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Engadget reviews the BlackBerry Storm!

engadget.com — The Storm, a widescreen, touchscreen device boasts many of the same features as the iPhone, but adds innovations like a clickable display, and comes packed with RIM's legendary email and messaging services. Mainlined into the biggest and best network in the States, the Storm is an almost deafening blast to the competition at first glance.

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  • jgopp, on 11/20/2008, -5/+113Awesome write up, a lot more information than I was expecting. I like the storm but this review makes me think twice about upgrading until they get the little issues out of it.
    • gemini8200, on 11/20/2008, -15/+7I agree with you, or is Engadget one of the many "ZOMG IPHONE CAN EVEN DO MY LAUNDRY" fans?
      • memsom, on 11/20/2008, -0/+9No, the firmware has been notoriously buggy in testing - this has been well reported previosly
    • lostsymphonies1, on 11/20/2008, -3/+5I agree. I think everyone who got the iPhone when it first came out regrets buying it before all the kinks were worked out (or most of). The same logic could be applied to this phone...and any new technology for that matter.
      • championchap, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1I don't regret my iPhone.. Nor do I regret not upgrading to the 3G one.
    • agrublev, on 11/20/2008, -8/+6The guys at endagadget are anal on their review, i have already used the Storm (i work for Verizon), and compared to the iPhone(which my gf has, and i use all the time) and my old blackberry(the world edition), this phone is amazing. All the features it comes with built in are stunning.

      Plus it loads like 10 times faster than an iPhone when it comes down to websites. As the review said, not having a wifi doesn't really matter!
      • sovietninja, on 11/20/2008, -0/+14Hey, at least this guy is honest about who he works for!
      • ww917352, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1Also honest about that he used his girlfriend's iPhone all the time
    • xanadont, on 11/20/2008, -1/+1These comments aren't funny.
    • kingjaydub, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2I already have my Treo up for sale and I was totally set to go to Verizon first thing in the morning to get the Storm, but after that review I'm not sure anymore.
      I'm going to wait until they work out the kinks.

      They've got a really good chance of having a great phone here. Hopefully they listen to the reviews and don't ruin this chance.
    • weech, on 11/21/2008, -2/+2yay...but can it run Crysis?
    • diggerbez, on 11/24/2008, -0/+1The longer you wait the better phones are going to get. Maybe you should wait until you are 90 years old to upgrade.
  • birdman14, on 11/20/2008, -22/+16looks great, once BB os comes out with their appstore and fixes the webbrowser im goin back to crackberry land.
  • Mist0r_Wiggles, on 11/20/2008, -6/+21not bad, I would take it as a $99 upgrade cuz my contract is coming up, but nothing too special.
    It doesn't make me want it, i feel like its a cheap upgrade and i'll settle for one.

    p.s. renewing a contract at Verizon gives you a $100 bonus towards your next phone. (just in case someone wanted to correct me on my pricing...)
    • rstarr, on 11/20/2008, -0/+8That's only if you are at a certain price point for your line.
    • neophenix, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4Only if you have the appropriate plan which I believe is $79.99 or more a month. If you have less than that you only get $50 towards a new phone via the new every two.

      And there are also some catches in that, which I ran into. My plan is 79.99, but only 39.99 in calling and 40 for data, apparently to verizon this doesn't count as you need 79.99 for just the voice portion, data is just an "add-on". But if you complain enough to them and point out their poorly worded FAQs and Terms, they should be able to work out a deal for you to get your full $100.
    • dagr8tim, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1If you only got a $99 credit for a new VZW phone, you got screwed without a kiss. Do you have the 1 year contract?

      Last time I re-uped mine, I got a bb 8830. When the dust settled and I got my rebates back the phone was free. Infact, my contract is up until next August, and I'm not eligible for to resign until April. VZW is already marketing the storm to me hard core and is *almost* ready give me the phone for free if I upgrade.

      My only problem with the Storm is the lack of WiFi. The Bold has it, and it's almost enough for me to switch to AT&T.

