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BlackBerry Storm Review
BlackBerry Storm Review
Verizon WirelessVerizon Wireless
Published on: 25 November, 2008 by PhoneArena Team
Performance:
Voice quality was very good on the Storm, as was battery life. On our end callers were clear and voices sounded natural. Callers said we were a touch hollow, but that overall we sounded very good and gave us an 8.5/10 rating. The in-call screen is new, with large icons for Speaker, Mute, Flash and Add Participant. Along the bottom the user can access the Keyboard, Notes, Home Screen, Calendar and their Contact list. Our only complaint is that when the phone was resting against our face we often activated the mute button, which is obviously problematic.
The battery is rated at 6 hours of talk time, but we were able to slightly exceed that with 6h and 11m. Standby is rated at a more than ample 15 days. This is as good as it gets folks; as a phone the Storm performs wonderfully.
Conclusion:
The Storm sets very lofty goals, but misses the mark on many of them and in the process loses its way. At its core a BlackBerry should be a top notch messaging device, which has always allowed us to look past other shortcomings. Not so with the Storm, as the flaws greatly outweigh the benefits. The phone performance is top notch and the Storm is a great media device, but beyond that there isn't much to like. RIM has already addressed software issues and we applaud their swiftness, but we feel that the hardware is a limiting factor with the Storm. The size and weight are awkward, and we can't believe we're saying this but we miss the trackball. The screen play is disconcerting, and we just aren't buying the clickable screen. But most importantly typing is a workout and even worse inaccurate, and without that a BlackBerry just isn't a BlackBerry.
For those not concerned with messaging and looking for a converged media player and phone with above average web performance we'd give the Storm an 8/10 rating, but be aware that you're dropping an extra $30/month for that convenience. If you're looking for the messaging prowess you've come to know and love from your Curve then the Storm isn't worth your time.
The review is based on a phone running software with version 4.7.0.75
June 2009: A software update to version 4.7.0.148 has been released. It fixes a lot of the issues mentioned in this review. You can check our hands-on with the new update here.
Voice quality was very good on the Storm, as was battery life. On our end callers were clear and voices sounded natural. Callers said we were a touch hollow, but that overall we sounded very good and gave us an 8.5/10 rating. The in-call screen is new, with large icons for Speaker, Mute, Flash and Add Participant. Along the bottom the user can access the Keyboard, Notes, Home Screen, Calendar and their Contact list. Our only complaint is that when the phone was resting against our face we often activated the mute button, which is obviously problematic.
The battery is rated at 6 hours of talk time, but we were able to slightly exceed that with 6h and 11m. Standby is rated at a more than ample 15 days. This is as good as it gets folks; as a phone the Storm performs wonderfully.
Conclusion:
The Storm sets very lofty goals, but misses the mark on many of them and in the process loses its way. At its core a BlackBerry should be a top notch messaging device, which has always allowed us to look past other shortcomings. Not so with the Storm, as the flaws greatly outweigh the benefits. The phone performance is top notch and the Storm is a great media device, but beyond that there isn't much to like. RIM has already addressed software issues and we applaud their swiftness, but we feel that the hardware is a limiting factor with the Storm. The size and weight are awkward, and we can't believe we're saying this but we miss the trackball. The screen play is disconcerting, and we just aren't buying the clickable screen. But most importantly typing is a workout and even worse inaccurate, and without that a BlackBerry just isn't a BlackBerry.
For those not concerned with messaging and looking for a converged media player and phone with above average web performance we'd give the Storm an 8/10 rating, but be aware that you're dropping an extra $30/month for that convenience. If you're looking for the messaging prowess you've come to know and love from your Curve then the Storm isn't worth your time.
The review is based on a phone running software with version 4.7.0.75
June 2009: A software update to version 4.7.0.148 has been released. It fixes a lot of the issues mentioned in this review. You can check our hands-on with the new update here.
Pros
- Superb multimedia performance
- Large, vivid display
- Vastly improved web browsing experience
- Excellent call quality and battery life
Cons
- The onscreen keyboard is simply unacceptable
- The normally stable BlackBerry OS is anything but, with constant lag and input issues
- Accelerometer performance is buggy at best
- The OS changes are mostly visual, and at times is still more complicated than it needs to be
- Constant clicking will leave your thumbs fatigued
- The overall experience is just off, and most core users will loathe this flagship device
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| Model | Carrier | Price Today | Price after rebate | |
BlackBerry Storm 9530 Black
|
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Free | Free | Buy |
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