[innovator1]

I'm heading out to the Verizon store today to try to get an in-depth feel for both the Storm and the Omnia. I fully expect to play with both phones for about an hour, so I'll report back with my impressions. I should tell you that, as I posted earlier, I've been favoring the Storm b/c I like the SurePress screen, and I had trouble initially with the Omnia's menu's and slow repsonse times (slower than the Storm, IMHO). We'll see what else I can uncover today!

[innovator1]

I should have asked: does anyone have any specific questions they want me to ask the Verizon people? Let me know in the next hour or so (by 10am Central time) and I'll do my best!

[jresdios]

well, how did you make out, innovator?

[Scott D]

I looked at the Samsung Omnia and the LG Dare before Settling on the Storm. The ONLY impressive aspect of the Omnia is its 5MP camera. 3.2MP is good enough for what I need (I am a Realtor and photograph houses).

The Omnia has the same miserably poor screen resolution as the Dare, while the Storm lays down nearly twice as many pixels on its 3.25" touchscreen.

Now when someone comes out with an "iPhone-killer" that has a 5 to 8MP camera with wide-angle lens ... THEN I will conssider switching. Until then, the Storm is going to be just fine. (I can always bring my 12MP DSLR if I really need to shoot sexy wide-angle shots of an interior.)

[innovator1]

Originally Posted by jresdios

well, how did you make out, innovator?

Well, I had about 30 minutes with each phone at two different stores. The Verizon rep at store #1 clearly felt the Omnia was the better of the two. She led me to a private area and let me play with the Omnia first, followed by the Storm. What was clear from the start was that the Omnia's form factor is nice - smaller (albeit barely) in every dimension than the Storm. It felt very good in my hands - not bulky or heavy at all. I truly wanted to like the touchscreen, but I found it very difficult to operate. The challenge seems to be knowing when to tap, when to drag, when to "loiter", etc. About every fifth-to-sixth keypress was simply wrong - not even close to what I was trying to type. I will say the Omnia's optical mouse feature was nice. What I found interesting was the screen resolution on the Omnia hampered the otherwise excellent camera specs. Think about it - the Omnia has a 5MP camera but only a 240 x 400 screen to view it on? Storm's is 360 x 480 - a significant increase, at least to me. Pics taken at the store were "ok" but nothing to rave about. Again, it could just be the screen resolution wasn't letting me see the high quality of the pictures.

As for the Storm, it "felt" larger than the Omnia (and it is, barely). One could say it felt more "substantial" as well - about 20% heavier, says the sales rep. Again, we're talking about an ounce, so take that for what it's worth. The "click screen" frankly makes sense to me - it was easy to select whatever I wanted to type simply by pressing the screen. Hovering was automatic, and the blue highlight which shows up under my finger as I drifted across the screen to scroll doesn't select anything until you press, unlike the Omnia, which seemed to randomly select things if I hovered too long, or scrolled too slowly. Since I'm new to the BB world, I didn't have an issue with the lack of trackball or wheel that some here have suggested would be challenging to work without. For me the concept of SurePress made logical sense and was easy to adapt to. The rep at the second store was BB - biased, and made the observation that there is a version of the Omnia sold overseas with a higher resolution screen, but it won't be coming to the States. He questioned that decision, and implied that Samsung may not support this "lower-end" model the way BB will support the Storm. Again, take it with a grain of salt... Also, someone here suggested the FM radio was disabled by Verizon on the Omnia -- the rep had no knowledge one way or the other about that, but my guess is they did NOT disable it. The rep confirmed that VZNav is the GPS tool of choice for both phones. He said you can certainly go to Google maps or MapQuest, but as for turn by turn navi, it's VZN.

My takeaway from this experience is that I will order the Storm. The 5MP camera's specs are nice on paper, but I won't/don't benefit from it. My company doesn't care if I have a BB or not, and doesn't use a BES server, so I'm genuinely open to either WM or BB, but the phone itself strikes me as a better choice -- Verizon has lots of stuff for it, and nothing for the Omnia (at least not yet).

