Last week I tried it in London.

I was about to use this as our upgrade for a quickly finishing 2-year contract.

On the "face-of-it" it was having everything I wanted. But it's operation, while being assisted by Storm Agent too, was so awful I could not understand how it was being demoed. I really, truly couldn't.

If RIM (Research In Motion) is that concerned to get to another sector of the market, IMO this AIN'T the way to go about it.

Now I am looking for Storm 2 or 3.

Grazie

Why don't you get an iPhone?

The only knock on that one I've heard is that "the keyboard is difficult to use for people with large hands."

And I find that knock hard to understand, because I wear Size XL work gloves (the largest commonly available) and have no problems whatsoever with the iPhone keyboard in portrait mode, and if you use it the landscape keyboard for e-mail, the keys are almost comically large.

The iPhone's 3G internet access is nearly 3x faster than a Blackberry, the Safari browser is the only one today that gives a serious web experience, the screen is flat-out amazingly sharp, it runs Unix, it's great for watching movie clips, the actual telephone works really well with great clarity both ways, and unlike the G1 (and any other phone) it has Google Answers where you just ask it a question with your voice and it gives you an immediate answer (and this works perfectly in my use), visual voice mail (it has to be seen to be believed), good two-way wireless auto-sync between your desk calendar and the phone at all times, and much much more.

Why don't you get an iPhone? - Because it wasn't part of the deal.

"the keyboard is difficult to use for people with large hands." My partner runs a very fine wpm match speed! And yeah, small fingers too. Trying to get the cursor to go backwards was a joke.

The iPhone's 3G internet access is nearly 3x faster than a Blackberry - Well, I've seen a head-to-head that shows the BB a wee bit in front.

I wanted this phone. The screen is gorgeous and it does come with that BB pedigree.

I can wait for Storm 2 or 3. If I find a contract+ iPhone, then I could be very well tempted.

Grazie

Getting use to my G1. Very liberating having most all of the internet available when I need/want it. Very cool applications.

Read a report from big wig in New York City that he took the iPhone back for a refund. Marvelous technology, just sucked as a cell phone in the city.

[I]Why don't you get an iPhone?[/I]

A-because after two of them I didn't want to be burned a third time.
B-Coverage sucks in my part of the US
C-Quality of conversation is terrible.
D-Because even though I succumbed to what people in my part of the world call an iCo**...I hated being seen as a Macolyte.
I'm ashamed to admit I drank the Kool-aid, and even tried hard to be cool with a black iPhone for almost 2 months.
I love my Storm, but have only had it for a week.

With the G1, I really love the integration with the Google communication stuff. All my contacts between my Gmail and G1 stay synched, any changes I make to the Google calender on either the phone or my PC are automatically updated on the other device. I like the physical keyboard, that T-Mobile will give you free unlock codes upon request (mine is now unlocked) and the barcode scanner and product look-ups while you are shopping. I got a sixteen GB micro SD card online for about $60 so I have a little more memory than the top end iPhone (17GB vs 16GB). Three years from now when the battery dies (as they all do), replacing it will be a simple swap with whatever battery is cheapest at that time on ebay, not a $100 plus repair like it would be with an iPhone. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with it.

No AT&T 3G coverage where you live or work is obviously a deal killer.

I did hear also that there was some part of NYC that didn't have good coverage, which is pretty astonishing. I suspect that is changing by the week though.

The side-by-side speed comparison I saw was in Infoworld I think, but that was done here in the U.S. European 3G networks are totally different.

AT&T also provides free unlocking if you need to travel overseas.

Trying to get the cursor to go backwards was a joke.

I didn't even know that was possible??? Backspace works the normal way, other than that you put a finger anywhere you want to move the cursor, this shows a magnifying glass over the text and lets you wiggle your finger until the cursor is where you want it. Works pretty good I think.

The first generation iPhone had unacceptable voice quality. I had proud friends calling me, and soon decided not to buy that phone. The 3G is completely different though. Great sound in and out, and even a decent speakerphone (not 10 out of 10 for loudness, but works great indoors).

Battery in 3 years time? I'm sorry, but I really think this phone will be obsolete then. I paid $199 for mine, so in two years time I'll get whatever is good then. 4G? Gigabit internet? Built-in HD video projector? Who knows.

A replaceable battery compartment would have added to the size of it, I think they made the right choice.

And if the battery needed replacement, there are plenty of places that swap out an iPod battery for $10, suspect they won't charge anything near $100 for an iPhone battery,

I've seen this phenomena so many times that I can't keep track.

