An imperfect Storm

Posted by Tammy Parker Monday, January 5th, 2009

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Based on numerous reviews that I’ve seen, one either loves the BlackBerry Storm or hates it. I’ve been testing one for two months and, although I’m generally an acerbic skeptic regarding new gadgets, I have to admit that I’m enamored.

I’ve been using Research in Motion’s BlackBerry Storm 9530, which includes CDMA/EVDO Rev. A plus a SIM card for roaming on 2100MHz UMTS/HSPA and quadband EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks. The device also has Bluetooth and GPS radios in it, leaving no room for Wi-Fi. But seriously, who needs Wi-Fi if your mobile network has adequate coverage?

Verizon Wireless has long contended that it doesn’t need to support Wi-Fi because its EVDO network is so extensive. From my perspective, they’re correct. In using the Storm across rural Western Colorado, Denver, Chicago and Las Vegas, I never once wanted for a Wi-Fi connection because EVDO was ubiquitous. I can’t say the same for my experience in London, however. My Storm defaulted to Vodafone’s GPRS/EDGE network several times while I was there. The process of overlaying WCDMA/HSPA over GSM has been slow as molasses in many cases, making Wi-Fi a necessary backup for whenever you’re outside of a 3G coverage area, which can still be quite often across Europe.

Similarly, US GSM operators AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA continue to plod along on their WCDMA/HSPA overlays, while EVDO is everywhere I need it to be. No wonder Apple’s iPhone 3G includes Wi-Fi. I contend that Wi-Fi would be much less necessary in an iPhone 3G version for the US market if the device had EVDO rather than WCDMA capability.

Works for me

I’ve dabbled with all sorts of apps on the Storm but have mainly used it for email, SMS/MMS, photo uploads, Facebook, navigation and Internet access. I imagine my success in using the device where others have failed may stem from the fact that I have small fingers; hence, I tend to hit the correct virtual buttons in the right places.

The Storm is far from perfect. The on-screen keyboard takes getting used to, but I like the tactile feedback of the movable virtual keyboard, a feature some people despise. And I learned that I absolutely must type with my thumbs, even though I prefer to use my index fingers, because the on-screen “keys” are apparently designed to be hit from thumb-angle.

I never use the frustrating SureType keyboard (two letters per key and poor software attempts at guessing what word you’re trying to type) that appears when the unit is held in vertical position, preferring the QWERTY keyboard that pops up in horizontal mode.

A major problem I’ve encountered when holding the Storm to my face for a phone call is that my cheek frequently hits the touch-screen and shifts the phone either into speakerphone mode or mute mode.

The worst part of the phone is the horrendous battery life, caused by the touchscreen’s ongoing power drain. I’ve learned to recharge the Storm nightly or expect a dead battery.

Yearning for apps

I’ll be keenly interested to see what the RIM applications store offers when it is unveiled this spring. RIM claims that it spent years trying to get mobile operators to support the idea of an apps store for BlackBerry, but until Apple did it for the iPhone, operators balked. Now operators, and the rest of the mobile industry, finally understand the concept.

I don’t know why anyone needs the iBeer app that has become so popular on the iPhone (the application makes it look like you’re drinking a virtual beer from your handset), but I have to admit that I fancy a similar app for the Storm.

By the way, Verizon’s VZ Navigator app, which comes preloaded on the Storm, needs some help. I used it for directions to an auto body shop, and it had me turn left into a warehouse district rather than right to toward the correct destination. I was really irritated when the app told me I had arrived at my destination even though it had steered me onto the wrong street and I was driving away from the place where I wanted to be.

Anyway, now that my demo period is about over, will I buy a Storm? Maybe. The Storm should ostensibly cost US$549.99, but Verizon has been selling it at the subsidized price of US$199 with a two-year contract commitment. I received an email on Jan. 2 from CompUSA offering the device for US$179.99, and my beau, who’s on a Verizon Wireless family plan with a friend, has already gotten a postcard from the operator offering him the Storm for US$99. So, if I can find the right deal, yes, I would consider becoming a regular Storm user on Verizon’s network, at least until I fall in love with another mobile gadget.