Remember, you have 30 days to trade either phone out - so get one (since the Storm is harder to locate, you might want to get that one last) and work it to death. If it works for you, then you've found your new phone; if not, trade it out and keep trying!

I hope this helps someone out there make an informed decision. If there's something I've forgotten to mention, ask it in here and i'll respond if I can.

Thanks, Innovator1

[innovator1]

Forgot to mention that the BB-biased rep didn't know the Omnia had a proprietary headphone jack. It appears to plug into the same spot that the power cord plugs into -- not sure how that works, but almost certainly means you can't recharge and listen to music at the same time. The rep didn't have the box, so we couldn't test it out.

Innovator1

[PastorSteve]

OK...as Verizon customers we're locked into these two choices. I wish I could get an iPhone, but that's not even a choice (thanks to Verizon denying Steve Jobs' offer). Anyway, I have had the Omnia for about a week. Yes, it is sleek. I like the 5 mpx camera, the idea that memory can be expanded to 24gig (8 onboard/16 micro sd), and the browser. It is small, and on PAPER looks better.

So (like you didn't know this was coming) here are the things I HATE: The video player (touch player) is glitchy. As a matter of fact, I found myself "soft" reseting the phone just to get the player to operate. Yes, it comes with a stylus. Know why? Because there are elements of the touch screen too small to touch with error! (Scroll bar, the "ok" or "x" in the upper right corner, and keyboard while in portrait mode) How frustrating. Next, if you want to call a contact that's not set up on a speed dial - you have to scroll through your contact list (good luck with that!). Oh, and as far as speed dial. If your used to hitting the assigned number on the keypad to bring up that contact, forget it. You have to go into a menu, select speed dial, then go through a list (hopefully it's not too long). Kinda defeats the purpose of speed dial. Got Bluetooth? Well forget any hands free operation if your driving. The phone won't dial on a voice command if the phone's screen is locked, or (and this is more likely to happen) you've accidentally engaged an application or menu. The screen is hyper sensitive to the touch. If this is the case, you'll have to get your phone out, close the menu or app. and then make your call. Not very "hands free"! Lastly, if you want to input text (entering new contact info, browser search bars, calendar entries, or any type of "box") you'll find this difficult as well. You can use the optical mouse, but it definitely slows you down. Plus, I really didn't notice the difference Wi-Fi contributed.

I truly wanted to love this phone. It sounded so awesome - on paper. The bells and whistles may sound nice, but they just don't operate smoothy. And it is a phone! Functionality was terrible.

I'm shipping my Omnia back and getting the Storm. I did have a chance to check it out at a store and I agree with the other members. It seems much smoother in operation - and let's face it, that's what a phone experience should be. It's a tool not a headache. I may be back to let you all know what I think of the Storm.

[oliethegoalie99]

This is a great thread! I have been been keeping track of all the replys on the thread and they have all been very informational! I actually am trying to decide between the storm and omnia and I got a chance to play around with both for a few minutes. I am leaning more towards the storm but I wanted to know if it was just me or if the omnia, the WM 6.1 makes the phone seem a little "congested" persay with the small text on the dropdown boxes and no back button (non that I could find)? I am a newbie to all of the touchscreen tech and wanted to see if anyone felt the same with me. I am begining to like the storm more now that I got a chance to play with omnia but wanted some more opinions on it too. Thanks!

[innovator1]

Olie, I felt the same way. The only complaint I have with the Storm right now (I've had it for 3 days) is that the "space" key is so low on the virtual KB, and the "a" key so far to the left, that sometimes I don't fully depress them when I'm typing. Could just be me.

