Storm

You’ll have to put with some rambling about how many gadget’s Mr. Fry rolls around with (lots) and a bit about a long love affair with smartphones but after you get through that you’ll find reviews of the iPhone and the machines most obvious rivals. You’ll get a rating for the Bold (4/5) the Storm (1/5) and Android (3.5/5). For a bonus you get a list of the iPhone’s strengths and shortcomings.

The review is particularly interesting because it is coming from someone who actually uses all of the devices he rates. We’re not talking “I tried it out for a few hours” we’re talking “I use them enough I take them with me when I travel.” You’ll come away with a much better understanding of the complete state of the smartphone mini war that is going on right now. 

Apple has moved 12 million + iPhones since the introduction of the do everything device. That is a fantastic number, there is no doubt that the iPhone is a runaway hit. But there are other over performing phones out there, other phones that have the ‘real” internet that have exceeded sales expectations.

The most recent one is the Storm. RIM has been making great stuff fro a long time but the storm, despite some reviews, is selling much better than anyone imagined. First there were the lines. If you got to a Verizon store a little late on the release date they would tell you to order it on the net and you’d have it in six or seven days. If you waited a day the website changed from six or seven days to an estimated ship date of 12/15. Obviously RIM was unprepared for the demand.

But RIM and Apple aren’t the only game in town. Turns out that HTC and Google have an entry in this horse race: The G1 available only from T-Mobile.

So you’ve got the carriers covered. If you’re an AT&T type person you’ve got the iPhone. If you… more...

In Knoxville TN it is a bit on the cool side. 7:30 AM and the mercury was pegged at 31 degrees with the occasional flurry blowing around. Not the best weather for line standing but yet there they were:

And what were these people standing in line for? Hot coffee? Nope, they were standing in line outside the Turkey Creek Verizon to get the BlackBerry Storm. The store presumably opens at 8 and I didn’t ask when the first person got there but unless something has seriously changed since the last time I got a phone from Verizon the twentieth guy in that line won’t be home in time for dinner. Line standing is always a good indicator that something has caught the imagination of at least a few people so clearly these folks really want an iPhone but are tied to Verizon. At least that is what one person who intends to get a Storm today related to me.

If you want a little perspective this line was nothing compared to the iPhone lines on the original release date and positively paltry compared to the… more...

Looks like the world is still waiting for an iPhone killer (so far the only successful iPhone Killer has been the smackdown the iPhone 3G put on the original iPhone). The phone everyone suspected might be an iPhone killer, the Blackberry Storm, seems to have been little more than a poorly done experiment by RIM. Let’s check the reviews:

PC World:
BlackBerry’s Storm: Awkward and Disappointing

But people who were hoping for a credible iPhone alternative fortified with BlackBerry’s strengths as a mobile tool for corporate travelers will likely find the Storm a disappointment. When it comes to touch interfaces, Apple still has no peer.

Engadget
BlackBerry Storm review (Hmm, someone needs to head over the Engadget and help them with creative titles)

The only hitch in this plan is a major one: it’s not as easy, enjoyable, or consistent to use as the iPhone, and the one place where everyone is sure they have an upper hand—that wow-inducing clickable screen—just isn’t all that great. For casual users, the learning curve and complexity of this phone will feel… more...

I’ll admit it, I’m an iPhone addict. I’m more likely to walk out of the house without my keys than the iPhone so I’m not an objective judge of what makes an legit iPhone killer. There are a lot subtle things that are great on the iPhone that you can’t grasp from looking at a spec sheet or spending three minutes with one.

Side note: This is true of most things. While everyone is happy to throw up a review of an app after using it for 5 seconds to really get a feel for things you have to use it for some time. That’s why iPhonematters all star reviewer Jovan Washington demands to use an app for at least a week before reviewing it.

Back to the topic. The greatness of the iPhone is in the stuff not on the spec sheet but could the Storm be just as great. As mentioned earlier you can have my iPhone when you pry it from my cold, dead hands (in truth you’ll probably have to cut off my fingers) but you’re an intelligent person capable of making your own choice. So you tell me, is the Storm… more...

In case you haven’t heard (and you might not of, this is a new Blackberry not a new iPhone) the Blackberry Storm is coming out this week on November 21st. You’re going to be hearing a lot about the new Storm and how it compares to the iPhone. There will be useful lists which discuss each and every little difference in the spec sheets that will try and make it seem as though people are choosing between the iPhone and Bold as though they were trying to pick stocks. This stock has a trailing PE ration of.....

Don’t believe it for a second. The differences between an iPhone and a Bold, for the vast majority of consumers, comes down to the network. Or more precisely, the decision comes down to “I am friggin stuck at Verizon, what phone do they have that is most like the iPhone?” I come to this conclusion by a simple study: On the refrigerator there is a bit of direct mail announcing the Bold and the get in on date. I’ve got an iPhone so I don’t need the reminder. The wife is tied to Verizon but… more...