Blackberry Storm Month Review

January 4, 2009

I have been using my Blackberry Storm daily for over a month now and have been meaning to do this review.  Thank you to Dustin McClure for posting this comment on my blog and prompting me to finally get around to it.  Check out his comment and my response below. Watch the video too, of course!

  1. Dustin McClure Says:
    January 3, 2009 at 3:08 PM How is your Blackberry Storm working out for you now that you’ve had it for a while?Thanks for your review

Here is my reply:

Dustin~blackberry-storm1

As much as I want to love the Blackberry Storm and as much as I do love it on some days…my opinion changes daily.  Some days the phone is great.  Everything runs perfectly the accelerometer functions exactly as it should.  All applications and phone calls are flawless.  On these days it is right up there with the iPhone- better for business use than the iPhone I think.

Then there are the days when nothing works right.  This could be due to the fact that I have installed a leaked update- OS 4.7.0.83 and the latest version that has been released “officially” is 4.7.0.75.  I just had to do it though to see if the phone would perform any better.  And it does…on certain days.  Other times it will lock up at least 2-3 times a day and take FOREVER to adjust orientation through the accelerometer.

I do love the Facebook application, a WeatherBug application for the Storm I installed, and overall all forms of messaging (text, email, mms) have been very great.

I have never been able to get the camera to work for more than 2 minutes without locking up- very frustrating because this is was a selling point for me on this phone.  And TwitterBerry will only work in portrait mode which is a big pain if you are into Twitter (after posting this video on YouTube I received a comment with a link to a video which shows how to correct this and use Twitter in landscape mode).

The thing I try to keep in mind is that it is a NEW phone and there are going to be some issues.  Everyone compares it to the iPhone and the iPhone had several issues in their first generation release as well.  I am hopeful that things will get better through time as more updates are released and am excited about the new Blackberry Application Store which is coming in March of this year.

I am going to be patient and stick with it in hopes of it living up to the expectations that were set by Verizon.  At times the iPhone can be very tempting, but I think I will be able to manage.

I am sure this is a far longer response than you anticipated, but hopefully it is helpful .  If you have any more questions about the Blackberry Storm, you know where to find me.

Thanks,
D-Mac

6 Comments | blackberry, iphone, twitter | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by derekmcclain

Twitter Management with TweetDeck

November 29, 2008

Twitter is a great micro-blogging tool for staying in touch and allowing others to stay in touch with you.  If you are not using Twitter currently, create a Twitter account right now. 

There are a variety of different applications out there to use with Twitter.  You have: TwitterBerry (Twitter for the Blackberry), Twitterific (Twitter for the iPhone), TwitterFox (Twitter for Firefox).  Each of these can be very beneficial depending on what your specific needs might be with the phone or browser you are using.  One thing we all have in common, however, is the fact that we are using a computer.  So how do you better manage your tweets when you are using Twitter on your desktop or notebook PC?  The answer is TweetDeck.

TweetDeck is the most efficient way that I have found to utilize Twitter.  Simply put, it breaks all tweets down into managable pieces.  It’s column view and sorting functionality make it much easier to know who is following you, replying to your tweets, or sending you a direct message.  TweetDeck does require Adobe Air to run, but once this is installed your Twittering experience will be a breeze.  TweetDeck will ensure that you stay up to date with the people you want to follow, while making it easy to see who is following/replying to your tweets.  With TweetDeck you are sure to increase your Twitter Grader score in no time!

Leave a Comment » | apple, blackberry, facebook, iphone, technology, twitter, twitterberry | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by derekmcclain

Blackberry Storm Less Than 24-Hour Review

November 25, 2008

The Blackberry Storm finally arrived today via FedEx priority delivery.  While I was unable to pick one up the day it was released, I am not going to complain as Verizon offered an instant $50 rebate instead of having to go through the whole mail-in process.  I was able to get the phone, a silicone case, a screen protector and car charger all for $202 with a new 2 year contract.  This makes the Blackberry Storm a very cost effective purchase.

Having spent some time with the Blackberry Storm today, I can say that so far I am very pleased with the purchase.  The functionality of the phone definitely takes some time for adjustment, but I love the clickable screen.  It is so nice to hover over something, see what you are going to click before it is registered, then be able to make your selection.  The setup was pretty easy as I was able to move all contacts, personal email accounts and media over in under an hour.  If you are planning to get this phone, you will want to make sure to install the Blackberry Desktop Manager as there are several device updates already available.

I will admit there are a few areas where the iPhone is much better.  The text messaging on the Blackberry Storm, while easier than most phones to manage is not as aesthetically pleasing as the iPhones layout.  Then of course there are the applications.  The Blackberry Storm does come with a few applications available, including a Facebook app.  I really like the Facebook app, but other applications such as Google Maps and Twitterberry are not optimal for frequent users.  I imagine Blackberry will roll out some updates for these in the near future.  I was able to find a cool site with high-quality home screen images for the Blackberry Storm.

Overall, the Blackberry Storm is a high-quality Smartphone.  While it may not be as fashionable as the iPhone and does lack some of the nice features that will come with time…all of the basic functionality that has made Blackberry so successful in the past is there.  I am unsure at this point how it is going to compete with the iPhone, but do know that I can’t wait to see what applications Blackberry is going to release in March of 09.

5 Comments | blackberry, google, iphone, twitter | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by derekmcclain

Blackberry Storm in the Forecast

November 21, 2008

As some of you may know, I have been following the release of the Blackberry Storm very closely.  It is very intriguing for me to see if this phone will be the iPhone killer.  Since the release of the iPhone, it has dominated the cell phone market, selling more units than even Steve Jobs predicted.  I am ready to see some competition, especially being a Verizon Wireless customer who is stuck in a contract and not willing to pay the cancellation fee to switch to AT&T.

Well good news for us Verizon customers, the Blackberry Storm comes out tomorrow- Friday, November 21st, 2008.  While this phone is not getting near the media coverage the iPhone got, it is still making a buzz in the technology community.  There are tons of head to head comparisons between the Blackberry Storm and the iPhone.  People that like the new touch screen technology and people that hate it, people that swear Apple’s app store will ensure its continued dominance and people that can’t wait for Blackberry to open their app store in 2009.  It’s hard to tell what to think at this point until the phone is actually released, but an iPhone tempted Verizon customer that has waited this long can only hope it was worth the wait.  Tomorrow we will see…

8 Reasons to Pick the iPhone over Blackberry Storm

8 Reasons to Pick the Blackberry Storm over iPhone

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Posted by derekmcclain