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November 19th, 2008

Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm

Posted by Josh Taylor @ 9:00 pm

Categories: Blackberry Storm, Verizon Wireless

Tags: Touch Screen, Apple iPhone, Phone, Screen, Network, Verizon Communications Inc., Customer, Video, RIM BlackBerry, Plan

The [early] bottom line

There’s no question that the Storm is an impressive piece of gadgetry. With the notable exception of WiFi, RIM has managed to squeeze just about every feature that an ardent smartphone user could want. And despite a couple of annoying glitches — like the aforementioned “screen rotating on its own” issue, and the noticeable lag time during rotation — after 36 hours, the Storm has actually held up pretty well for a first generation device.

Physically, the Storm is  a bit chunky — it certainly lacks the graceful lines of the iPhone, and in fact, it’s almost the size as the super-stocky Bold (it’s roughly the same thickness, though a drop shorter and narrower). It’s an attractive phone, but not a head-turner.

While web browsing isn’t nearly as graceful as it is on an iPhone, it’s still a very good experience — especially compared to other devices out there. And the Storm holds up remarkably well as a media player — assuming you have DRM-free music and video files.

At $199 (with a two-year contract, and after a $50 rebate), the Storm is at exactly the same price as the 8GB iPhone, and $100 cheaper than the BlackBerry Bold, which seems about right to me.

But ultimately, the Storm’s success will be based on whether or not the masses take to the SurePress touchscreen, and my guess is that it’s going to be a love it/hate it kind of thing. My only problem is that I haven’t picked a camp yet.

Stay tuned.

Go back to the beginning »

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Josh Taylor is director of CBS Interactive Business' technology sites – ZDNet and TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 33 Talkback(s)
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm
I think about two months ago, I asked one of our Verizon reps about the Storm and he said he would look into it for me. Then a Verizon Rep called me a week before they were being released to setup an ... (Read the rest)
Posted by: surfasb Posted on: 12/10/08 You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
Sorry, Don't Want To Be A Blackberry Network Slave  itanalyst2@... | 11/20/08
Don't own one but it looks like...  mr1972 | 11/20/08
pick pick pick...  parabyte | 11/20/08
Both iPhone and Storm are poor...  Mike Cox | 11/20/08
High powered?  parabyte | 11/20/08
Hook, Line, and Sinker..... GJ Mike!  Badgered | 11/20/08
He is good, is he not?  GuidingLight | 11/21/08
He's the man.  nix_hed | 11/22/08
Give Me a Break........  blc1839 | 11/24/08
Wow, he reeled in two this time.  nix_hed | 11/24/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  CowLauncher | 11/20/08
My point was...  joshtee | 11/20/08
That much time is not needed....  storm14k | 11/20/08
I'm suprised they have even done that...  storm14k | 11/20/08
I like thick...  corymcnutt | 11/21/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  no_axe_to__grind | 11/20/08
I must agree....  storm14k | 11/20/08
Grinding Axe  corymcnutt | 11/21/08
No Wi-Fi is a dealbreaker for me  rattlesnake0407 | 11/21/08
Deal breaker?  rynning | 11/21/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  venny22 | 11/20/08
E-Mail is Blackberry's worst part  Narg | 11/20/08
Actually the middleware is RIM's strength  putty.master | 11/21/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  pax@... | 11/20/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  red_ragtop | 11/20/08
90s pda....  mikezmac | 11/20/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  TomMariner | 11/21/08
Where is the WIFI?!!!!!  ITGuy70 | 11/21/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  dubbl_z | 11/21/08
Another swing, another miss!  nix_hed | 11/22/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  dfletcherusa1@... | 11/22/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  Wave1992 | 11/30/08
RE: Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm  surfasb | 12/10/08

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