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BlackBerry Storm on Vodafone Review

Author	Riyad Emeran
Published	3rd Dec 2008
Manufacturer	Research In Motion
Supplier	Vodafone
Price	Free on £40 tariff
Latest Price	Click here

Design
Features
Performance
Value
Overall

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The battery life isn't the only disappointment either. The Storm has an accelerometer built into it, so the screen automatically switches orientation as you twist the device. And unlike the iPhone you can switch orientation no matter what you're doing - so if you'd rather navigate the basic BlackBerry OS in landscape, you can. Unfortunately the accelerometer is temperamental to say the very least. Sometimes the orientation simply refuses to switch, while other times it switches when you don't want it to.

There's one other issue with the Storm, and that's its lack of Wi-Fi. OK, I'll admit that Vodafone's HSDPA service is pretty damn good, but in the TrustedReviews offices for example, the best I could manage was GPRS, so I would have preferred for the Storm to switch to Wi-Fi for data while at the office. The lack of Wi-Fi is compounded if you plan on using your Storm abroad, where roaming data charges can be crippling - at least if you use a Wi-Fi hotspot you know exactly how much it's costing you, but that option is off the menu with the Storm.

The Storm is available exclusively on Vodafone, which means that you get arguably the best HSDPA network in the UK. If you go for a £40 per month 18 month contract you can get the Storm for free and get unlimited email and texts, along with 600 minutes of calls. That's a similar package to the £35 iPhone tariff, but of course you're paying almost £100 for the handset on that tariff, so the Storm measures up pretty well.

Despite all the issues and niggles, as I've already mentioned, I really like the Storm. This is a very good handset, and probably the closest that RIM has ever come to a true crossover device. But the Storm is just a whisker away from being a truly great handset, and one that really could have given the iPhone a real run for its money. As it stands, if you lust after the usability of the iPhone but need the functionality of the BlackBerry email client, the Storm will make you a very happy bunny.

Verdict

RIM should be very proud of the BlackBerry Storm. Considering that this is the first touchscreen BlackBerry, it's a surprisingly accomplished device, and one that's often a joy to use. But there are issues with the Storm like the lack of Wi-Fi, temperamental accelerometer and disappointing battery life that take off some of the shine. Despite these problems, the Storm is still the closest real competitor to Apple's iPhone seen to date. Couple that with the legendary BlackBerry email client and I can see the Storm doing very well indeed.

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Gordon said on 10th December 2008

@Francis Phillips - nope, but we saw the potential of the device and now a few weeks later and one firmware update and our points remain valid and the NTY looks rather stupid ;)

Andrew Stephens said on 11th December 2008

Come on you gave this a higher performance rating than the original iPhone ! How can this possibly be ? I think I would give my old psion siena a better rating. I love you guys at ... more

Riyad said on 12th December 2008

@Andrew Stephens - Of course the Storm got a higher performance rating than the original iPhone, since you can actually make phone calls on it. The signal strength for calls on the... more

Andi said on 27th December 2008

I have had this phone for 1 week now and sadly my SIM is back in my faithful Bold. I waited and waited for the release of this phone and was so delighted to finally get my hands on one.... The screen is wonderful, I played with the swiping action and then set about changing my PIN online.... Emails came through just as slick as ever. It all started going wrong when I tried to type, the portrait suretype keyboard was ok but a pain when entering non standard words and I quickly found the little editing trick of touching the keyboard for a few second to get a cursor just above your finger very useful. Too useful in fact as I had to correct almost every word. I use suretype on my wifes Pearl and have no issues with it even with the smaller keys. The landscape standard qwerty is surprisingly worse due to the smaller keys. You have to put your finger directly on top and this is hard to do if you used to a normall BB keyboard where you type with the side of your thumbs. I licked the clicking sensation so struggled on determined to get use to it. Web browsing was great the screen was good. But what about the 3meg camera, press the button to focus the light lights the camera focuses, you press harder to take the picture and then wait for 2-3 seconds before the light lights again and the picture is taken. I have loads of pictures of people walking away !! But the screen, the coolness I will struggle on. Day two - I had my "tunes" loaded only to find that the sound was not as loud as my Bold. I was using the excellent "buds" that came with the Bold as the ones supplied with the storm were not even worth taking out of the box!! Worth 50p at the most, when the Bold ones compare well to my Sennheiser's. Even with the volume boost enabled it was quieter. But still it looks so good and the screen, I struggled on determined to love it! At around 3pm that day when I had listened to music for 50 mins and made a quick 2 min call, the battery warning went! To be followed 30 mins later by BB's "Not enough power for radio use" warning. Maybe if it had a mini USB like all the other BB's I have owned I could have kept it on charge on my desk, but no mini USB instead micro USB, what a waste of 7 BB chargers from previous phones... I had to put my SIM back into my Bold and the first call I made? You guessed it Vodafone 14 day returns... Who offered me all manner of Batteries and chargers to keep it (no doubt becasue of similar calls) , but what is the point of a mobile phone that needs to be tethered by wires. I don't expect a phone to last for days and days, I am happy to charge every night. (especially as BB had a cool bedside feature) I am dissapointed, really dissapointed! I have loved all of my 7 Blackberries. I get teased for being a "crackberry fan boy"! I have been with Vodafone for over a decade and would not be persuaded to move to another network. Its such as shame that the Storm did not live up to the idea behind it. I am sure they will get it right with the Storm 2. But if your thinking of getting one, don't. My Bold has forgiven my little affair and we are reunited once again, Blackberries are all about reliability and typing. The Bold is a much better bet.

I have had this phone for 1 week now and sadly my SIM is back in my faithful Bold. I waited and waited for the release of this phone and was so delighted to finally get my hands on... more

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