      I also didn't read the whole article. Is VZW still crippling the onboard GPS and forcing you to use their product?
      • cawpin, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2Just wait for the HTC Touch Pro. It should be out by the end of the month. That's what I'm getting since Samsung decided to stop selling the i760 with no replacements available.
    • Ericdigital, on 11/20/2008, -1/+1Verizon called me yesterday and offered me a $99 dollar upgrade for the storm so I decided to give it go since my contract was up. They said I have 30 days to give it a go so I figured I would try it. Shipping it to me tomorrow =]
  • modelchick8806, on 11/20/2008, -8/+1Hmm, I will consider it.
  • roctimo, on 11/20/2008, -8/+67Still not as fun to use as the iphone/ipod touch. Getting warmer though.
    • buckygrad, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5My wife has an iPhone and since this is technically still a BlackBerry my work will pick up the tab on the one I am getting tomorrow. I don't think it will come close to the iPhone, but for a work phone I am looking forward to it.
  • Venemous, on 11/20/2008, -19/+469No Wi-Fi = FAIL
    • SilverSeraph, on 11/20/2008, -3/+79Thanks for bringing this up, this saves the time of reading the article....
    • TheNik, on 11/20/2008, -24/+11Verizon's EVDO is good. It's obviously not as good as WiFi, but try it (on a good phone, mind you) before you knock it.
    • curlymuse, on 11/20/2008, -3/+68I concur, WiFi is a must for me!
      • Twinnie, on 11/20/2008, -1/+29And I've been defending this thing. Call Apple bad for crippled bluetooth, way to fall at the first hurdle RIM.
    • pintomp3, on 11/20/2008, -12/+2why? the only reason in use Wifi on my curve is for UMA. verizon doesn't do UMA anyway. i guess if you don't plan on getting the data plan.
    • rstarr, on 11/20/2008, -9/+11Eh, I'm on the fence, on one hand it would be nice, but to be honest I doubt I'll miss it that much. EVDO Rev. A coverage is gigantic and by February over 90% population coverage up here in New England after the final Unicell towers have been fitted with CDMA. I know it's only 1.4mbps but it's good enough of a speed for me most of the time.
      • Trublmakr, on 11/20/2008, -1/+3Dont' forget about those pesky roaming charges - they still apply when traveling outside your carrier network. Since the typical Blackberry user is a business traveler I'm sure Verizon thinks the ability to connect to free wifi to access the internet and download your phone mail messages instead of paying through the nose to listen over the air - is pure evil. The lack of Wifi is indeed a ***** cash-grab IMO.
    • Jade10145, on 11/20/2008, -2/+41Verizon likes to juice every penny out of customers, and yes I am a Verizon user.

      No wi-fi, of course there is no wifi, there's no money in having wifi on the phone.

      • MScrip, on 11/20/2008, -2/+2You have to get the mandatory Blackberry data plan anyway.
      • JeffH, on 11/20/2008, -3/+3There's money in it.

        The cost of putting WiFi in eats a little, but having times where you're not tapping the Verizon network for data, and instead tapping a WiFi source would probably save Verizon millions. AT&T could barely handle the iPhone 3G launch and it even had the WiFi option. Imagine how ***** the ATT 3G network would have been if there was no option to NOT use it for data.
      • mdude85, on 11/20/2008, -6/+1No WiFi kinda sucks, however Verizon's network is so wide that I don't know why you would ever want to switch off 3G and go on some ***** Starbucks Wifi anyway.

        Any place that has Wifi, such as a coffee shop in the middle of a big city, is also going to be in the 3G network.
      • osko2052, on 11/21/2008, -1/+1I love WiFi because I can make unlimited phone calls without using my minutes using UMA on T Mobile.
      • LilRabbitFooFoo, on 11/21/2008, -1/+3The money is in having a feature that would make us use Verizon...PASS.
    • Gravey9, on 11/20/2008, -6/+8I own an iphone and yes it has some minor flaws as does any phone but the fact that it boasts wi-fi puts it way above the storm no questions asked.
    • buckygrad, on 11/20/2008, -5/+1I agree the Storm is not a great consumer phone (which is what RIM is trying to sell). Think Business however and Wi-Fi becomes less important as most users will have an unlimited data plan and you can't use the phone functionality solely on a Wi-Fi connection (and according to Versizon, if you have cell coverage you have EVDO at a minimum which is probably fine for Corporate surfing).
    • exonyte, on 11/20/2008, -0/+8Weird considering the Bold has wi-fi..
    • Velnich, on 11/21/2008, -1/+2With unlimited data packages, does wi-fi really matter that much?
    • clat98, on 11/21/2008, -1/+1It doesn't need wifi because it has a full html browser built in. And actually, for a monthly fee it IS wifi, you can hook your computer up to it to get internet anywhere, It is not that it doesnt have wifi, it is that it doesnt need it. @ Venemous: Being ignorant and wrong = FAIL!


      I got mine this morning, its great, I am already almost used to the clicking. That article sucked, it essentially starts off with a iphone advertisment wtf. Bias anyone?

      and the click screen is awesome, it allows you to doubletap and not click, so it is kinda like a right click on the mouse in some cases, This ***** is like a computer, and the video quality is amazing.

      As somone who already got one, it is a fact it was totally worth 155.73 for a phone upgrade
  • snverhallen, on 11/20/2008, -4/+13Very well written article, props Engadget
  • Venemous, on 11/20/2008, -2/+116In the UK, I asked a Vodafone representative why there wasn't any Wi-Fi, and he replied that Vodafone want you to take out a data plan in addition to the contract.

