BlackBerry® Storm™

[dlcpa]

With Verizon planning to up the calling plan cancellation fee to $350 as of November 15, 2009, trying out the Storm 2 and then cancelling after 6 months will be very costly.  This is my first Blackberry so I don't have any long term allegiance to RIM.   I don't do a large volume of email or texting but I need the ability to be reached or to reach someone else if the situation arises.  I would say most of my BB use was planned to be on the Web. 

Before I got the Storm 2, I assumed that the browser was better and faster than it is.  There are some websites where I cannot make a selection on a banner, all that happens is the screen zooms in. I have to make a decision in two weeks whether or not I keep the Storm 2 or:

1.  Give back the Storm 2 and buy a Storm 1 on ebay and see what happens in the next few months.

2.. Give back the Storm 2 and buy a Droid for its screen and its Web processing and a future with a lot more software.

3. Bite the bullet and buy an IPhone and find some workarounds for the fact that Itunes will not sync Doc, XLS and PDF files (I think Documents to Go will). and regarding the permanent battery, the battery on the Storm 2 lasts 1/2 a day.  That is ridiculous.

4. Try to undue the last few weeks and try go month to month on ATT until the second generation Droid comes out, without the slide out keyboard and maybe a much larger battery.

5. Stick with the Storm 2 and hope that RIM gets a better browser quickly, gets faster net access and opens up software so we don't have to pay 4 times as much for some programs that the Iphone and the Droid has...like Zagat to Go.

So, what do you all expect will happen in the near future.  It took RIM a year to upgrade its software for the Storm 1. That is despicable.  Andoid 2.0 is coming out with a maintenance release about a month after launch.  So, how can someone not loyal to Blackberry have faith that things will be made better quickly?

Am I missing something here?  I hear people telling me that the Storm 2 is so much better than the Storm 1.  If that is the case, how dreadful was the Storm 1 and how dreadful was RIM's responses to it's customers who were so unhappy for so long?

dlcpa

[JSanders Resident Expert]

There is so much wrong with all of this, so much mis-information.

I can read all you stated, and your last two paragraphs sum it up: You came to rant and complain and whine.

This is a user to user, peer to peer community forum. Volunteers. We like helping people who have problems with their BlackBerry, and you don't have any real questions.

We can't predict the future. If we could, we'd all work for the carnval.

Good luck.

[Krypto]

A few comments:

• It did not take 1 year to upgrade the original Storm.  Verizon upgraded the Storm in April or May to version 4.7.0.148.  And that was after the original Storm update from 4.7.0.65 to 4.7.0.75 which happened after 1 month.  And not only that, RIM has been issuing plenty of upgrade versions to Verizon and the other carriers.  It's not their fault if they don't accept that upgrade.

• The browser is not the fastest browser.  This is well known and RIM is working towards revamping the browser all together using Webkit tools.  That said, don't expect an updated browser anytime soon as development takes time.  But you are not restricted to using just the BlackBerry Browser.  You can install Opera Mini or the Bolt Browser instead.  Both are supposed to be much faster at rendering websites.

• The Storm 1 was/is a good phone that had glitches when it first came out (just like all new technology).  With the new 5.0 OS, the differences between the Storm 1 and Storm 2 are not as big though.  The Storm 2 supposedly has a better typing experience as well as things like Wifi, a faster processor, more application memory, and the ability to use the new apps developed using Open GL (much better gaming experiences than the Storm 1 are coming to the Storm 2).

• RIM has just announced a whole new set of development tools which will give BlackBerry developers access to a whole new set of applications.  Will those be good enough for you?  I don't know.

• The battery on the Storm 2 is actually supposedly decent.  If it's dying in a 1/2 day, you may be having a battery problem.  Try doing a battery pull as that can help some users (while the phone is on, remove the battery for 15-30 seconds).  And when charging your phone, be sure to charge it overnight, not just until it says 100%.  Finally, try changing the network options to 1XEV only (under Options > Mobile Network, ensure that Network Technology is set to 1XEV).

If you think the Motorola Droid will be a better phone for you, then go for it.  It's entirely up to you, and you're going to be the one using the phone.  Just remember, the Droid is also a new phone and just like other new technology, there can also be problems that just haven't been described yet.

Personally, I love my Storm, and that's just fine for me.  But the Storm 2 may or may not be for you.

[kentonvannatten]

I agree with JSanders, lots of misinformation in your post.

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dlcpa wrote:

It took RIM a year to upgrade its software for the Storm 1.

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No it didn't.  RIM was developing and releasing maintenance releases all along (I personally installed and used 4.7.075 and 4.7.148 prior to upgrading to 5.0).  It just happens that they went to v5.0 approx 1 yr after the Storm's intro. 

