Reports are that Verizon stores have had some scuffles over today's gadget in its limited release, but we've got one and we'd like to tell you all about the new BlackBerry Storm with its 3G, GPS, web browsing, 3.2 megapixel camera, and Microsoft Office support.
What You Need to Know
- The phone weighs just as much as the G1, but is a little thinner and shorter
- The 3.25” touch screen is big and beautiful
- It looks and feels very cool
- It definitely beats the Android phone in style
- We liked that you could hover or slide your finger around and highlight options without actually selecting them; to select, you just press down
- The keyboard is inaccurate and it seems to be hit or miss when the screen registers presses
- Navigating the web is pretty smooth with finger swipes, but no pinch or zoom
- It's counter-intuitive for people who are used to a touch screen
- It runs on BlackBerry's latest OS (4.7), which is actually an upgrade from the Bold
- The accelerometer takes forever and doesn't always know when it's turned sideways; this is a huge problem for texting
- Scrolling and navigating through menus is laggy, kind of like the Voyager from a year ago
- Overall, not what we'd expect from them; hopefully there will be firmware updates soon
- The 3.2 megapixel camera with a flash takes sharp pictures and video, but colors are muted
- The BlackBerry Application Center allows you to download apps, but it's not fully launched until march
- It includes support for all of your e-mail addresses including corporate accounts
- It uses EVDO Revision A for the internet, which is faster than 3G, but there's no Wi-Fi
- It has GPS with geotagging
- The phone includes Microsoft Office support
- We suggest waiting for updates to their hardware and the launch of the app center
- If you want a better device, Android or the iPhone is the way to go
Price
- $200 with a contract
Overall Rating
- 80% (3 Seals of Approval) (how do we rate gadgets?)