    I hate it when (phone) networks "control" handset manufacturers.
    • memsom, on 11/20/2008, -1/+1Vodafone are evil bastards
    • mablung, on 11/20/2008, -0/+8Doesn't AT&T require a data plan on the Iphone? It has wifi... I'm confused.
      • FDDIcent, on 11/20/2008, -2/+1No your right, required $30 a month data plan. But it also has to do with things like visual voicemail requiring a constant connection to a data network
    • DaytonaZ33, on 11/21/2008, -1/+0They aren't evil. ATT requires you to take a data plan with the WiFi Bold as well. The real reason they left WiFi out is because Verizon's EVDO network is so good compared to other carriers, it's more than good enough to use.
      • LilRabbitFooFoo, on 11/21/2008, -0/+2riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight....on my home network it won't be. PASS.
  • whuddafugger, on 11/20/2008, -9/+24don't care much for that touch screen keyboard. i prefer the tactile feel of real buttons.
    • Murdats, on 11/20/2008, -2/+7the HTC touch pro is excellent if you want a keyboard.
    • Aitese, on 11/20/2008, -2/+11The screen clicks...you have to press it rather than tap like the iPhone.
    • cougar3429, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4That's the whole freaking point of this phone! You have tactile feedback on the screen. *boggle*
      • Treoinmypocket, on 11/20/2008, -1/+5You clearly haven't used it.

        Touch screen is cool but actual buttons work better and faster.
      • macslut, on 11/20/2008, -2/+6You don't have real tactile feedback.

        See my comment below.
      • herbiehancock00, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5"As you press down to engage a "key," you're required to release before moving to another, which means that you can only type so quickly."

        DUH! What were the designers thinking?
    • Yawgmoth, on 11/20/2008, -5/+1That's why I love my G1. I get the sexyness of a next gen touch screen phone, with the usability of an actual qwerty keyboard.

      That and the fact that it's open sourced and so ridiculously easy to develop applications for.
      • kevin52094, on 11/20/2008, -1/+5The G1 is the opposite of sexy. The iPhone is sexy. The Storm is sexy. The G1 is not.
    • homercles337, on 11/20/2008, -5/+1I have been using my Tilt for quite a while now. A year ago it had 3G, WiFi, full keyboard, touch screen, etc. Why anyone would want a very pricey iPhone over a feature packed Tilt is beyond me.
      • whuddafugger, on 11/20/2008, -2/+1yeah, that tilt looks really cool! wished i had known about it before i renewed my cell phone service. got a sony ericsson as part of the deal. not too bad, but i still wish i had that qwerty keyboard. :/

      • dirtysnapper, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1because that thing is like carrying a brick around with you
  • mdavis, on 11/20/2008, -19/+229So 2 years ago when the iPhone was announced, Blackberry fans scoffed at touchscreen/no physical keyboard. Now that Blackberry has one, they're having a big bukkakke party over it?
    • Murdats, on 11/20/2008, -15/+6where do you see that? all I see is lots of reviews and announcements, and people who may or may not be blackberry fans saying it doesn't look too bad
    • Falldog, on 11/20/2008, -5/+6I enjoy my Curve but wouldn't want to upgrade to a touch whether it was an iPhone or BB.
    • forcedfx, on 11/20/2008, -5/+4I still don't like the no-touch keyboard. Sticking with my Curve as long as possible.
      • MScrip, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2Others feel different. iPhone is the best selling handset in the United States in the third quarter.
    • quinster, on 11/20/2008, -3/+8The touchscreen is much better for bukkakke. Displays better images, and is much more resistant to damage from "fluids spilled" on it.
    • joltjake, on 11/20/2008, -4/+5But you can click the screen :>)
    • ButterLoyalist, on 11/20/2008, -1/+32bukkake*

      spell it correctly from now on
    • uwomustang, on 11/20/2008, -7/+2Hence the tactile response on the screen....read the article
    • djrobnm, on 11/20/2008, -0/+27Bukkake party may invalidate warranty on the Storm.
    • aoou4444, on 11/20/2008, -3/+3Why do I have to be an iPhone or Blackberry "fan" instead of using my head in judging the actual device? I'm tired of saying "I use an iPhone" or "I use a Blackberry" and having all the perceptions that person has on that phone's users put on me or anyone else.

