photos). You can use the Storm as a modem for your notebook (for an extra $15 per month) and edit documents with the included copies of Word to Go and Sheet to Go. There's even GPS with turn-by-turn directions (VZ Navigator at $9.99 per month).  Application Center shows with apps are installed and which have downloadable updates. Initial Problems When we first began testing the Storm, we experienced many of the same problems others have reported. For starters, it was a little slow; whether opening an application or just rotating the screen, there was a slight lag. We never found it as irritating as other people did. Our biggest problem came when we weren't able to open one of the videos we shot with the camera. The screen click was also a hassle. We weren't able to accurately tap letters every time, and it's hard to see what letter you're tapping. Also, pressing the screen down becomes a chore when you're writing e-mail. The one glaring omission with the Storm is Wi-Fi. Verizon's 1XEV-DO network did a great job at loading Web pages quickly in our testing, but we'd prefer the versatility of having Wi-Fi as well. The Software Update The Storm's first update was released while we were still testing, and we're glad we got to experience it before writing a review. It's available over the air, which is a first for BlackBerry updates. You can also use the desktop software or load it directly to your phone. For an over-the-air update, select Options, then Advanced Options, then Wireless Upgrade. The software will tell you if an update is available. Downloading the 4.7.0.75 software took around a half-hour and required us to delete some apps first to make room. 
After the update, the Storm experience becomes more pleasant. There's less of a lag when switching screen orientation or opening an app. Issues such as the screen getting stuck in one orientation seem to have gone away. Also, typing on the SurePress screen seems a little more accurate.
Getting this free update is essential, and the buzz is that another update is coming soon.
If you're trying to decide between the iPhone and the Storm, know that they each have their advantages.
We prefer using the iPhone's interface and we love the many apps available for download. It's more a multimedia phone. The Storm has a big edge for business and definitely plays better with enterprise. The BlackBerry Application Center should debut in March.
The BlackBerry Storm is available exclusively from Verizon and sells for $199.99 with two-year commitment and mail-in rebate.Troy Dreier is a regular contributor to PDAStreet, Web Video Universe, Wi-Fi Planet, Intranet Journal, and Laptop Magazine. He also writes a weekly consumer technology column, which is published in the Jersey Journal newspaper and distributed by the Newhouse News Service. |
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