Verizon Blackberry Storm

[crothmeier]

so im up for a free upgrade, ha, free. Im looking at going to a blackberry and i see the storm is the top model verizon offers and i can get it for $50 after the rebate... im sticking with verizon becasue of the service they have, and am wondering who has the blackberry storm and what they think of it. good or bad opinions welcome, nothing about other carriers please.

[croixflats]

I just upgraded to a BB pearl flip on anther network so I'm not sure how Verizon will do this but my carrier added $18 for activation and required a 2 year contract.

If I bought the phone by phone/ mail I could have had the activation fee waved after a bit of talking.

Also discuss how long the rebate will take to get back and what to do if it does not show up in that amount of time. some carrier rebates are like pulling teeth to get the rebate.

Oh yea, I know my phone is differant than what your looking at but I really like it. I'd say go for it, the storm that is.

[wormdunker]

I switched to a Storm from a Motorola Q. I am not happy with the phone at all.Many things really. My office does not have the Blackberry corporate software on our server so I have to plug the phone into my pc at the office in order to update contacts and calendar. I can get emails and I do like that I can have numerous emails coming into the blackberry but that is not enough for me to suggest this phone to anyone. It is a touch screen so many times when you are on the phone you will accidentally press your cheek against the screen, upon doing so you will activate the speaker phone, this is not a huge deal if it only happened once in awhile and you could instantly switch it back. Typically speaking though you need to wait for the screen to right itself and then touch the handset button. Do this while driving......not god. If you are driving you will need to use the voice activation r bluetooth for sure, dialing the phone is impossible due to the touch screen....Many many other flaws that make it difficult to enjoy, I am disappointed because I was looking forward to better technology and in my opinion I went backward with this phone. Oh one more thing the Camera Is HORRIBLE too. you should also know I have the latest software updates as well.

[PierBridge]

I know there are a lot of Happy Storm user's here on FM but overall I'd say there are way more un-happy Storm users as a whole at the present time around the country.

Just my opinion though!

[DTro]

I would go with BlackBerry Tour.

I have a Curve and it is the best phone I've ever had. Yes, the data plan is $, but I'm a Crackberry for sure now.

I've heard so-so things on the Storm, but I believe the newest revision of the Storm should be out pretty soon.

[LMITOUT]

Wait for the new version of the Storm that is coming out if you can. From the reviews of the pre-release units it's far superior to the current model Storm in form and function. I think they expect it out prior to the end of the year.

I have the Tour (on Sprint) and really like it.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I'm watching all the new phone reviews in preparation of getting a new phone & service.

As is always the case, as soon as you buy one something better comes along. I think I'm going to pay full price this time to avoid the 2 year commitment. I hate being locked in that long when the phones just keep getting better each year.

[DTro]

I've never had a phone more than a year. The are always offering me early upgrades or some special promotion to upgrade.

Most of the time I can upgrade, sell the "old" phone and come out ahead.

[jeffreyd]

i traded my iphone over to a bb curve. i could not get the hang of typing on the screen, and as noted about the storm, if you are using the phone, i would end up hitting things with my cheek. I like the curve, i hook it up to my pc and add contacts and other items that i want. i bought garmin maps for the bb and it works just like my nuvi. hard decision i know but if you do get it, try to duplicate the issues noted and if you find that they are going to be a problem return it within the timeframe.

[Shack]

Quote:

i traded my iphone over to a bb curve. i could not get the hang of typing on the screen, and as noted about the storm, if you are using the phone, i would end up hitting things with my cheek.

Did you mean Storm and not an Iphone. I have never had my cheek on my IPhone 3g cause anything.

I had to wait for the new OS to come out, but I got everything I want out of the Iphone. Minus video and voice controls the new 3g2 has (feature I never used on any other phone anyways).

But like said, I get a new 3g Iphone in April and by June the 3gs is out for the same price

Verizon is great for coverage, but other things i do not care for with V is like SIM card politics and some other stuff. Customer service has been a tough cookie with my wife's cell phone issues, their on-line support (forums even) are horrible and the pricing (even part of a family plan with restrictions and no net) is more than other services. But!!!! it is all about the coverage and Verizon can not be beet.

At&t with my Iphone 3g (and the 3g internet) has been good, but I have not been out in the boonies much. Actually even better than my wife's Verizon. She is in roaming in our garage and I have full bars (could be the phone). She has been thinking of upgrading her Chocolate to a storm, but she has no internet, so what is the purpose? Plus she does not like the semi-bulkyness of the Storm.. She actually has started to like my Iphone, and its slimness, and features.

That is the one thing I will give Apple/Iphone, the tech support and the on-line forum . The over rides, non-apple fixes the the tech crazy members come up with . Fixes come out first for Mac, but a week later the PC geeks pull something out

Personally if you have an issue or want good info on anything blackberry, crackberry can not be beet! Web search crackberry and you will find all your answers.

Like dtro, next year I have no idea what I will have. This Iphone has become so integrated in to every minute of my life, I am always looking for the best now Fantasy Football is crazy now. Almost too crazy. The updates and minute by minute reports started coming via app. style text and special rings last night, than being able to makes changes at any second of my life, it causes my to make last minute changes I regret Texting has over come my life also with my family.

