BlackBerry® Storm™

[SL0126]

 I bought a Storm about 7 months ago after being told how great this phone was going to be.  I've been very disappointed so far.  Many of the apps and services I'd like to purchase are not compatible or not available for the Storm. Two examples are Live 365 and also Verizon's new Disney mobile Magic App.  Why is the Storm so difficult for companies to make apps available?  Is this always going to be a problem?  It seems that if I went with a lesser Blackberry I'd have more options.  Please advise me on what my options are.  Do I have to just wait until my contract runs out before I can get the services I want from another provider?

[FA1SGL]

Verizon but rarely has Blackberry compatible applications. Generally Applications available for Verizon's line up are BREW based as it fits their business model better. BREW is nearly impossible to hack and they can then hold the user hostage to their monthly subscription fee basis. Live365 indicates that it is NOT YET available for the Storm. Be patient. It is up to the applications developer to make a device compatible version. In the meantime enjoy Pandora. It is totally free. I have over 70 stations repesenting every genre from old time gospel to Megadeath and everything in between. The Disney Mobile Magic application is a perfect example of the Verizon business model. It is a subscription application at $6.00 per month. That is $72.00 per year. Granted you can download the application for the $6.00 and then delete it after your trip but why? The Blackberry App Store has two Disney applications : ReadyPath Disneyland for California at $4.99 and WDW Maps for Florida for $3.99. Those are flatrate prices and not monthly. The only application I know that Verizon has fielded for Blackberries is Verizon Navigator. I would dump it in a minute if there were an application that I liked with the same feature set. When Google comes up with Navigation for Blackberries I am kissing Navigator goodbye. Visit the other carriers and I don't think you will find things much different. Applications however are being added all the time both at the Application store and at Mobihand... Quite frankly I wouldn't dump the Storm over either of those applications or anything in the same vein...

[SL0126]

I've tried Pandora radio.  It's fine for what it is.  It is a less than adequate substitute for Live365.  Live 365 offers so much better program choices and offers the stations I want to listen to, not songs selected by Pandora.  I've been waiting for the Storm version of Live 365 to come out since buying the Storm.  I should have done more research before purchasing.

 The WDW Maps application that you mention is just that, maps.  I know the park layouts so this app is not very useful.  The Verizon app can do so much more and is the main reason I went with Verizon.  Disney announced last winter that they were working with Verizon to develop this app.  Had I known that Blackberry compatibility would be an issue, I never would have gone with it.  The Storm has been okay for other things and has been useful at times.  The ability to get emails and surf the web has been very nice but I expected so much more.  I was sold on the Storm being direct competition for an iphone.  It hasn't lived up to that billing and I'm hoping that in the next 17 months that I'm stuck with this plan that many improvements are made.

[SL0126]

Another issue...... Several websites I've gone to tell me I need the latest version of Flash Player to view the content.  Is there any way to download or upgrade this on the phone?

[quackinup]

I think you should go with what you suggested and wait until your contract expires and get service with another carrier, and then see how much easier it is to get the Verizon-Disney app. Wait....or you could go read the press release that came out the day that app was released that clearly said "The list of Verizon Wireless phones that Mobile Magic will be available on is expected to grow to include “touch” handsets and smartphones in the upcoming weeks."    Nahhh, easier just to whine I guess.

And correction to the response above...the price is $9.99 for a 180 day subscription, which is $20 a year.