----new item is released
----instantly bad reviews surface characterized by the detail given
----an explosion of viral activity that spreads the bad news

The HV20 was crucified on dvinfo.net on day one. A lot of people bit on it and went into 'cancel my order' mode. I thought BS and bought mine anyway. The poster later confessed to not knowing how to use some of the features(yea right) The thread was 20-25pages deep

"X-files 2" came out this summer and dozens of glowing reviews hit Yahoo within a day or two, some pre-release. I read a bunch of them and no way did these people see the movie. There was a time when you could trust the user reviews, but now its overrun with Hollywood marketing departments.

Amazon reviews are just as bad.....infected with PR/marketing from competitors and manufacturers.

The best thing to do is check out the item for yourself without purchasing. If you're ready to take the plunge, then verify there is a warranty. If you can wait a few weeks, then do so because the flaws will surface. Talk to real users(in person).

Douglas, I'd really would have liked you to have been peering over my shoulder when I was trailing this in London. It was just so hard to operate. PLUS I had a Storm-Bloke, wearing the STORM T-Shirt assisting me.

* Latency issues with flip from Landscape to Portrait meant that I didn't know IF it was going to happen. And turning it again would send it backwards and THEN the command would kick in.

* The browsing was erratic, and clicking on links would lead us to something else.

* Backward cursor movement was non existent

* Scrolling was also "sticky".

I truly wanted to like this device.

It has an elegant and stylish physical presence. And I'd most certainly feel proud handing it off to clients to view my work (what is that screen ratio?). The Audio just "speaks" quality! It has many of the features that make devices like this a technology to be useful.

So to reiterate: I DID test this device. I like the device. My comments here are meant to underpin what also has been said. Try TRY and TRY again before you buy. It is the ONLY way. If you DO take what I have said with any credence, apply it to your experience. If you get to have a good trail, I'll be happy for you, jealous, but happy!

If BB want me to BETA test their Storm2, if there is going to be one, I'm up for that too.

Grazie

And Coursie, about backspace: "I didn't even know that was possible??? Backspace works the normal way, " Nu-uh. It didn't, and that was on two in the shop.

" . . other than that you put a finger anywhere you want to move the cursor," This highlighted the text previously written. It would NOT shift the cursor in free space.

" this shows a magnifying glass over the text and lets you wiggle your finger until the cursor is where you want it. " This did NOT happen. Moving a digit - Wiggling? - or anything just made an erratic, twitchy cursor.

I STILL want the phone. But not under these circumstances.

Grazie

Backspace works the normal way, " Nu-uh. It didn't, and that was on two in the shop.

That is really odd. In several months of use, I never once had a problem with backspace.
I would certainly have taken a step backwards if I had had your experience.

" . . other than that you put a finger anywhere you want to move the cursor," This highlighted the text previously written. It would NOT shift the cursor in free space.

Like with MS Word or most any text editor, you can move the cursor anywhere there is text, horizontally or vertically to any line of text on the screen. I don't recall it scrolling though, could this have been the problem for you? Scrolling is done with finger gestures.

" this shows a magnifying glass over the text and lets you wiggle your finger until the cursor is where you want it. " This did NOT happen. Moving a digit - Wiggling? - or anything just made an erratic, twitchy cursor.

Here I have to think this is about getting used to the touch interface.

It's exactly like early computer users struggling with keyboards, you must remember that.

Back in 1980, I remember spending 20 minutes on a support call from a customer who wanted to return his new "personal computer" because when he hit the Enter key, nothing happened other than an asterisk appeared on the screen.

I calmly went through everything with him that could possibly cause this, but it was all OK. After everything was checked, I thought it would have to be some weird hardware problem in the computer or a totally defective keyboard, and I prepared for a return. Then suddenly after 20 minutes on the phone, the customer says, "Oooooh! I was hitting the asterisk key instead of the Enter key." Oooooh indeed.

I remember the iPhone magnifying glass being a bit fiddly until I got used to it, and then it was smooth sailing.
We'll see this or some minor variation on all smartphones (except the Maxwell Smart shoe phones with rotary dialing!), because the small screen constrains what you can do.

We may dream about having a 24" screen in our pocket that automatically inflates when we pull it out of a pocket. Or a screen that projects a virtual image in front of us and the cursor is moved with hand/finger gestures in space (except that would mean Italians couldn't surf the internet and talk on the phone at the same time... :O).

Well, I have had my STORM now for a week. I am a several year TREO 650 guy and more years than that with Palm for the PDA side of things. Went to TREO for a combined PDA and phone. Rough, tough and worked great. Has some issues like BT now fully implemented etc. But it did what I needed. After about an hour with my STORM I found the interface easier to use and learned it quite well now. Updated the OS yesterday and the screen flip and other move functions are much faster and better now. I am still learning the BLACKBERRY way of doing things after years of PALM. But as of now, I will not go back because the device is better than I had, works quite well and I suspect it will improve as applications and updates come along. It is a computer with OS is all it is. Works like one, has good and bad like one and is fixable like one.