[RSBCTrumpet]

I had to register just to post this message, but I felt it worth the reply. I too am looking at these new phones, but there is one thing that nobody has even mentioned!
I current have an older Samsung i760 from Verizon, and if you have never tried the voice command features, it is worth noting the comparison. Lets face it, most of your phone use is going to be for communicatin and primarity talking. The Omnia continues with the same voice command features of its previous models. You can ask it to play music, any song, ask it about your appointments, launch any program, play the radio, and it even understands variations.
For instance.. I can say: "Dial 1 Eight Hundred ######" or i can say: "Dial 1-8-0-0-####". It doesn't matter if I say the numbers or the words, I can say "Call John's cellular" or "Call John's mobile", it doesn't matter. It is unbeliveable. It doesn't matter who asks it, it does not need training, no voice tags, etc. For the first time, I am actually able to use the bluetooth device without ever taking the phone out of my holster. It also announces who is calling, my appointments, etc. So I never have to look at my phone to see who is calling. There is only one other mention of the Omnia using voice command in this thread, but it will use hands free calling if the screen is locked, as well as answering thru Bluetooth, but you have to check the BT hands free box to enable it.
I tried this on the BB Storm and it did not have near the functionallity. It could hardly find the person I was asking for, and it took many tries. It had no clue if I asked it for help, or "what are the commands" or play my music, etc.
Both phones have their strengths and weakness, but if you have never examined voice command technology, it should be noted.
Personally, I do no use speed dialing (voice command instead), I do not view video/movies, so this is not important to me. As far as the same (PastorSteve) member who posted, about the difficulty of closing a screen because of the "X" in the corner, I have to agree. Any touch screen Windows Mobile device, it is hard to close these windows by touching the "X" in the corners. My current phone, this has always been difficult as well, but the Omnia introduced the optical mouse that makes this much simpler to use without a stylus, but again, you have to enable this as well.

[oliethegoalie99]

innovator1, thank you for your reply! I am glad I wasnt the only person that felt that way lol. I also did noticed that the space key and the "a" key was like that when I got to play around with the storm for a few. I really did like the storm thought overall. Do you have any other information about the storm? Also your post when you went to the verizon stores, that was very helpful and informational! Thank you!

[innovator1]

Olie, thanks for the kind words! I ended up with the Storm, and am very happy. There is a lot of info on the BB 9500 Storm thread elsewhere on this site (and on crackberry.com) that provides a number of workarounds to a lot of the Storm's issues. For example, if you're typing on the landscape virtual KB faster than the Storm seems to be able to keep up, there is a GREAT fix discussed in the 9500 thread about resetting the default settings for tap and hover speed, screen sensitivity and other stuff that will GREATLY improve your typing speed and accuracy. Check it out!

[innovator1]

Just checked the other thread and here are the listed settings for improving your typing speed:

Increase the Tap Interval to 100.
Increase the Hover Period to 100.
Increase the Swipe Sensitivity to High (6).
Key Rate to Fast.

Not my original post, so whoever came up with this one gets the kudo's. you can mess with the settings a little, but "key rate" set to fast makes a worls of difference, and the shorter hover and tap periods make typing a breeze by comparison to the original settings.

[oliethegoalie99]

You are very welcome Innovator1! I appreciate it a lot! I have finally decided and I am going to get a Storm. I really like everything about it and I just got a chance to play with one the other day again and this time it was for more than a few minutes and I am very impressed with it! There is a lot of useful information and again I appreaciate all the useful advice and help! Thank you agian!

[jh1]

