[wademac]

I will be changing jobs in a couple of weeks and will have to give up the BB 8800 that I've used for 3 years or so. Like most BB users I'm now hooked and can't see myself using a "regular" mobile phone or anything other than a Blackberry for that matter.

I have to furnish my own phone at my new job and have started looking at reviews. I want a Storm more than anything, but many of the reviews from mainstream internet & print mags have not been kind. It appears that most of the initial problems are being worked out, but wanted to get actual users thoughts on their Storms. This phone will be used for both personal & business, with emails being a priority, but I wouldn't consider myself a "power" user.

Any comments, especially on the Storm's performance are appreciated. Thanks!

[DJYoshi]

if you're an everyday ueserof the BB: occasional BBM user, emails and responses, and nothing too major of phone use, then the storm isn't a bad choice. the newer os's are solving problems from the initial launch... but it's still got tons of bugs. most BB users I know in the industry are on the bold..... those are the power users that i know that are constantly on their bb whenever they're on the road or not in the office.

[Thom]

My suggestion for you would be to purchase the Storm and take it for a spin for two weeks. You can read just about anything and find good things and bad things. Everyone's opinion will be different. Everyone's tolerance level for issues is different. The bottom line comes down to whether you will like it. The only way to know that is to try it. If after having it for a while and you don't like it, exchange it for the 8800 or the 8330. You will not be charged by VZW as long as you are exchanging it for another phone.

As an FYI, I am an I.T. person and use my Storm heavily. I am not quite a power user but I am no slouch either. You really need to try it for yourself and see if it meets your needs.

[crisambo]

Originally Posted by wademac

I will be changing jobs in a couple of weeks and will have to give up the BB 8800 that I've used for 3 years or so. Like most BB users I'm now hooked and can't see myself using a "regular" mobile phone or anything other than a Blackberry for that matter.

I have to furnish my own phone at my new job and have started looking at reviews. I want a Storm more than anything, but many of the reviews from mainstream internet & print mags have not been kind. It appears that most of the initial problems are being worked out, but wanted to get actual users thoughts on their Storms. This phone will be used for both personal & business, with emails being a priority, but I wouldn't consider myself a "power" user.

Any comments, especially on the Storm's performance are appreciated. Thanks!

Welcome to BBF . ..

Will you be switching carrier as well? if not, you should easily transition over to the AT&T Bold coming from 8800.

Since you have already read a lot of the reviews, would you think that they would make up such stories about the Storm? . . . I had it for 10 days and that's about all I can take of the device. . . so I'm back on the saddle with my TMO BB8820 for its UMA/Wi-Fi/GPS . . . switching over to TMO 8900 as soon as I receive it, also with UMA/Wi-Fi/GPS plus megapixel Camera.

my 2 cents

[NJBlackBerry]

Here is my Personal Opinion of the Storm.
Run away. Fast.

Again, that is my Personal Opinion.

[ooGMiLLSoo]

All I can say is people who hate on the storm are jealous cause they don't have one or they can't afford one. This is by far the best phone I've ever had. Its amazing it can do anything I've ever wanted in a phone. I've never had any glitches bugs or any problems at all with my storm. And because of that I strongly suggest the storm to anyone looking for a great phone =)!

[crisambo]

Originally Posted by ooGMiLLSoo

All I can say is people who hate on the storm are jealous cause they don't have one or they can't afford one. This is by far the best phone I've ever had. Its amazing it can do anything I've ever wanted in a phone. I've never had any glitches bugs or any problems at all with my storm. And because of that I strongly suggest the storm to anyone looking for a great phone =)!

that is very childish mentality of you to make such accusation . . .

OP seeks suggestions from other BBF members regarding experiences on certain devices. . . . If you're strongly suggesting the Storm, by all means do so citing points in favor of the Storm. . .you should be able to provide meaningful information other than it meets your expectation out of a "phone".

I don't have a Storm anymore because I chose to return the device that didn't meet my expectations, I am much happier with my current device. . . and certainly not because I can't afford it.

[wademac]

crisambo...

what phone did you end up trading your Storm for?


Thanks for the input from everyone. I think the advice above that I pull the trigger and try it out for myself is probably the best. I'm currently on AT&T, but since I'm having to give up my current BB, I'll have the ability to choose my carrier. I wish that Verizon also had the Bold so that if I don't like the Storm I could default to the Bold, which leads to another question....

If I do buy a Storm & service thru Verizon, I'm assuming that if I really don't like it and return then I have to stay with Verizon and simply get a different phone, as opposed to being able to return and get completely out of Verizon....

[Thom]

I am sure there are people here more knowledgeable about this who will correct me if I am wrong. Anyway, I am pretty sure that you can return the Storm to Verizon and opt out completely from them as a Carrier within 30 days. You will pay a $35.00 restocking fee for the Storm though plus what ever charges for the month of service you used. The $35.00 restocking fee would not be charged if you stayed with Verizon and exchanged it for a different BB.

[wademac]

cool....thanks Thom.

Sounds like I should have a good idea within 30 days if I can deal with, or even experience, some of the problems others have had. Hopefully there will be an OS upgrade during that time as well. It's hard for me to believe that RIM isn't going to fix all of the bugs that are apparently still going on....just wonder how long that will take.

[Thom]

I do believe the majority of the operating system bugs will be solved. How long that takes is anyone's guess. Since the Storm has launched there was an official update within two weeks or so. Since then there has been three unofficial releases. The unofficial releases have gone a long way at cleaning up some of the operating system issues.

