“Last night I thought I’d get around to checking out the BlackBerry Storm that got so many rave reviews when it was announced by bloggers (like me) who’d never seen one,” Dr. Joel West, associate professor of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at the Department of Organization and Management in the College of Business at San José State University, writes for Seeking Alpha.
“In a word, it was disappointing. The performance of the [Verizon] network (1x not 1xEV) inside the Circuit City store was sluggish [Note: RIM’s Storm lacks Wi-FI]. As reviewers have noted, it was really buggy,” West writes.
“The browser was particularly awful. It updated the screen in splotches (almost as though it were doing server-side rendering). When I rotated the device the splotches (or tiles) got out of sync and so the screen was unreadable,” West writes. “I haven’t been able to find who made the browser, but this is not the WebKit-quality browser found on the iPhone… The sales clerk rationalized the network performance — not implausibly, that there was poor radio reception inside a large 2 story building. But he said it was the worst BlackBerry he’d ever seen.”
West writes, “There’s no way this device has the user experience of the iPhone…”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: E, click, P, click, I, click, C, click, space, click, F, click, A, click, I, click, L, click.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Carl H.” for the heads up.]
Kind of sad, really…!
More iPhone gloating?
heh heh heh heh heh heh heh
Yes ping, really sad. They came up with a clicking screen and released the Storm with an earlier R&D;OS. This is another iApple killer that bites the dust.
I’m going back to TUAW. They occasionally talk about those Mac thingies.
Comment deleted in 5…4…3…2…
@RimDailyNews,
Go ahead. No one’s stopping you.
Went into Verizon with our iPhone and had the sales guy compare with the Storm… Not only did the iPhone perform WAY better in every area (loading the same web pages, SMS, Emailing), the sales manager came over to see what we were doing as there were 3 other customers there watching- well, she asked us to leave the store as we were upsetting their customers. Ha! Upsetting customers… the store was upset they were being humiliated by the likes of the lowly iPhone. Storm- the iPhone killer? NOT
A feces is a feces
It is my understanding that it does do server side rendering. RIM insists on doing everything in house – even when they don’t have the needed expertise. The browser is a tad better than the older BB’s. However, it is certainly no Safari on an iPhone. RIM needs to license and have a vendor customize Safari, Opera, or Firefox for the BB.
Actually, I hate that review. For a prof he’s a terrible writer and there are several sentences that make no sense. The Storm may be terrible but this review is worse.
You have to wonder exactly how much damage this Storm is going to do to RIM.
I think they may have blown it. Completely. Another Palm. Once good, now hopeless.
I’m actually starting to feel sorry for RIM. They’re getting reamed!
“…Blackberry Storm that got so many rave reviews when it was announced by bloggers (like me) who’d never seen one….” Why on earth would someone review a product without physically having it in hand? Stupid people.
This is so STUPID. Obviously this guy’s 5 minute review was done on a device with the older version of the software that sucked. I agree RIM blew it by releasing it before the software was ready, but the device already has been updated and the software is much better. These problems he describes are not there in the newer versions. So MDN, stop posting this crap and get of rid of that hard on you have for the Storm. We all know the device stinks, but the same reason that you are willing to forgive iPhone’s shortcomings (copy/paste? WTF!!! Battery life? WTF???) is the same reason that this device will ultimately be ok – they can upgrade the software and make it better. What a bunch of bitches on this board.
P, click, O, click, S, click
I have no dog in this hunt, having neither the iPhone nor the Storm, but I do find it interesting that the same thing that happened to the iPhone is happening to the Storm. Within minutes of release, everyone is deconstructing its flaws and problems. I’ll leave it to those in a position to do so to evaluate those shortcomings.
Most of my exposure to iPhone is via the web and TV ads, but I tend to like most things Apple anyway. I thought that the hysteria about the iPhone’s shortcomings upon release were overblown and exaggerated. It seems any new device is going to have a traumatic birth. Glad I’m not a hardware developer!
@JRA
Webkit is open source (it’s what Google uses for the Android and for their Chrome browser), Firefox is also Open Source, and Opera has a mobile version out, all they would have to do is grab one of the above and start using it.
Crazylegs:
RIM did not release a test version of the Storm so there are no ‘previous’ versions siting on shelves. RIM had delayed the phone a few times due to buggy software. To my knowledge, they have not released an update for the software so the review stands correct.
MW: right
Rushing to compete with a product like the iPhone is never going to be a happy story.