My two cents
Gary

Gary, that's great! I'm really happy to hear that the manufacturer listened to the criticism and took action to make things work properly.

That's a key part in my evaluation of any complex product, because I've found that not all manufacturers stand behind their products.

One of my coworkers bought an Ipod (just before learning she was pregnant with twins-now she wishes she had that $30.00/month back) and she's quite happy. We produce a tech support training site for a major manufacturer and she can view the pages, all the photos, all the flash. Don't know if she can see the WMV files but this is really important if we need to answer the client's questions while we're out in the field.

The Ipod would have been my first choice but I decided I needed to put my folks (turning 80) on my cell plan and the only service that they can get in their rural So-Cal canyon is Verizon. They don't have Iphones so either the Storm or an Omnia are the options.

I switched over at the end of November and couldn't get the Storm at that moment so I got a BB Curve with the idea that I'd return it in 30 days for something else. The Curve is pretty good for what it is but has lots of limitations. Can't access subfolders of an IMAP account unless you install an aftermarket IMAP client. Can't view flash. Can't view WMV. Does support Javascript and is capable of logging in to the site I maintain. Not everything in the store could do that.

I like the idea of a bigger screen for basic GPS use in a car, so the Storm or maybe the Omnia would be okay. I like a lot of features of the Curve but it lacks some crucial things which make me lean away from the Storm and towards the Samsung Omnia. Unfortunately, I can't even begin to look at the Omnia until tomorrow. In the mean time the clock is ticking on my 30 day return window. If all this falls apart I wouldn't be too heartbroken to just keep the BB Curve. It's my first dataphone and I'm enjoying it. I've had an Ipaq in the past and think I could live with another Windows Mobile device.

As far as the BB Storm goes, I'll take the complaints with a grain of salt-that sort of thing happens a lot on product launches.

Rob Mack

Inserted paper in the Storm box/manual specifically recommends updating the moment you turn on the phone. I'd imagine it's a lot cheaper slipping in paper than trying to update and repackage all those phones that are now badly backstocked. I'm waiting on a Storm for an employee and was told by Verizon that they're backed up for at least 2 weeks.

The Storm's great! but some people will complain because Apple didn't make it. RIM and Google will force the Iphone price down, and Apple will be restructuring their contracts with providers. Apple has had a good run with the Ipod and Iphone, but will need to invest into the iphone line more if it wants those profitable provider contracts. There is plenty of things that Apple can do to make the iphone better and more cutting edge. With everyone wanting those service $$$, the poor consumer will be "beaten up".

I was just out at a Verizon store and they had the Samsung Omnia there to play with. Unfortunately it couldn't connect to the web yet. They said they'll do their training tonight and then the phones are available to sell starting on Dec 8th. That's tomorrow here in California.

I did a little onscreen typing with it and it seemed to be absolutely no problem. The Windows mobile menus were a little small for a finger but I could probably learn just where to tap it to hit the menu. The phone gives a little vibrating knock when you tap it, which I liked.

The phone supports Wifi but I'm not sure how much that matters on a 3G network.

The phone has Opera Mobile on it and I saw in the Opera Prefs a switch to support Flash. The phone should also support WMV and is supposed to support DIVX. No Quicktime as far as I know.

The screen rotates automatically and you can hold the phone in any orientation: left side, right side, top side, and bottom side up. Unfortunately I found myself holding the phone flat like it's on a table and in that position the phone can't detect which way is up. Not surprising but the phone would have to train me how to hold it.

The phone has a 5 MP camera.

I'm sure this thing is about as good as a web browser is going to get outside of an Iphone. I have no idea how it performs for email or as a GPS

Rob Mack

Well, I have not learned it all yet on my Storm. I have done some web browsing etc. I had some videos I had done a few years ago that I shrunk for use on my Treo. I just copied them to the storm and it worked great. The BB methods are different but I am getting use to them. For me I do not expect any one device to be an end to all ends of use. I pick them for what I need. I wanted a PDA and good Outlook data syncing. I got that and works good. The GPS works well too. I do not use the Verizon service, just the BB Maps and tracks great. While accelerating from a stop to 60 on the highway, it followed my speed and lagged by only 3 mph. I have not gotten into other map applications etc to try yet. But I will keep my eye out for others.

Ordered a Blue Ant Super III and a V1 for trying out to see how they work. I did the OS update OTA on the phone and worked great. Screen clarity is fantastic and rotates as needed for things. Very loud speaker phone and works good enough for me. Camera is OK but I did not buy if for a camera except for a quick shot if wanted. Touch screen works good but have to get used it. I like the vibrating screen of the LG Dare but it is not a PDA so not useable for me. Now to figure out what new apps come out for the Storm like they did for my old Treo. One thing I do miss is the graffiti writing of the Palm. That was great and I will miss that.