      Phones are a trivial example. There really is a deeper issue here that people do this with everything. The same thing goes if I say I use Linux. The person I tell suddenly feels like they know everything about me now.
      • 8270369, on 11/21/2008, -2/+0It is a religion replacement. I'm not saying that to be funny or cute -- it's a simple fact. And it's ironic -- so many people who use their respective affiliations to their PCs's OS, or Web browser software, or their cel phones, as a replacement for their religious needs, are claiming to be athiest. Maybe the world would be a better place if they just dropped the charade and went back to church, Protestant Catholic Jewish or other, rather than praying at some alter to consumer goods. As clearly they have this need for some kind of outlet for their religious zeal.
    • Siebird, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6There is no " i " in Bukkake
      • shakajumbo, on 11/20/2008, -1/+0You can say that again brother!!
      • LilRabbitFooFoo, on 11/21/2008, -0/+4But there often is a "eye". 8P
      • Pinkshisno, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1"but there is an 'I' in pie. And there's an 'I' in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about."
    • pagit, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1what is this "Bukkake Party" that you speak of and where can I go to participate?
  • thudson, on 11/20/2008, -7/+9Exclamation point!
    • Falldog, on 11/20/2008, -1/+5Didn't you hear? They had sworn to never review a BlackBerry since the great fire of 2004. To tackle the Storm is a monumental occasion!
  • eyefork2, on 11/20/2008, -11/+92Nothing will ever kill the iPhone with all the hype surrounding it. Those that make an attempt to beat it but don't come very close will be considered "nice tries" and those that come extremely close to beating it will be laughed at (see: Zune vs. iPod). When the true "iPhone killer" comes out, everyone's head will explode and the device will sell poorly due to the target consumers being dead.
    • gemini8200, on 11/20/2008, -12/+6I think the Zune vs. iPod is a completely different thing. The iPod was really the first mp3 player that was worth anything. PDA phones have been out for years. While Apple did put out a pretty nice one, they didn't invent the wheel with it..
      • BlackToothpaste, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2No idea why you're being dugg down, your point is actually valid.
    • indigit4l, on 11/20/2008, -6/+35What hype? Maybe it's just a better device?? I'm very much a PC guy, I don't own any other product from Apple than my iphone, but I own that b/c it is not only a fantastic phone but an excellent mp3 player, wireless browser, etc. etc. My advice is to open your eyes, realize that until there is an "iphone killer" that you are arguing w/ pure speculation.
    • digitallysick, on 11/20/2008, -1/+5I don't think cell companies are able to make a decent phone. I believe they have a system setup, to never create a phone with everything it needs.
    • herbiehancock00, on 11/20/2008, -2/+7Apple is a computer company that excels at making both software and hardware. Cellphone companies make...well cellphones, and consumers nowadays are demands a computer on their mobile devices.
    • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -5/+4right because I mean when your searching through pages on the BB you have to keep your finger on the damn thing and keep scrolling up and down where on an iphone you can just flick it then stop where ever you want. Typing on the iPhone feels a lot better then on the storm and most important if you love the internet hands down iPhone wins! Sorry for all the iPhone haters out there but iPhone is still going to dominate not because there great at marketing but maybe it's because the phone is actually awesome so when someone has it and loves it they pass that information on to there friend who then gets one and the cycle continues. I fail to see how Apple could take this much of the market with a crappy device.
    • junkwheel, on 11/20/2008, -3/+1Got AAPL?
    • bradleyland, on 11/20/2008, -1/+4Did you read the review? All the points they made are spot on. Everyone bitches about how useless touch interfaces are, but one of the main reasons touch interfaces fail is because people take an interface that was designed for a pointing device, then slap a touch screen on it. Then they wonder what went wrong when everyone rejects their device.

      Hype or not, Apple did many things right when they designed the iPhone, not the least of which was designing a touch UI from the ground up. It puts them ahead of any competitor that comes to market with a half-ass attempt. That's not hype, that's reality.
    • xSledgewick, on 11/21/2008, -0/+2Listen, the iPhone still rules and is probably still much better... but this review stinks like hell. To full of this guys own personal interest really. You can tell he loves the iPhone much better. It would be like a two year World of Warcraft player reviewing a new MMO... fail.
    • nLeland, on 11/21/2008, -0/+0Sometimes I wonder if anyone other than me has used a zune. I have one and love it (second gen) its simply faster and more intuitive than the ipod. The biggest knock to the zune is its software which is terrible and getting worse but the hardware is really great. I will say that itunes is more a much more soild on the software side.
  • etx313, on 11/20/2008, -22/+2No Android, No care.
  • handbags2000, on 11/20/2008, -81/+0
    • DrDigg, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3Great now i have a new email address and phone number to give out to every form i fill out on the web. Enjoy the email and phone spam.
  • golferv, on 11/20/2008, -9/+2Still waiting for someone to deliver the browsing/connectivity of the iPhone and a decent keyboard interface for power users
  • Trifold, on 11/20/2008, -4/+42For business use, I'd much rather use my regular Blackberry for hammering out emails. I'm sure they improved the virtual keyboard, but I just don't see it being practical for the workload that a standard business user has, and I doubt many companies would be willing to splurge on such a flashy Blackberry that's seemingly less practical for business use than the cheaper models..

    It seems like the only real market for this are consumers who desperately want the iPhone but don't want to leave the Verizon network. Which is fine, but isn't going to build market share like I think they want it to. I know I wouldn't leave my G1 for it, and I really doubt anybody would give up their iPhone for it either...
    • diggitalism, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2dugg for mentioning the G1. the android software has so much potential...

      now if only they could make a better looking phone, i'd be sold.
    • tykwondingo, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2The G1 is badass, even if it is a bit cheap looking, I wouldn't trade it for any other phone on the market.
  • Screwy1138, on 11/20/2008, -6/+21I'm just glad it's on Verizon. I dropped AT&T because of god awful coverage.
    • Idrive, on 11/20/2008, -0/+11Honestly I love the iPhone itself...but I have only been with AT&T for 6 weeks now and have never been more frustrated in my life...the service is pure *****!!!!

