BlackBerry Storm 9530 User Reviews

HONESTLY IVE OWNED THE STORM AS SOON AS IT CAME OUT AND I MUST SAY IT WAS ONE PROBLEM AFTER ANOTHER FINNALY WHEN THE UPDATE CAME OUT IT WAS GREAT THIS PHONE DOES IT ALL I CAN DO SOO MUCH WITH THIS PHONE ALL THE APPS WORK OUT GREAT NOW AND I CAN USE ALL MY THEAMS IT IS TRULY A USER COUSTMIZABLE PHONE NOW THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE VERIZON THIS PHONE NOW RULZ ONCE AGIAN AWSOME CAMARA WONDERFUL SOUND AND GREAT WAYS TO MAKE IT JUST YOUR PHONE.

The editor seriously needs to review this phone again after the os 4.7.0.148 version goes official on sunday 5/31. I am telling you that this version is great. my friend does experiments with leaked os's and i tried it out and i fell in love with it. i was thinking about trying it on mine but then i heard about it becoming official last night so i will wait for the official one. 

I completely agree with every that has already complained about the bugs and lags.  I was ready to toss in the towel with this phone when I did a google search for "STORM OS LEAK DOWNLOAD".  There are tons of reviews and an ample amount of locations hosting the file. You can get thorough knowledge @crackberry.com or from the boygeniusreport.com as well as several videos detailing the changes via youtube.
To be brief, I am now running OS v. 4.7.0.132 and here are the results:

More free memory = less random crashing and reboots and apps running smoother
FULL keyboard in portrait orientation
Camera now operates as it should and you can take a picture in a few seconds
When you lock the phone the screen is deactivated and doesn't respond to touch or press, you have to press an actual button. 

I've been using Windows Mobile device for the past 2 years. It was working fine but I got bored with it.  When I got the Storm, I noticed some slowness and sluggishness but overall I liked it.  As the time passed and I used more features of the phone, it started to get annoying.  Constant freezing and stopping and rebooting is now getting on my nerves.  It seems like the Storm operating system was not designed for a touch screen phone.  Some basic features like calling a contact, require a lot of clicking and scrolling.  There's no way to just start typing a name in the phone application and get an automatic list of contacts.  Typing on this phone is pretty good, touch keyboard is pretty responsive.  Call quality is sub par, I get better quality from my bluetooth head set then from the phone speaker.  Internet connectivity is pretty slow.  Google maps application takes a really long time to refresh maps and overall browsing experience is not that great just because of the rendering speed.  E-mail and messaging is great, as it should be with a Blackberry.  Only thing that is annoying is that there is no option to call sender, when receiving text messages.  This phone has an accelerometer, but as other features of thsi phone, it is very slow and unresponsive at times.  Camera is pretty useless.  It's a 3.2MP, but quality is very poor and it is impossible to take a decent photo unless the subject is staying still for a couple of minutes, it's that slow.  Overall I'm pretty disappointed with this phone.  I hope the next software update fixes some issues.

The storm is a very misunderstood device.  Does it have some issues; What phone doesn't.  It still is less problematic than any windows device  have ever used.  Often I find that reviews of the device are written before the writer took the time to learn how to use some of the device features they are complaining about.
Having said that there are some areas I see a need for improvement:
1) When addressing a MMS you must find the name instead of just type it like in text and email.
2) When addressing a MMS to a use once number you have to scroll to the top or delete a u.  Why can't I just press the menu for this option?
3) Bluetooth transfer of any file is a pain.  Windows is actually better here.  I may want to transfer something other than a media file.  I realize that contacts can be done, but even those who have done it are not sure how it works.
4) Udate teh software already.  I have heard all of the fixes that will be in the software, but its been months and not even a solid release date for the legit software.
5) RAM.  WHERE IS IT.  This device suffers from a memory shortage.  I keep my memory clean and manage the addons very carefully.  But a simmple memory increas from RIM would have gone a long way.
6)