Gary

I'm also a very long term Palm user, and I was very sad to see the company get gradually destroyed by 3COM's bureaucracy, and so on. The Palm Desktop program lost important functionality from V3 to V4, etc. Sigh.

RIM and Google will force the Iphone price down

From $199 to $179?

For a phone that has 10,000 different applications with 300 million downloads?

OS X, OpenGL, etc.?

I don't think so.

I do think that Apple has invested as much as they could get a return from. Of course they are still cranking, but I don't see any other mobile phone that threatens its perch at the top of the food chain.

I love Google with voice entry (only available on iPhones) where I can just hold up the phone and ask "How many liters to a gallon?," or "How high is Mt. Everest?," or "Does Sony Vegas support XDCAM footage?," and get an immediate answer. Works absolutely astonishingly, even with a high background noise level and speaking with a regional accent.

And Evernote (ditto) where you can enter text notes, voice notes, photo notes, web pages, and much more on
either the iPhone or on your desktop computer, and have it all automatically available on both without any manual sync, and of course providing full backup.

I love the really good GPS with full traffic info and both maps, satellite, and hybrid view, showing the actual speeds on the top urban highways in the U.S. and the U.K. with color coding (green= >50mph, yellow = 25-50 mph, red = >25mph), and autotracking to scroll the map as you drive, with clear directions in text and satellite photos of what each turn looks like.

I love how the e-mail app handles all of my e-mail accounts simultaneously and automatically, both POP3 and web-based.

Great calendar that wirelessly stays up-to-date with my desktop calendar without manual syncing.

Voice dialing by name or phone number or company name and location.

Getting step-by-step directions from wherever I am ("here") to the location of a company whose name I just speak into the microphone.

i.TV to see the current TV programming on all channels, based on your location or "at home" (for Slingbox users).

And so much more, including more than 3,000 games, many of which are really really good.

And I laugh every time I see the AC charger. It spans 25x26x28 millimeters, plus the two prongs that go into the wall outlet! That's about one cubic inch...

(And you can alternatively charge it from a USB port, or with a small adapter, from a firewire port.)

AT&T has recently stated that they will reduce the many mobile OS platforms they support to Symbian and OS X for iPhone.

I believe the other carriers will follow, with exactly the same choice of Symbian as the remaining non-iPhone OS (with Google's Android as a possible contender also).

This means that Windows Mobile will disappear, which some people will argue has already happened. It seems nobody likes it.

I recognize about half those functions from my bb curve, but I've only had it for a couple of weeks.

No need for a pissing contest here. The Iphone is a very compelling gadget, but it's only available on one service here in the US so there'll be lots of effort to compete. Judging from the holiday release of new Windows Mobile phones I don't see that OS fading away soon. In fact, I'm thinking that a Windows Mobile phone is probably going to meet my work needs better than an Iphone or a Storm. Who'd have thought it?

I don't see anyone forcing the price of the Iphone down. It's probably at the price point that everyone wants to sell a smartphone at. The job for all the other networks is to stem the tide of people moving to ATT and losing the extra 30-40 dollars a month they're getting for data and gps services. In Verizon's case maybe what they can offer is a "close enough" and more choice.

The iphone camera sure looks like crap, but what do you want in a phone anyway?

Rob Mack

Rob Mack

I should state that I think Apple is planning some big future moves, including the iPhone tech, similar to google msrketing plan, etc.... ;-)

Apple acquired a powerIC manufacturer recently and has been "borrowing" some of IBM top powerchip server people. RIM needs to rethink Apple's cellphone approach and the future video DLing netflex ,etc,,,probably needs to rethink mobile viewing more seriously. DLing movies/tv to mobiles or cars will probably be the market for a while. Apple is my choice to win if everyone else still plays by MS original gamebook.

Well the BB has started to trickle out to users down here. The few user reports are very positive. Most of the concerns raised are more practicle, like "the touch/click screen is great but do the buttons wear out?"
Reports are that the BB is selling globally at one unit every 13 seconds, not bad going for a dud.
Personally I'm lusting after the HTC Diamond Pro, outright purchase of course but that's over $1,000. The again putting aside my love of geek tech I just need a replacement for my old Siemens S55. I'd keep it but every replacement battery I've bought is a dud. Just trying to buy a mobile that just makes phone calls is impossible, still miss my old Moto AMPS brick.
The idea of a phone that anyone could send email to is the last thing on earth I want let alone would pay for. I don't want GPS either, the best experiences of my life were when I got lost, which is pretty rarely. And video calls, if the caller doesn't know what I look like I don't want them calling me.
Maybe I'm getting old, I'm remembering to forget my mobile more and more lately.

Bob.