      • Saad, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2CDMA vs GSM. It sucks. Yes the iPhone is more compatible with other country's wireless service but I would of loved to see the iPhone on Verizon. AT&T isn't that bad but it's not as good as Verizon.
    • nofx1510, on 11/20/2008, -1/+4Thats the only reason I stick with Verzion. The phones are ***** up until this storm but I cant leave the glorious coverage. I was at the obama rally and all the fancy iphone users jammed the att towers and no one had service. On the other hand my old ass samsung ich-730 verizon phone kicked the ***** out of all the iphone users. I had internet, no one else did. I can't wait till my contract is up in january I might just bite the bullet and get one tomorrow.
    • alexra, on 11/21/2008, -1/+1weird I just saw a commericial that said at&t had the nation's fastest 3G network
      • KayIslandDrunk, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1It only has to be the fastest in one spot to hold that title. Just think about it, that's such an open-ended statement.
  • Billions, on 11/20/2008, -3/+8I'd like to check it out. I've never owned a BB (I was into the SE p800/p900 phones before the iPhone) and as a Machead since finder/multifinder days, there's no way I'm leaving my iPhone, but this device looks nice and I like the way the screen/clicking mechanism essentially allows for 'roll-over' like mousing in a browser, without activating something as you pass over it without clicking, something the iPhone doesn't do too reassuringly.

    But I'm still curious to feel how the entire screen clicking is, and I wonder if that's really gonna sell to fast BB typists who still feel they "need those keys," as the timing of clicking two letters on more traditional discrete keys will certainly still have faster 'clicking' than the one enormous 'key' that the screen is... Like I said, I'd like to check it out.

    And no WiFi? whoops.
  • rstarr, on 11/20/2008, -4/+29I've used it pretty substantially in the past week or so and I have to wonder what firmware they were using. I recognized all of his errors earlier in the week before we flashed it with the final firmware and many of the problems disappeared or were softened. Not that I disagree, personally another month or so would have made this device shine, but the browser loading bug he describes hasn't happened since the update. He's a bit tough on the screen but nails it on text input. The blue glow doesn't help as much as if they took an iPhone-esque zoom on the letter and makes you second guess yourself regularly. However the browser allows for a mouse emulator that goes above and to the right of your finger which allows much greater ease of use for web pages that aren't zoomed in dramatically which I used every time and really made it a lot easier to use. He's right on about the rendering though, it's truly a beast compared to previous iterations. A great phone and this is coming from a Mac user, a bit buggy, but it's RIM after all, they wont let any product stay half-baked for long.
  • ncc74656m, on 11/20/2008, -8/+11I'll have one as of Friday!
  • Quick2822, on 11/20/2008, -4/+14Until the Blackberry does something to it's OS to make it not so boring and basic (and slow) they will have a hard time competing. The phone and service is usually great, it's just the OS that blows.
    • Grazfather, on 11/20/2008, -4/+4Have you even used 4.5 or 4.6?
      • Quick2822, on 11/20/2008, -1/+2I run 4.5 on my 8330. It's a horrible OS when you compare it to the other "smartphones" that are available.
    • newdigger, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5Slow? Try a Bold. Its anything but slow.
    • calyx1, on 11/21/2008, -0/+24.6 on a Bold is pretty rockin. And 4.5 wasn't bad at all on the 8310 it replaced.
  • PathmarkPolice, on 11/20/2008, -2/+15Wow, sounds like it sucks, I mean, if composing messages is a pain in the ass on a blackberry, there really is no reason to pick up the storm, unless you want to watch videos on it. Bold it is.
    • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -5/+3or iPhone if you want a great touch device.
    • Yawgmoth, on 11/20/2008, -6/+2or G1 if you want a great touch device with a usable keyboard.
    • calyx1, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1Or the Bold if you want a kickass Blackberry, don't listed to these fools.
  • captaindigger, on 11/20/2008, -3/+19WTF is a "niggles"? I'm sorry, I am having a niggles with this article.
    • serif69, on 11/20/2008, -1/+3A niggle is a one-sided quibble.
    • MacParrot, on 11/20/2008, -3/+3I thought it was how a stereotypical Asian person when English isn't their first language uses a racial epitaph.