The only thing I can say is get the largest GB phone you can if you are looking at smart/internet phone. That or you have to back up and pick and choose things after you wipe the HD in the phone to get space back

[jeffreyd]

no i dumped my I PHONE, old style not the newer one. I just always had issues with it, plus not being able to type worth a darn on it. I thought that going from that keyboard would be much harder to a bb but it is actually easier on the bb. oh well when my son wants to upgrade, he can have the i phone. Any i will agree 100% about apple service. It cannot be matched. I am a mac user so i have first hand experience with their genius bar. What a great support system.

[Shack]

Yep those old Iphone 2g or something, where kind of a joke, but it started from their. They even had aluminum cases

I will give it to crackberry though. If it was not for them, where would tech info be on the smart phones Verizon offers? I do not think Blackberry has any of their fingers in crackberry, but CB seems to have good sources embedded in BB

The touch screen on the Iphone 3g took me about 2 weeks to master. never used the old version of the Iphone, but compared my 3g to his 2g and just screen size popped out and how light the 3g was.

[jeffreyd]

seems as my thumbs are huge when i was trying to type on the iphone. the bb while smaller buttons, just seems more comfortable when working with.

[PierBridge]

Whats the minimum package per month dollars wise on a Verizon Blackberry? I'd like to get one if I can keep it around a $100 per!

And can the Sprint guys get the radio application "forget the name" like the Verizon peeps. "IE KFAN"

[LMITOUT]

iHeartradio! Yes, I have it on my Sprint Blackberry. Work great. It is basically an application where you can listen to most of the Clear Channel radio stations and then some. KDWB, Cities 97, K102, K-Talk, KFAN, and Kool 108 are the Minneapolis channels on iheartradio, but you can listen to Clear Channel stations from all over the country.

Pandora is another streaming music app that lets you customize what type of music you want to listen to.

[hanson]

Whats the minimum package per month dollars wise on a Verizon Blackberry? I'd like to get one if I can keep it around a $100 per!

I think I pay $85 a month Gary. The full package - internet, e-mail, etc, etc.

I could use more daytime/anytime minutes in my package, I've gone over a few times.

About the Storm, I love the thing. Those who struggle and hate the thing are more than likely having memory problems with it. Crackberry has a couple good threads about optimizing the Storm's performance. Installing BattPull and scheduling it to run once a night was the trick for me. I also run Memory Cleaner. Also a good idea to install Bolt or Opera web browsers, both are unbelievably awesome compared to the native Blackberry browser.

[Shorelunch]

I've had a BB Storm through Verizon for about two months now. I'm 85% satisfied with it. I like the touch screen, but it takes a little getting used to. My worked doesn't have the BB server either, but after download a couple of apps, it's pretty seamless. I would recommend it to a friend or FMer.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Look at an HTC windows based phone. Essentially the same thing as a Blackberry, but you don't have to look for Blackberry apps for it.

I know it's not as advertised as the BB, but if you talk with alot of the reps at Verizon, they'd go this route as well.

My HTC is a non-touch screen as I had a touch screen for a year, but kept ruining the screen with keys in the pocket, rubbing the screen against equipment, etc.

I usually carry my phone in my sock, so I can feel the vibrate better on equipment, but then the phone would get quite dirty too from the dust, and that didn't help the touch screen.

[Scott26]

I have had my hands on both and currently have a Tour.

The storm in my opinion if you want the touch screen and your already used to it, then that is the phone for you. If not, it will take ton of time to get used to specially the keyboard. If your a "fat finger" type person, that phone is not for you the keyboard when in layout mode gets a little tricky if you want to type fast.

I currently have a tour (upgraded from a (8830) and like it a ton so far. Battery life isn't the best but do surf the web on it quite a bit and get about 60+ emails a day.

My only con for both phones is the profiles that you cannot modify, you have to setup new ones yourself, or else you will get alerts every 2 mins in my case. They also have different plugs for the chargers now, not the mini usb like the ones before so keep that in mind.

[fishnhuntnboy]

I am wanting to get the same phone also. After doing some research, if you can wait till next month the new one should be out and be alot better. I think thats what im going to do so I dont have to deal with all the hassle that I have read and heard from other ppl.

[crothmeier]

well im still undecided, im up for the upgrade today, but i might wait until this new storm is out, and head to a store to play with it for a bit, i have a chocolate right now and its been a great phone so far. thanks for all the inputs so far! keep them coming.

[LMITOUT]

I would strongly suggest that you wait for the Storm 2 if you have your heart set on a touchscreen/BlackBerry. From what I've seen in videos and read it's much improved and more iPhone-like with the way text is entered and how the screen functions.

[crothmeier]

my heart really isnt set on anything, i just wanted to upgrade to something that i could use the internet on for e-mail, weather, fantasy sports, ect.

[PierBridge]

I just missed out on a Tour on Cragy for a semi-decent price if there is such a thing. There are still a few Tours on Cragy but 3 to 4 hundred is out of my price range for certain, DOH!

[crothmeier]

i can get a storm or curve for $49. the tour is a little over what i want to spend on a phone. i dont think i will get the use out of the potential of these phones, so 49 is do-able, 150 is eh, not worth it to me.

the new storm will be out around x-mas according to a freind that works for verizon. . .