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dlcpa wrote:

buy a Droid for its screen and its Web processing and a future with a lot more software.

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Why exactly does the Droid have more software in the future?

[JSanders Resident Expert]

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dlcpa wrote:

Andoid 2.0 is coming out with a maintenance release about a month after launch. 

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You're predicting that? Or Android has already said, "Our OS is bad"?

And Verizon/RIM released one for the Storm1 within 10 days of the launch. +1 for RIM.

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dlcpa wrote:

With Verizon planning to up the calling plan cancellation fee to $350 as of November 15, 2009,

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That's a Verizon issue. Find the Verizon CSR and complain to them, or the Verizon User forums.

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dlcpa wrote:

 I don't do a large volume of email or texting but I need the ability to be reached or to reach someone else if the situation arises.  I would say most of my BB use was planned to be on the Web.

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The BlackBerry -- any BlackBerry model -- is above all else an email device. RIM has stayed true to its first calling. If you want a bloated OS, get the droid or whatever.

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dlcpa wrote:

I assumed that the browser was better and faster than it is. 

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Sorry, you assumed.

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dlcpa wrote:

So, what do you all expect will happen in the near future.

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You'll still be mis-informed.

[dlcpa]

You're right, it does sound like a rant and I didn't want it to sound like that.  I am just trying to figure out where to go with my Storm 2 purchases before the 30 days return is up. 

There is a website that I had particular trouble with both the BB browser and Opera.  Anyway, the site is  www.foodsdatabase.com .  Opera can't even get to it for some reason.

With the BB browser, I could not make a selection on the menu bar that says:

Home    Diet    Nutrition    Exercise    Body    Cooking    Learn    Forums     My Food Database

I also could not use the Zagat to Go as it downloaded but would not start because of a problem with the BB Maps.  I also keep getting messages about no having signatures to get into a website.

So, I am asking what I am doing wrong and if nothing, what will change.  As far as the first 4.7 BB OS update, I did not know about that but didn't the major updates occur with 5.0?

[JSanders Resident Expert]

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dlcpa wrote:

There is a website that I had particular trouble with both the BB browser and Opera.  Anyway, the site is  www.foodsdatabase.com .  Opera can't even get to it for some reason.

With the BB browser, I could not make a selection on the menu bar that says:

Home    Diet    Nutrition    Exercise    Body    Cooking    Learn    Forums     My Food Database

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You need to inquire of that site if they have a "mobile-enhanced" or wap version of their website. Many sites do, many don't. I just tried that site on my BB browser, and it's a no go also.

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dlcpa wrote:

I also could not use the Zagat to Go as it downloaded but would not start because of a problem with the BB Maps.  I also keep getting messages about no having signatures to get into a website.

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Stating the exact error you are getting would be helpful.

Do you have BlackBerry Maps loaded to your device?

Does BlackBerry Maps function ok otherwise?

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dlcpa wrote:

So, I am asking what I am doing wrong and if nothing, what will change. 

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Remember this is a mobile smartphone, not a PC. Your browser will be limited. Any Smartphone browser will be limited somewhat. You really can't expect the exact same experience as a PC.

[nuttsterguy]

Ok..you guys seem like nice, knowledgeable folks I'll post my issue again here.

My parter gave me his Storm 2 as a birthday present after he tried it out and didn't like the touch screen. I love it! I've never had a Blackberry or smartphone of any kind so you can imagine how much fun I've had. My previous phone was a Chocolate my move to it meant integrating my music with my phone and I've grown to love that as well.

Now I have the Storm 2 so that means !yippee! Pandora! I can listen in the car using an auxilary cable with the Blackberry nestled in it's mobile mount, and I can listen at work using externail speakers that I bought at Best Buy. Fantastic!

Except, after getting all this set up, I find that there's a problem with the volume relating to anything using the auxilary mount. If the volume is turned up high on the Blackberry (like in the car), the the audio decreases by 50% at the beginning of each track. If the volume is turned down low on the blackberry (like at work), then the audio increases by 50% at the beginning of each track. Manually turning the volume up or down fixes the problem immediately, but that gets every old while driving, and isn't an option while working.

This issue is posted all over the boards. Some say a leaked OS update fixes the problem. Others say it does not. Verizon says it's a known issue and will be fixed, but they can't say when.

I have two questions: 1) does anyone know work around? 2) Why can't RIM be more transparent with known issues and at least let us know what they are working on and when updates with fixes will arrive?

I called Verizon one last time and reminded them I am pay for a top of the line phone but it isn't delivering what it promises. They immediately knocked $15 off my bill. That's not much, but it was a gesture for which I am grateful.