Originally Posted by RSBCTrumpet

I had to register just to post this message, but I felt it worth the reply. I too am looking at these new phones, but there is one thing that nobody has even mentioned!
I current have an older Samsung i760 from Verizon, and if you have never tried the voice command features, it is worth noting the comparison. Lets face it, most of your phone use is going to be for communicatin and primarity talking. The Omnia continues with the same voice command features of its previous models. You can ask it to play music, any song, ask it about your appointments, launch any program, play the radio, and it even understands variations.
For instance.. I can say: "Dial 1 Eight Hundred ######" or i can say: "Dial 1-8-0-0-####". It doesn't matter if I say the numbers or the words, I can say "Call John's cellular" or "Call John's mobile", it doesn't matter. It is unbeliveable. It doesn't matter who asks it, it does not need training, no voice tags, etc. For the first time, I am actually able to use the bluetooth device without ever taking the phone out of my holster. It also announces who is calling, my appointments, etc. So I never have to look at my phone to see who is calling. There is only one other mention of the Omnia using voice command in this thread, but it will use hands free calling if the screen is locked, as well as answering thru Bluetooth, but you have to check the BT hands free box to enable it.
I tried this on the BB Storm and it did not have near the functionallity. It could hardly find the person I was asking for, and it took many tries. It had no clue if I asked it for help, or "what are the commands" or play my music, etc.
Both phones have their strengths and weakness, but if you have never examined voice command technology, it should be noted.
Personally, I do no use speed dialing (voice command instead), I do not view video/movies, so this is not important to me. As far as the same (PastorSteve) member who posted, about the difficulty of closing a screen because of the "X" in the corner, I have to agree. Any touch screen Windows Mobile device, it is hard to close these windows by touching the "X" in the corners. My current phone, this has always been difficult as well, but the Omnia introduced the optical mouse that makes this much simpler to use without a stylus, but again, you have to enable this as well.

RSBC,
I have had multiple issues with bluetooth voice dialing on my Storm. Also don't like trying to find a contact on the BB Storm....much easier on my WinMo Treo.
My question.....is WinMo on the Omnia any more stable than on the Treo? Mine gave me constant fits....no email for hours - pull the battery and POW `15 emails flood in.....Also...no Flash Player for BB...Opera is a pain to navigate without a trackball or stylus.
However, thanks to others on this board - the Storm virtual keyboard is now awesome! AND I LOVE getting instant email notification from any or all of my various email accounts....Push mail is horrible (or was that my Treo??).

So....I have 14 more days left in my return window......do I return the Storm for the Omnia????

It's very tempting

[nocktherock2010]

Ok....After extensive research and playing with both phones, here is my story.

I had the GSM version of omnia for like 5 weeks and then gave it to my cousin and exchanged for the N95 because i didnt like it. The main point being, I hated WM6.1, l thought it would be better, it is better than the old ones but still not usable without resetting every 2-3 days.

I heard VZ had changed the omnia with a new ROM update so went and purchased it retail. yes they did make a few drastic changes, namely:added a few widgets, accelerometer, browser and touch and scroll in the programs instead of grabbing on the tiny scroll bar. I liked those changes but the problems were there, today screen, which couldnt be customized, and i like having the appointments and tasks on the front screen. no 3.5mm jack and
did i mention sluggish WM?

The Storm on the other hand when it first came out just broke my hopes with all the bugs but i went back and exchanged the omnia after they released the 4.0.75 update. And i love it. The only thing i miss is Wifi, because sometimes im in places where there is no EVDO-rA signal but there is wifi, and FM Radio, cuz sometimes i want to listen to something new and not my music library. But i love the blackberry OS and the email and the keyboard and customization of BB OS with 3rd party apps, not to forget the world capability(omnia is not world) and 3.5mm jack. To me the camera didnt make a huge difference

So it comes down to either using the wifi and radio but bugged sluggish WM or
the storm with more stable OS, better keyboard, and flawless email but no wifi n radio
All other features i found were almost same
What is more important to you?

To me features in storm are more important and i got the unlock code from VZW so ican use my vodafone sim when i go to Europe this christmas and not have an outrageous bill.
But my perfect phone would be omnia hardware with click screen and BB OS

[dtm]

Originally Posted by innovator1

Just checked the other thread and here are the listed settings for improving your typing speed:

Increase the Tap Interval to 100.
Increase the Hover Period to 100.
Increase the Swipe Sensitivity to High (6).
Key Rate to Fast.