      This is really only a half-joke. A good friend of mine (who happens to be black/ African-American whatever) was called this by a Korean woman when we were in Seoul. He was really pissed and was more so when I started laughing until he thought about it. Then he started laughing too. That was worse than if he had hit her. This woman had taken what she thought was the ultimate insult and mangled it so badly that the only real reaction she got was laughter.
      • cougar3429, on 11/20/2008, -2/+0The stereotypical asian accent turns "L"s into "R"s...not the other way around.
  • Eparause, on 11/20/2008, -8/+20No Wi-Fi, + Slower texting = No buy.
  • silverspyder, on 11/20/2008, -10/+6How can it run CRYSIS with no Wi-Fi?
    • BigBoyBoobs, on 11/20/2008, -6/+1I BET YOU THE IPHONE CAN RUN CRYSIS! ZOMG!
    • Yawgmoth, on 11/20/2008, -3/+0***** you, two of my friends died using the BlackBerry Storm!
      • Gr1nch, on 11/20/2008, -1/+2The blackberry Storm saved two of my friends lives, sucks your friends had to be the equalizers. HA.
  • pwnshaman, on 11/20/2008, -17/+11Here come the mac fanboys....
    • MacParrot, on 11/20/2008, -9/+10and here come idiots who populate every story having anything to do whatsoever with Apple with the fanboy tag.
      • tehcommodore, on 11/20/2008, -3/+3stop clogging up my front page apple fanboy
  • ScottishMcDuff, on 11/20/2008, -6/+15I hate the phrase "power user".
    • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -2/+2I agree it sounds retarded like they are handicapped so they need a physical keyboard.
  • csarak, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3That was an incredibly informative and in-depth review. The only thing I wish they had gone on at more length about was the media player. The main reason I would buy such a device over a normal phone would be a strong media experience.
    • rstarr, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2They had it preloaded with a Babylon AD trailer (great pick, I know) and the screen really showed it's stuff. The 4:3 ratio doesn't throw viewing off from my experience and the media loads pretty snappy. Since it only had one clip preloaded I didn't get to see much in the vein of organization or playlists, etc. but the screen truly is a thing of beauty.
  • ZeroSum1975, on 11/20/2008, -9/+4Another failed attempted by a company trying to reside at least in a neighboring solar system as the Apple Iphone. Not even close.
    • MacParrot, on 11/20/2008, -2/+4Why do you say that? Sure it's new phone with some issues. Before condemning it remember that the iPhone when it first came out had issues (and still does) as well.

      Not everybody wants an iPhone. Maybe...just maybe they should be allowed to get the phone that suits them best?
  • brandita, on 11/20/2008, -3/+2Whoa!
  • Aleman360, on 11/20/2008, -6/+16Hell yea for all these trendy phones that require $80+/month plans. Not.
    • tnoy, on 11/20/2008, -2/+11Get a job.
      • Zephik, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2Glad to hear that your workplace hasn't been cutting back on your hours. Lucky sob. Now excuse me while I go look for a second job just so I can pay rent.
      • Aleman360, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4I have a job--a good one actually--but data plans are quite a rip.
      • jonshipman, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1I'm salary. Hooray being "the man"
    • chris4404, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Actually Verizon is lowering the price on some of there data plans. I'm going from an 8830@$68.75 a month to a Storm@$45 a month for my 300 Minutes + Unlimited Data/Text.
      • atbnet, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2Which plan is that? Do you have corp. discount?
      • Aleman360, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2Yea, what plan? Cause I would totally switch to that.

        I just checked the website and their cheapest voice plan is $40 and it's $30 for the cheapest BB option, so that's ~$80 after taxes and fees, and that doesn't include text messaging.
      • troye, on 11/28/2008, -0/+1I am in a family plan with AT&T, on my line I add data and my part of the bill comes up to about $50.
    • leif777, on 11/20/2008, -1/+1did you just "not" your post?... go back to Waynes World
  • codx999, on 11/20/2008, -6/+8The Storm is not an iPhone killer. It's just here to make sure that business users wont use the iPhone.
  • vagrantwade, on 11/20/2008, -3/+11i'm buying one. I do not need WiFi, because anytime I will want to use those capabilities, I won't have WiFi access anyways.
    • nofx1510, on 11/20/2008, -2/+3I agree. If I am using wifi I am at a computer. If there is no wifi then I will be using my phone. Instead of building in wifi and draining the battery rim though logically about this phone and realized that it would just raise the price for something most people wont use. Verzion's network is a beast and I'm not going to bitch because I can't load my webpage 10 seconds faster. If I want fast internet I will sit down at a computer.
      • Funpolice2050, on 11/20/2008, -1/+510 seconds is an eternity. No I'm not be sarcastic. If you're a student most Universities have wifi around campus and nost businesses have wifi in their offices. This is a deal breaker for me.
      • ejrizo, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3that is what I thought until i got my iPhone... its a complete joy sitting at the couch and looking up stuff with Mobile Safari on WiFi.... try it sometimes... its better than having to get on a computer sometimes.
      • jonshipman, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2RIM didn't put wifi in it because Verizon no likey the wifiy
    • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -2/+3congratulations.
    • Yawgmoth, on 11/20/2008, -0/+0For most people it doesn't make any sense, but It's a killer for me. At home, at my work and in my classes I get very iffy service (i swear the damned place is a faraday cage). Phone calls come in ok, but data is a no go. It's really handy to just be able to hop on the wifi network and get get data service when I'm on lunch.
      • MScrip, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Ok, so the Storm doesn't have wifi.... does every other phone suddenly have wifi now?