The iPhone is the result of years of software and hardware experience and many patented processes.
RIM should stick to their gray and dull world of email phones, which supposedly are as addictive as crack, or something.
Apple introduce the iPhone and the cell phone industry collapses – yes, folks, all these years the phone makers and the providers really have been RIPPING you off with their lousy ‘full-featured’ products….
The MDN site really is a scurrilous and rabidly Apple fanbois scene, isnt it?
LOL!
Please MDN, lets have MORE articles on how Microsoft, RIM, Dell and all the rest of the lazy incompetent and unimaginative tech companies are – its so much fun!
I find MDN to be a welcome relief to the anodyne crap on the web; after a hard days work, I love to come home and write comments about the sheer idiocy of the Suits that run these USELESS tech firms.
Storm – has one giant button that moves the entire screen – what idiot thought that one up?!
Pity MDN doesnt get involved in other areas – there is a small war in Iraq that makes NO SENSE whatsoever……
The iPhone is such a spoiler….
now just stop updating the page in safari every time I go back to a page I was on and I a happy camper, willya?
> Obviously this guy’s 5 minute review was done on a device with the older version of the software that sucked.
You can’t fix a hardware design flaw (having to click the entire screen to type every letter) with a software fix. That would be like having a computer keyboard where all the keys are connected, and you have to press them all down to type each letter. The MDN take is funny and dead on.
And a retailer would want to maximize sales by having that latest software installed, if it makes so much difference.
@Crazylegs,
L, click, O, click, L, click.
Man, I would hate to be the CTO of a company that is trying to build an iPhone killer. Apple spent years developing the iPhone, not to mention they had the base of OSX to work with. Catch up devices cranked out in response to Apple style and innovation will never have the elegance or user experience of an iPhone, and are going to look like slapped together rip-offs for the next couple of years at least.
Just looking at the iPod’s dominance in the MP3 space speaks volumes.
BB users want the click, or so they b*tched about the iPhone. Now they have it, they hate it. Waa, waa, waaa.
It’s interesting to see that there is a segment of the BB population that wanted a touchscreen. Now that they’ve seen the BB touchscreen implementation, BB just may have driven them to the iPhone instead.
RIM, Palm, Nokia, Motorola, These guys should have taken notes from the iPod strategic decimation on the music player market over the years.
1) Create a simple devise that’s easy to use. (One button)
2) Easy to update.
3) Online store with easy access. (This is what kills them)
4) Fix major flaws before shipping. (What was RIM thinking?)
5) Stop wasting millions on advertising that doesn’t work.
6) Small retail stores. (The friendly customer service really kills…?)
…Oh why bother continuing its too late for these guys at this point.
I love the picture; a tempest (storm) in a tea cup! ROTFLMAO!!
@penelope pickles – there is a newer version of the software that I was able to update (v.75) and it did not have any of these issues. They also just officially updated Vodaphone’s software. And one thing that is actually better than the iPhone is that the upgrades can be done OTA, which is nice.
@Ken1w – The click screen IS an f’in joke as it does limit the speed at which one can type. RIM blew it there and they are too arrogant to admit it.
@R2 – funny. although the click and the letter are simultaneous, not one after the other.
Can anyone answer when iPhone will have real cut/copy/paste? or when the battery life will improve beyond a full day without having to add an external pack or manage 3G, wifi, etc? When will PA Semi get their chips in the iPhone?
Don’t get me wrong, I love my macbook pro and my iPhone, but complaining about the click keyboard on the storm as being lame and slow is a bit tedious. How many revisions must I make on my SMS on my iPhone before I crush it in my hands? These phones can be everything to everybody (I still keep my Palm Treo as my work cellular phone). The iPhone definitely is the only phone out there that seems headed in the direction to be that. It is so damn close (copy and paste, Goddam calendar search, please, craptacular battery life, numerous dropped calls where Sprint never drops for me). The “MDN” take on things is just insulting, not only to the products being honestly reviewed, but to your readers. Acting like children every time something remotely mentions Apple or competes with it shows a serious insecurity about your faith in the products you love so much. Mac OS is not perfect. Windows does some things much better, but I have fallen back in love with the Mac OS. As an attorney, there is a tendency to fall back on Windows as the only option, but Mac has really helped me streamline my practice. It is not perfect and a better Windows operating system, the better Apple will have to be at improving a damn good operating system to keeps us going. Stop shitting on everything just to shit on it. Of all the mac sites in my bookmarks, I check this one last because of all of the childish add ons to the articles. Take it from me: Defensive people lose their case immediately.