Not my original post, so whoever came up with this one gets the kudo's. you can mess with the settings a little, but "key rate" set to fast makes a worls of difference, and the shorter hover and tap periods make typing a breeze by comparison to the original settings.

innovator1, thanks for the great review. One question that has made me hesitate when considering the Storm: when you are entering text, and need to go back and make a correction, how do you insert the cursor between two letters. I tried this briefly at a Verizon store demo unit and could not figure it out. Even with slim fingers, I couldn't regularly get the cursor between the two letters I wanted....then, if I miss by one letter, there is no dpad or trackball to move it, so I'm forced to try yet again with my fingernail to put the cursor in the right spot. This is one thing that keeps the Omnia on my decision list -- it has the optical mouse to help with this. Is it easier on the Storm than I think it is?

[PastorSteve]

Originally Posted by oliethegoalie99

This is a great thread! I have been been keeping track of all the replys on the thread and they have all been very informational! I actually am trying to decide between the storm and omnia and I got a chance to play around with both for a few minutes. I am leaning more towards the storm but I wanted to know if it was just me or if the omnia, the WM 6.1 makes the phone seem a little "congested" persay with the small text on the dropdown boxes and no back button (non that I could find)? I am a newbie to all of the touchscreen tech and wanted to see if anyone felt the same with me. I am begining to like the storm more now that I got a chance to play with omnia but wanted some more opinions on it too. Thanks!

There is no back button. Sorry - but good for you for taking time to check out both. Have the Storm now - much easier to use! It does edit Works, Excel and Power Point, plus it obviously handles those documents. However, you cannot create docs on the Storm. BUT let's all face it - you're not probably going to do that anyway. All in all the user interface, touch screen, battery life and general usage as a phone are much better on the Storm. I would know I used to own an Omnia.

[PastorSteve]

Originally Posted by jh1

RSBC,
I have had multiple issues with bluetooth voice dialing on my Storm. Also don't like trying to find a contact on the BB Storm....much easier on my WinMo Treo.
My question.....is WinMo on the Omnia any more stable than on the Treo? Mine gave me constant fits....no email for hours - pull the battery and POW `15 emails flood in.....Also...no Flash Player for BB...Opera is a pain to navigate without a trackball or stylus.
However, thanks to others on this board - the Storm virtual keyboard is now awesome! AND I LOVE getting instant email notification from any or all of my various email accounts....Push mail is horrible (or was that my Treo??).

So....I have 14 more days left in my return window......do I return the Storm for the Omnia????

It's very tempting

Please do not return the Omnia. You will be quickly disappointed. While RSBCTrumpet has an i760, the Omnia is not the same. If you do any serious texting, enjoy instant notifactions, and staying in touch through a facebook acct., then hang on to your Storm. If you want to be frustrated daily, get the Omnia. Also, the Omnia does have an optical mouse which is great if your stationary - not so much if you drive or are on the go. This phone is great if you have little 12 year old Chinese girl fingers. Way too sensitive of a screen, again typical operation way to difficult. If the older Samsung tech is better - they should've stuck with what works! Although I didn't know about the bluetooth setting to activate while locked, it certainly wasn't a deal breaker on the Storm. As you know by now, the use as a phone is great.

[PastorSteve]

Originally Posted by dtm

innovator1, thanks for the great review. One question that has made me hesitate when considering the Storm: when you are entering text, and need to go back and make a correction, how do you insert the cursor between two letters. I tried this briefly at a Verizon store demo unit and could not figure it out. Even with slim fingers, I couldn't regularly get the cursor between the two letters I wanted....then, if I miss by one letter, there is no dpad or trackball to move it, so I'm forced to try yet again with my fingernail to put the cursor in the right spot. This is one thing that keeps the Omnia on my decision list -- it has the optical mouse to help with this. Is it easier on the Storm than I think it is?

Good question. Simply "hover" in the line of text. When the courser changes to a "box", slide your finger left or right to move to your desire location in the line. Hope this helps.