        Millions of Blackberry users don't have wifi... yet they are still chugging along.
      • jonshipman, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Get a Curve on T-Mobile. They treat wifi access points as though they're another tower ;)

        They advertise unlimited hotspot calling for 9.99 a month, but even if you don't subscribe to that you still get to make calls over wifi (taking from your minute pool of course). But you get the benefit of a cell tower being in your living room/office :)
  • Grazfather, on 11/20/2008, -16/+18is Engadget finished blowing Steve Jobs?
    • herbiehancock00, on 11/20/2008, -3/+10I think the comparison is fair. Regardless if you agree with it or not, the iPhone is the benchmark for touchscreen smartphones and will be so unless something better comes along.
      • Grazfather, on 11/20/2008, -1/+4I totally agree the iPhone is the de facto standard, I just laugh at how high a pedestal engadget puts the iPhone on, like it's not only the goal, it's an unmatchable goal.
    • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -5/+4@Grazfather, unfortunately your an idiot since the comparison is completely fair, hello touchscreen device hmmmm I wonder who really set the bar on one of those touch screen things ....... oh right the iPhone!
      • Grazfather, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2Haha you're the idiot that doesn't have even a basic grasp of grammar.

        I agree the iPhone is the benchmark, but they're acting like the BB is so far away and the iPhone is untouchable.
      • Gr1nch, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3seriously? *you're.
  • samimnot, on 11/20/2008, -7/+4
    Poor build quality and a "newer version" of an old OS = iPhone Killer?
  • krustaceo, on 11/20/2008, -4/+9i think the iPhone is gimped, but this Storm thing reeks of "me too" BS product

  • Treoinmypocket, on 11/20/2008, -3/+11The clickscreen sucks. I've tried this thing (and was very intriqued to do so) and its flatly unworkable for power business use.

    I want out of my Treo as it is old and slowing down but I have yet to find a truly superior replacement. iPhone? Close but no cigar...Storm? iPhone is better.

    • snowblind113, on 11/20/2008, -1/+4get the bolddddd
      • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -4/+1or get an iPhone if you want a superior touchscreen device which the storm based it's phone off of.
      • Treoinmypocket, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1A good phone to be sure but not available on Verizon (which, despite the cost suits me better than any other network - and I've been on them all).

        I'd seriously miss the Treo's touchscreen which I use extensively.

        The SD card on the bold is buried under the battery which disallows using the Treo as a remote for presentations (which I do everyday) or switching from one card to another (which I do frequently).

        The lack of an IR port also disallows beaming business cards, apps, files directly to others phones or laptops.

        This is what I get out of my Treo and I don't want to step backwards technologically or functionally. The Treo allows me to travel without my laptop 50% of the time so it is really hard to give it up.

        Obviously everyone's use-age and needs are different.
      • Tyr7BE, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3"The SD card on the bold is buried under the battery"

        No it's not.
      • Treoinmypocket, on 11/20/2008, -0/+3Tyr7BE said:

        "The SD card on the bold is buried under the battery"

        No it's not.

        I stand corrected. That's the 8830. I keep looking at the Blackberrys because I'm hoping they come out with one that suits my use as well as the Treo has.

        I got them confused. However, I have a device that inserts into the SD slot at the top of my Treo which serves as a remote control. I use this for controlling powerpoint, etc. This won't work with any Blackberry configuration I have investigated.

      • Tyr7BE, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2http://crackberry.com/crackberry-wes-unify4life-bl ... ?

        Dunno if that's the same kind of deal or not.

        Anyway in my experience, whenever you move from device x to device y, you'll always miss some features that device x had. And usually you'll find replacements for most of them. And there will always be one or two things you could do on x that you couldn't do on y, but there will be just as many new things on y that you couldn't do on x. Not trying to trash either side here, just pointing out that devices are different. Personally I can vouch that I've used the Bold and it's a *damn* fine device.
      • calyx1, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1I was gonna say the same thing. I've got a Bold, its a side loading microSD slot. I've got an Gand it will take 16Gb microSD cards.

        Plenty of space for me when I can swap it out

        And if its something you still in an SD slot, well you can't use that cause its a microSD slot. But if they made one that used a microSD slot...

    • Yawgmoth, on 11/20/2008, -3/+2get the g1, it's got an actual qwerty keyboard
  • phogasmic, on 11/20/2008, -3/+20why no Wi-Fi? Thats crap.
    • jonshipman, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1Because it's on Verizon. Verizon views anything that aids the customer as bad potatoes. As long as they can force the customer to use only them (pay $49.99 a month for data) instead of using their own wifi hotspot they're going to do it.
  • cougar3429, on 11/20/2008, -4/+1No one has even mentioned the price difference. Maybe it's not relevant to you all, but a $200 or even $300 price difference is at least a factor in my decision between the iPhone and Storm.
    • rstarr, on 11/20/2008, -0/+6There isn't a price difference....

