Lady Loves Tech

My latest cell phone of choice is the brand new Verizon Wireless Blackberry Storm. The first touch screen Blackberry that clicks.

I have had many PDA phones and I don’t think I could ever go back to a regular phone again. These include: Palm Treo , Motorola Q , Blackberry World Edition , Blackberry Pearl , the iPhone, and now the Blackberry Storm. I have certain features that I have to have in a data phone or the phone just doesn’t work for me. These include:

1. Be able to make calls at all times. (My previous phones (Treo, iPhone) have locked up too many times while trying to make a call.)

2. Have reliable service so the call goes out. (My previous phone (iPhone) left me without service through AT&T too many times)

3. Be able to personalize with my own ringtones that I create. (My previous phone (iPhone) prefers to let Apple decide how I can personalize my phone and forces me to pay.)

4. Be able to sync calendar, e-mail.

5. Be able to type accurately and easily for SMS and e-mail and anything else on the phone. (My previous phones (Palm Treo, iPhone liked to make this a challenge)

Pros:

I have been using my Blackberry Storm since December 18 and I totally love this phone.

1. There is a definite learning curve to this phone. When you begin to use it, you almost miss the scroll ball, or side wheel, however this also forces you too learn the new technology called the clickable touch screen. Once you get past the newness of it, it’s really a very clever feature. In previous phones (iPhone) I was not very skilled at the “touching” and everything I touched seemed to either open up, or move things, or do things and operate with a mind of it’s own. I touched one thing, and all sorts of operations began to occur except the original task I wanted to accomplish. When you hover over any key, or any application on the Blackberry Storm, the operation does not begin, until you initiate the “click.” This eliminates so many unnecessary errors, and also speeds up the task at hand. This feature also allows more accurate typing than previous phones (iPhone) and also allows you to customize the sensitivity of the click, and the hover to your preference.

2. Every call that I make from the phone goes through. The phone doesn’t struggle to operate to make the call. It doesn’t lock up. The service through Verizon Wireless is available always to complete the call.

3. My e-mail and calendar sync with no issues as with all of the Blackberries I have ever owned. This is something that, for me, Blackberry has no competition on. “It just works.”

4. I am use to having the freedom to customize my ringtones and alerts however I choose. For me, the thought of purchasing ringtones that someone else has put together is unheard of. The iPhone surprised me in the fact that Apple does not make this easy at all, and that really bothered me. The Blackberry Storm, as with all the Blackberries, simply took 2 minutes to transfer the ringtones for my phone, and my SMS messages.

6. The camera allows you to shoot stills, video and allows for immediate upload to Flickr, Facebook, and MySpace, in which you can also update your status and talk on all the major instant messengers on the go.

7. The Visual Voicemail feature on the Blackberry Storm is not a free feature, but to me it is worth the cost. This allows you to listen, see, delete and respond to all your voicemail messages right from the phone. You can decide who you want to listen to and who you would rather delete. The feature I like best about this is I no longer have to dial into my voicemail or enter my password. This is something of the past. Click and listen. This is much easier when you are driving and on the go.

8. The phone comes with the 4.7.0.75 release, which is the second update to the Storm, and seems to have addressed most of the issues that were included in the first release of this phone. I have not had any issues. I am currently testing the unofficial release 4.7.0.85 and using it at my own risk. This release, so far, has shown to have speeded up the browsing, fixed the camera issues, and seems to be working wonderfully. More information on this release can be found here , but again, install at your own risk.

Cons:

1. The phone seems to prefer landscape mode, and doesn’t like to go into portrait mode easy, which is what I am use to using by default. So far, the new release that I am testing seems to have fixed this issue, and it goes from whatever orientation you are holding it in nicely.

In summary, if you are willing to take the time to learn the phone, and the new features it offers, I highly recommend this phone. “It just works.”

New programs that I highly recommend for the Blackberry Storm:

Talklock for Blackberry Storm

PeekaWho for Blackberry Storm

Other reviews on the Blackberry Storm:

Stuff.tv

Blackberry Storm vs. iPhone

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In closing, I do not want to appear as an “iPhone Basher.” The device simply was not for me. The iPhone is a wonderful device, and if it was available with better service than just AT&T, I may have endured what I didn’t like a little longer. For me it worked out for the best. Here are some resources that I found very useful for the iPhone and recommend.

- Say Who – Click and speak the contact you wish the phone to call. Very accurate

- Free Ringtones – Every ringtone imaginable you can find here. They will install into your ringtones folder in iTunes.