If you do get a Storm and it has screen click issues, there are a couple of threads here that have already addressed this problem. From my understanding the problem is caused by the type of dimple that is used under the screen that is actually part of the click mechanism. Some have said that the Storm's that suffer from the click problem is a result of not enough support in the middle of the device. People have used business cards and electrical tape with varying degrees of success.

My two cents regarding the click issue...when you go to the VZW store to pick up the Storm that you are purchasing (not a demo unit), open up memopad or an email and type the ABC's a couple of times using the enter key. This will let you type each virtual key and get a feel for the click action of the screen. If it is really hard to press any of the keys in the corners, ask the VZW rep to pull out another Storm. Do not accept a Storm with that issue unless you want to employ one of the fixes that have been talked about here in the forums. I would not let the VZW rep set you up on a Storm until you are satisfied with the click action. Go through as many Storms as you need to get one that has proper click action.

Good luck and let us know how you like or dislike the Storm.

[wademac]

Excellent....thanks for the advice...

you answered another unasked question I had...whether to purchase online on in store. Guess I better go local so I can try a few out personally.....

[lukeg310]

I have been using my 8310 for about a year and have loved it. I use the phone mainly for sms,mms and my portable mp3 player. When the storm came out I rushed to go see and was dissapointed at first. The OS was very glitchy and the unit ran slow. I was saving money to get myself a Javelin but I found an offer I coudnt say no to and got myself an unlocked 9530. Transfering all the information through Desktop Manager was a dream and in no time I had my 9530 running. I updated the software to beta 4.7.0.85 and it runs a little faster, and the tilt screen reacts better. On the forum there is a topic on the text messaging settings to make your experience better. The learning curve is not that bad. My typing has slowed down a bit because you cant press multiple keys yet but I am getting used to it. I hope with software upgrades, the Blackberry Storm will be able to stand tall among its brothers. Only thing I am dissapointed is that it doesnt have wifi. I personaly love my phone and everyone is jealous that I got it to work on a T-Mobile network and I changed the telephone number to mine(the forum has a topic on that also). I recomend for you to wait till Feb 11 and see for yourself if the Javelin or Storm would be the ideal blackberry for you.

The new beta release 4.7.0.90 is a step closer to the Storms true potential!

[fw_idaho]

Wirelessly posted

I have been a BB addict for about a year and switched from my much loved 8830 to the Storm in December. I am not a power user but use it for business, email, sms, mms, and documents. I did not have all the issues that so many have reported.

There was a learning curve. I loved my 8830 and had to adjust to the Storm. It took at least a week to really get used to it. Now I would not consider going back.

The few issues like screen lag have been greatly improved. The camera is probably the worst feature.

I would agree that you need to try it for yourself. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine.

[wademac]

thanks fw!

I'm going to probably pick one up in a week or so and give it a try.

[Watoosy]

Originally Posted by Thom

I am sure there are people here more knowledgeable about this who will correct me if I am wrong. Anyway, I am pretty sure that you can return the Storm to Verizon and opt out completely from them as a Carrier within 30 days. You will pay a $35.00 restocking fee for the Storm though plus what ever charges for the month of service you used. The $35.00 restocking fee would not be charged if you stayed with Verizon and exchanged it for a different BB.

Concerning the $35 restocking fee, I was told this by Verizon rep as well. But, when I complained that I would have to pay a fee to switch to a say a Bold that they don't offer, rep said they would waive the fee. So, you just need to demand they waive the fee.

[wademac]

I noticed at verizon.com there is a $50 online discount. Does anyone know if there is any way to get that at a verizon store? I'd rather try out a couple of Storms screen response in person rather than just ordering online. Thanks.

[Thom]

I would just go armed with the online prices and be prepared to hammer the VZW rep with them. You can always tell them that if they can't give you the online price in the store, you are just going to go order online. VZW reps make more of a commission with a new customer than a upgrading customer, so you may get your way in the end. It all depends on the VZW store and the willingness of the VZW rep to work with you.

There is a $50 rebate going on with the Storm, so you should be able to get that in the store.

[cwosigns]

I didn't get them to budge. I ended up buying mine at Costco.

[Trowa]

I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But to have opinions like

"Here is my Personal Opinion of the Storm.
Run away. Fast."

without proper justification is just wrong.

I've been using or selling blackberrys since the good ol days of the 6750. One of the oldest blackberries ever. I personally went from 7100s, pearls, bolds, curves and right now to the Storm. So I'd have to say that I've had a fair bit of experience with Blackberries.

I can understand that not everybody likes the Storm because its different. There will always be haters and lovers for all BB models. I personally hated the Storm when I first got it. Lets just say it was no REAL full QWERTY keyboard because you couldn't feel any of the buttons like any of the previous BB models. This reminds me when the Pearl first came out, everybody was hating on it because it was a Suretype keyboard and not QWERTY. But over time, I got used to the on screen click keyboard and just love the damn thing. I have to agree that there are a few bugs in the Storm that need to be looked at but it was just launched. Not everything is worked out right away but in the end it will be. Its just all part of the PDLC ( Product Development Lifecycle )

Ultimately the decision is up to the person buying it whether they love it or hate it. I don't think you should really be asking what other people think because in the end its your own hard cash you are using, not theirs.