Blackberry Storm Update
- Posted by Ron Williams on March 18th, 2009
I'm very late with this post and I meant to provide a full review after purchase. I found so many places had already done this so I decided to skip the initial review. I have had the Blackberry for a few months now and can really give a full opinion on it.
Overall, I've been satisfied simply because I like gadgets and my last phone was a VX8300 which was actually the first phone I ever had. It's not much to compare to so my satisfaction may simply be due to my lack of a previous smart phone. On the other hand, I have had quite a few issues with the phone, in particular, the sure press technology. The breakdown pictured to the right explains how the press is registered within the device. RIM seemed to assume that a button at the center would be adequate for the device; however, this is far from the truth. I have had my device replaced four times, three times were a direct result of poor engineering. When purchased the button was initially very responsive, but after three to four weeks of use the screen no longer responds on the corners. I should note that I am a heavy phone user with approximately 5000 minutes per month and 5000-7000 text messages sent per month. I do not think heavy usage should be a problem on a device such as a Blackberry, they're designed for professionals who I can only assume use them often. I could be wrong though, maybe the Blackberry is a device that makes some who do not have a need for them feel self important. So next subject, we'll forget the self important Blackberry crowd for now.
Aside from the sure press issue, I had one occasion where the device was having issues after an over-the-air upgrade, so I backed up my data and started a device wipe. The phone continued to wipe for two hours, every ten minutes or so the phone would begin to restart and would then display the wipe progress screen again. Thankfully I live close enough to a Verizon Wireless store and was able to have the device replaced quickly.
My final thought on the Blackberry Storm: it's a neat device with an improved feedback method compared to other touch-screen devices. With improved engineering, such as placing multiple button sensors behind the screen, the phone could be a strong iPhone competitor. I must say if my phone breaks again, I will press Verizon to refund the price of the phone though, I can't have a device that works for a month and then slowly degrades.
- Posted by Ron Williams on March 18th, 2009
I'm very late with this post and I meant to provide a full review after purchase. I found so many places had already done this so I decided to skip the initial review. I have had the Blackberry for a few months now and can really give a full opinion on it.
Overall, I've been satisfied simply because I like gadgets and my last phone was a VX8300 which was actually the first phone I ever had. It's not much to compare to so my satisfaction may simply be due to my lack of a previous smart phone. On the other hand, I have had quite a few issues with the phone, in particular, the sure press technology. The breakdown pictured to the right explains how the press is registered within the device. RIM seemed to assume that a button at the center would be adequate for the device; however, this is far from the truth. I have had my device replaced four times, three times were a direct result of poor engineering. When purchased the button was initially very responsive, but after three to four weeks of use the screen no longer responds on the corners. I should note that I am a heavy phone user with approximately 5000 minutes per month and 5000-7000 text messages sent per month. I do not think heavy usage should be a problem on a device such as a Blackberry, they're designed for professionals who I can only assume use them often. I could be wrong though, maybe the Blackberry is a device that makes some who do not have a need for them feel self important. So next subject, we'll forget the self important Blackberry crowd for now.
Aside from the sure press issue, I had one occasion where the device was having issues after an over-the-air upgrade, so I backed up my data and started a device wipe. The phone continued to wipe for two hours, every ten minutes or so the phone would begin to restart and would then display the wipe progress screen again. Thankfully I live close enough to a Verizon Wireless store and was able to have the device replaced quickly.
My final thought on the Blackberry Storm: it's a neat device with an improved feedback method compared to other touch-screen devices. With improved engineering, such as placing multiple button sensors behind the screen, the phone could be a strong iPhone competitor. I must say if my phone breaks again, I will press Verizon to refund the price of the phone though, I can't have a device that works for a month and then slowly degrades.