This phone is the best out their in my prospective......I truly love the big bright screen, i have big hands so it is good for me...There are soooooooooooo many things on the phone..The calls crisp..the network is flawless...i love the bilt in keyboard...its yhe best for typing...it lights up the bottons so if u travle and or just use it in the bark its the best phone for u.....ok now here is were we get problem wit people....no 3g.oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh its a phone.i had no problems with out 3g...i go walking..i have internet...i go on vacation..i have internet....i go anywhere i have internet..just because it doesnt have ur 3g doesnt mean ur internet is not guna work its just a little slower OK big freakin deal..its a new phone from blackberry give it time and ur storm will have 3g...the sound perfect...mp3 player up to 16 gb not bad for those iphone lovers..there crap anyway..ya thats right i went there.....come back to me when i dont have to pay money for music.......navigator no better than ur 200 300 400 or more hundred dollar navagation systems...camera..pretty good 3.2mp not too bad if u ask me...then u have all ur setting and games..also u can get ur email on there so u can cheak ur emails on the go..the 4 bottons on the bottom i gota say u wont be able to use the phone wit out em...well thats it for right now.......all in all the phone is a really really really really really really..aw no its the BEST

I really didn't want to buy the blackberry storm, b/c of all the crappy thing that I heard about it..but I bought it after being convinced by the salesman that it was a good phone. He assured me that I could bring it back if I didn't like it after thrity days. After about a day of learning the ins and outs of the blackberry menu etc..I LOVED IT!! I have many of my iTunes music files on the phone and a Hello Kitty theme which I love and found for free online. My bill only went up buy 26 bucks since there is a 20% discount on the media package if you work for the state! I love the blackberry messanger, and the camera is very clear and the video camera is even better..great sound.  I only charge mine every other night. But one the battery gets low it runs out quickly. Basically when I go somewhere all I need now is my blackberry! Its my laptop, digital camera and ipod all rolled into one.  I even use the microsoft and excel programs to finish up work when I'm on the bus or in a waiting room. I love it!!

I heard so much greatthings when it first cam out by editors etc.  But when I got my hands on it it was okay wasn't great.  Its only great for Emails, websurfing, attchment reviewing, but as for phone is mediocore.  the screen pretty much lags & the keys rare really difficult to navigate when typing up an email or sms.  everything else is okay.  I should have given the curve or LZG dare a try. 

The Storm is MUCH better now than when it released...as it should be.  Several very intuitive individuals have taken it upon themselves to modify the OS.  There is a 4.7.0.114 Hybrid OS floating around.  I have it on my Storm and I must say it is awesome!!  I have used every leaked OS to date and this one definately takes the cake!!  The SurePress technology is brilliant!!  The phone is very fast, screen resolution is amazing and you can back the phone and all data very easily (as with all Blackberrys).  I will never own another phone....unless its the Storm 2!!  haha

So ive had the phone for about a month and have came to the conclusion that i love it. Ive had many issues with lagging and freezing, but i went to verizon and they said that new software coming soon but for now take out the battery every day and it works perfect. Sometimes it can be funky, once the camera poped on during texting and wouldnt go off it was on a one ince screen. But before software comes out i wouldnt recommend if you NEED your phone to be relable.