      $199 w/2yr for both phones.
  • mablung, on 11/20/2008, -1/+6I work for Verizon and the amount of people asking about this phone is ridiculous. People that have absolutely no need for a blackberry are looking for it. Here is the clincher though... most of them don't want to add $30 to their plan for data. That is how I separate the serious BB buyer from the ***** one. If they are not phased by that data charge then we are in business. Until I actually get my hands on one and use the keyboard I am not entirely sold on it.
    • KayIslandDrunk, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1That's why I bought a dare a couple weeks ago. It might have some flaws, but the large screen makes it great for web viewing and I wasn't forced to move up to the blackberry plan. I know some people can't live without qwerty, but I've always been able to message faster via predictive text than anything else I've tried.
  • Blizaine, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5good review/comparison... pretty much what i was expecting. maybe apple can take the idea for how copy/paste is implemented?
    • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -1/+2agree but apple will make it better and more intuitive
  • Blizaine, on 11/20/2008, -4/+3good review/comparison... pretty much what i was expecting. maybe apple can take the idea for how copy/paste is implemented?
  • nub4life, on 11/20/2008, -3/+7HTC for life!
  • macslut, on 11/20/2008, -1/+6You don't have real tactile feedback.

    You can't feel the buttons/keys. Ideally you should be able to type without looking.

    The only advantage this keyboard has over a pure-touchscreen is that you can rest on a button/key before activating it. This is a huge advantage on a full size notebook or desktop computer keyboard where you want to rest your hands on the keyboard, but is of lesser value on a phone. Since you can't feel the keyboard, you're better off not resting on it, and you have to be careful not to rest on a button/key that is not the one you're intended to activate when you push with another finger...which really takes away what little advantage there was to resting on the screen to begin with.

    This comes at a cost though. Every time you activate a button/key, you have to wait for the screen to bounce back up before you can activate the next one.

    Combine this with the inability to see which one you've actually activated and the whole concept pretty much fails.

    And ladies who can't use an iPhone because of their nails...the Storm won't work for you either.
    • iChopPryde, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1I don't think any smartphone would work for ladies with long fingernails whether its a touch device or physical keyboard lol
      • macslut, on 11/20/2008, -0/+5I've actually seen them use a Blackberry with the tip of the nail or with a stylus. They're painfully slow this way, but at least they're not all yapping away with "blah, blah, blah...why don't you ever call me...blah, blah, blah...gum smack...blah, blah, blah..."

        Sorry, I've got girlfriend issues right now.
      • Spymodhf, on 11/20/2008, -0/+1oh that reminds me, last night your gf told me you should call her
  • naked_violence, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4I'm so glad I bought my Nokia E71. I was scared for a second that I should have waited.
  • Twinnie, on 11/20/2008, -2/+11I hate it when companies implement these transition effects but have no idea why they're doing it. It's clear they didn't have a single ergonomist working on the phone cos this is really basic stuff when designing interfaces. When you press a button and it slides to a different screen it implies a sort of physical location of being next to the other one but when it just fades from one to the next it implies nothing. They should read up on cognitive mapping, Apple seems to be the only company that get this stuff, and to a lesser extent Microsoft lately, here's hoping Windows Mobile 7 will be good.
    • Slacker1031, on 11/20/2008, -1/+1Yeah i'm on the phone with an ergonomist right now, and he's telling me you're a douchebag.
    • mdude85, on 11/20/2008, -2/+0So what does zooming in and out between a browser screen and the main menu screen represent, a la the iPhone? Is this supposed to show that the menu is in alternate universe from the browser and must be brought forward at supersonic speed? Who knows? Who cares?
  • terrrrrible, on 11/20/2008, -0/+4I thought the same thing about the keyboard not being all that great for the average Blackberry user.
  • suckonthat, on 11/20/2008, -5/+4T-mobile G1 FTW.... even despite all of it's "problems" and quirks...
    • Yawgmoth, on 11/20/2008, -1/+3The last update fixed tons. I haven't had a problem since. Even the battery life got longer for me O.o.

      I could rant all day about why I love my G1 but Whats the biggest reason I chose the G1 over the iphone or storm? the keyboard. When will manufacturer's understand the need for an actual keyboard?

      All my iPhone friends say that the touch screen keyboard is fine, but I can out type them and I've only been using the G1 for a month, they've had their iPhones for almost a year now.
      • LanceUppercut, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2I am picturing wpm races interjected between sessions of complaining about not being able to get a date.
      • jonshipman, on 11/20/2008, -0/+2We should have a type off :)
  • CaptainWeasel, on 11/20/2008, -1/+8So which is better right now, the Bold or the Storm?
    • 25mL, on 11/20/2008, -0/+7the Bold is far better.
    • Daxx22, on 11/21/2008, -0/+1The Bold is the Business user focused on work with media support.

      The Storm is the casual/personal user focused on phone and media, with business support.

      It's unfortunate they are exclusive to different carriers at the moment, but that will change.
  • snowblind113, on 11/20/2008, -9/+2it has everything under the sun and people still find something to bitch about....
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