First off, I love my iPhone. It is the first EVER mobile that you (well, I) can use fully without a manual or serious help. The GUI is in my opinion perfect. I would not trade it for any other phone. It is just perfect for me (except a few missed apps). But basically the best I ever used.
But still, I hope RIM will do well. As I understand (I never seen one) the storm seems to be less than perfect. It is sad. RIM is a company close to Apple so to say. And I would much, much rather see Apple and RIM than for example Apple and — MS, Nokia or another smartphone platform. Android is theoretically OK too.
I hope they will shape up. Many platforms are good for all, well at least as long as it is not windows mobile…
Crazylegs “iPhone’s shortcomings…Battery life? WTF???”
HUH??
What crack are you smoking?
“Can anyone answer when iPhone… battery life will improve beyond a full day without having to add an external pack or manage 3G, wifi, etc?”
Ohhh.. I see so you want a small handheld device designed to be carried in your pocket or fit in your purse to magically have more battery life than… than what??
There is NO other phone or handheld device with better battery life than the iPhone that has wifi and 3G coverage.
Lets not even mention the fact that the iPhone’s screen is MUCH larger and brighter than all the other devices that have LESS battery life.
For most people that use the iPhone the battery life is not an issue, for a very small minority that need longer battery life get an external battery charger, they can be had for only $70.
Review of the Richard Solo on Daringfireball:
http://daringfireball.net/2008/10/richard_solo_battery
Instead of complaining about a device which has much better battery life than the comparable competition, why don’t you invent some pocket fusion or magical battery device that gives more power than the current available rechargeable batteries?
Apple is necessarily limited on battery life to what is available with known manufacturable technology.
I’m certain Crazylegs would complain if Apple made a version with a 3x larger battery about it being “too heavy”.
Just can’t please some people.
@Shutter Upper
Can you please repost that with some paragraph breaks?
You seem like you’re making good points but it’s too annoying to try to follow what you’re saying in that format.
Thanks.
@twighlightmoon – what is wrong with having a battery that lasts through the entire day? The blackberry bold has a far better battery life and so does the storm. Getting a little defensive are we? It’s so funny when anyone questions the iPhone in any regard a bunch of iPhone soldiers come out to tell you what a moron you are. Why is it so hard for you to admit there are a few shortcomings? It’ll be ok. You can still love your iPhone. And they don’t need to make it 3x battery life. 50% more battery would be perfect. So need to tell me what I would complain about or not, twighlight, just go fuck yourself. That’ll do, that’ll do donkey.
@crazylegs,
A 50% increase in batter life would mean a significantly thicker or larger iPhone. Compromise is part of all design. Apple made their decisions, and the vast majority of them regarding iPhone were right on the mark. I’ve had my iPhone since day 1; have used it A LOT each and every day since; and I’m still impressed by how it works.
Remember iPhone is a pocket computer doubling as a phone.
“What a bunch of bitches on this board.”
Oh that’s rich.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my macbook pro and my iPhone, but…”
Wow. It never fails. Typical legal switchers who preface their “but” with a cushion for their other butt and then proceed to dump fifty pounds of words on the reader, comprised of run-on sentences and incomplete thoughts, who would then proceed to lecture MDN and its readers about childish behavior? Oh Mommy!
You know what I think? I think you typed your post on your Treo, which would explain the lack of much needed formatting, and it eats at you that every iPhone Killer to date has failed to restore your faith in your own product choices.
No gadget is perfect. But, if you’re going to launch a product using as much hubris as Apple does, you had better deliver the goods. Failing that, be prepared to be humiliated in public. It’s that simple.
Every Apple product ever introduced has been disparaged and eschewed by hundreds-of-millions of Windows users suffering in shameful silence with Windows, helpless against exploitation and powerless to affect change and quickly coming to the sad realization (Mojave) that they’ve been played.
Apple releases a computer-like gadget, irrespective of Mac or Windows, and world-wide sales explode! That’s the lesson; Innovate or perish.
Something’s changed. But it isn’t Apple. It’s people’s attitudes about Apple that is changing.
You have aesthetically brought this stuff.I like the integration.And find it as an informative one.Thanks for sharing it.
http://www.theclickdepot.com
@G4Dualie
It was from my iPhone, genius. Nice try. Criticizing me based on non-existent run-on sentences and a lack of formatting means you really have no response at all.
Legal switching? Leave the legalese to the attorneys.