I've read pages and pages of reviews, but I decided to get the phone anyway. I went from the samsung sch-A950, to the voyager, and now to the storm. So this is the first blackberry i have had. The only thing i miss from the voyager is the get it now stuff. Like vcast song id or other vcast stuff and some games i had.
 It feels nice and solid in my hand. I like it cause it's thinner than the voyager. I've had it since January 23rd and am very satisfied. The screen blows the voyagers screen out of the park. just the slightest touch scrolls web pages, reminds me of the iphone screen. i have no trouble at all with the keyboard. when i do type the wrong letter it auto corrects me 95% of the time with the right word. i love having the option of T9 predictive text in portraight mode, in case i am doing something with the other hand. I like how there is the normal headphone jack, unlike the voyager. the sound quality is awesome. most of the time i cant even tell im talking on a cell phone.
I have had no issues with the accelerometer. The screen orients any way i turn the blackberry. It also turns fast most of the time. I like having the 4 hard keys. Also, i like the indicator light when i get an email or text message. I also like you can change the vibrate amount, and length. Right now when i get a text message, it vibrates 5 times in a row. WIth my voyager it did one long vibrate. I have had to pull the battery 3 times since i got it. Once on blackberry maps and on the camera. I have to admit the camera is very slow, but the pictures look great. I love the web browsing experience. You can download opera mini or bolt if you want to also. I have weathe bug on it which is designed specifically for the voyager. Crackberry is very helpful if you need help with blackberries. I do not have big fingers also, so maybe thats why i dont have any problems. The flash is super bright and i can use it as a flashlight. Light does shine through around the buttons and edges of the screen but its not that bad and i dont notice it. I love google maps also, it looks awesome on the big nice screen. The autodim feature is cool also. When your in the dark the screen gets darker so it doesnt blind your eyes. I also have vz navigator and its very nice also cause the screen it so big. I like how it has a maximum of 5 bars with a classic look. My voyager had 4 and the bars were the same size. Having a max of 5 bars, gives better precision. If you are a yound teen and have the env2 or voyager, and you love your physical qwerty then i would think twice before switching. the funny thing is i was a texting fanatic on my voyager but i gladly gave that up for the feature pack storm. When i use to get emails on the voyager it would have to open the inbox and take forever, but since the email is always open it opens right up. Also, i love how you can view pdfs, word, power point and excell documents, also you can edit them. The signal reception is better than my voyager, i usually had 1-2 bars at my house with the voyager now i have 3-4. Overall, i love it. i dont understand the people who's fingers hurt from typing! i text a lot and havnt had any problems. The screen is just too bright, beautiful and big, to settle for the screen of the pearl or curve and have a qwerty. the pros definitly outway the cons. i have no case or screen protector. supposeldy the screen is scratch proof. so that is my experience with the phone :-)

First off let me say that the Iphone is better then the storm then let me say the user "Die Hard Verizon and BlackBerry User"  seem to not to understand this is a blackberry not an Iphone its a push emailing device which is great for MS exchange, Novell Groupwise im an IT guy who set up Blackberry's for our shop the Iphone is not even in the same league when it comes to email capablites as a blackberry you cant MMS with an iphone yet ,......different strokes for different folks as sly stone would say.  this device may not be comparable to an iphone in fact if your looking for an iphone substitute look somewhere else. but if you work in the coorporate world where you recieve hundreds of emails per day as i do this phone is great.

in my life ive only had two phones. they were the razer v3 and ofcourse the storm. i know ive only had two phones but that doesnt mean i havent had any other experiences with other phones. i hated the iphone. you might as well get the i touch and a regular phone. but the storm is the best phone ever in my opinion. im not saying that its the best because i have it but because i have great control over the screen. im an incredibly fast typer on this phone. i do my homework on it alot. and the click helps too because you cant make a mistake if you just touch the screen. the browser is incredibly fast on my phone. the only problems ive had with the phone is that the camera starts up and just gets stuk there, its laggy, and at first  the corners wouldnt click but for those who still have this problem just get a piece of paper from a printer and cut a rectangle that forms a square when folded once. 

I love Verizon! I have this phone, I got it as soon as I possibly could because I was so excited!
The Blackberry Storm is just that! It rains down thunder, hail, high winds, and devistation on everything Blackberry has come to be known for. This phone really is slow, VERY glitchy, and extremely stupid compared to other Blackberry devices as far as predicting text inputs and figuring out where you actually clicked. Now it isn't just my device because I have used several other of my friends Storms and all the same issues are there. Bad move on RIM's part for putting this out. They need to quickly release some form of the Bold on Verizon's network to make up for it.

To read these reviews posted is laughable.  Now before you go assume I am a BlackBerry or Verizon hater or even an iPhone lover; take note:  I am a die hard Verizon fan and don't own an iPhone (although most of my friends do; despite the fact that Verizon's phone line up (IMO) runs last among the major carriers, that doesn't change the fact that I love Verizon.  However to read the positive reviews for the Storm I cannot help but take the time to put in my 2 cents. 
Our company has a huge account with Verizon and when it comes to smartphones we deploy BlackBerry devices exclusively.  I am the Verizon account manager at my company so I have the luxury of using any new model that comes out.  I was one of the many who couldn't wait for the Storm, but now that it's here I wish they wouldn't have bothered.  Don't get me wrong, there are some great things about the Storm, but if you are in a corporate environment this device is pitiful. 
Within 1 week of giving this to both the CEO and the COO of our company they returned the devices to go back to their 8830's.  Our CEO even made it a point to say the device was not good for Corporate use; not efficient.  We ordered 10 Storms as soon as they came out and besides one person, they have all been returned to me.  I have redeployed some of them and even those are already coming back to me.  At the end of the day it is a good device if you want to listen to some music, maybe browse the Internet using a great 3G network or watch a movie, but if you want to send emails or text messages (whether short in length or not) then don't bother with the device.  If I want to reply to emails or text messages I am more likely to not bother and get on my laptop rather than continuing to send it from the Storm.  If they were to make this a multi touch screen and get away from the "Click through" technology it would be an amazing device. (after some software upgrades that improve on the latency between applications)
It doesn't even make sense to compare this to an iPhone.  There are so many things that an iPhone does that the Storm cannot.  Basically other than multi tasking, the iPhone is unbelievable.  Let's be honest, with your Storm, wouldn't you love to be on the phone and send and receive data at the same time; can't do that with a Storm.
Look, the iPhone is the iPhone and the Storm is just that, the Storm.  All we can really hope for is that one day Verizon will wake up and (after the exclusive AT&T contract ends for the iPhone) add the iPhone to it's line up.  Until then we have to suffer with another device that just doesn't live up to the hype or up to the new standard set by the iPhone.
Ever wonder why just about every touchscreen phone is compared to the iPhone?  Because it set the new standard and raised the bar for every phone manufacturer.
I have two lines with my company 1 regular phone and 1 BlackBerry and if I could switch the Storm to my regular line without a data plan I would have already swtiched back to my Curve.  What does that say about the Storm?  I have more to say about it's issues, but I really wanted to give my review after seeing the 10
Oh and btw, the guy who said he is using Slacker Radio from his Storm; are you kidding.  Unless you figured something out, that software isn't even available yet for the Storm.  Anybody with a Storm type in slacker.com and see for yourself.  This is as of today January 27, 2009.

This is a great phone, at&t finally has some comp for the apple beast, i owned an iphone its great but its more for collage kids certainly aimed towards sub 25 years of age.The storm on the other hand while its not as feature rich nor supported with apps and software like the iphone is a remarkable device enough to appeal too people over 25,it's blackberry without the keyboard while the software has some minor bugs they are easy to look past

I think the review this phone received was unfair. In fact, I originally didn't give this phone a chance and got an Omnia instead (which I hated and returned, btw. winmo needs to die). Finally in frustration I tried the Storm, not expecting much. Since I've had it, I've grown to like the phone more and more. It's a great alternative to an iphone, if you're going to use it for music, video, internet, etc. The phone is no more laggy than an iphone (it just doesn't have the flashy transitions that iphone does). If you need a real qwerty, get something else, but I rarely type long diatribes on my phone, mostly short responses, and this is more than adequate for that. The screen on this thing is amazing (better than iphone), plus you can multi-task unlike the iphone. I regularly listen to Slacker Radio and surf the internet, which I can't do on the iphone. The surepress thing took a couple days to get used to. I don't think it adds much to the phone, but it doesn't subtract either. You gain some functionality, like the ability to select an option and open a contextual menu without activating anything; but typing is slowed to an extent.
I get through an entire day of use- watching tv shows, listening to and downloading podcasts, calling, sms, internet, with some battery life left. I get a couple extra hours over the Omnia, which I used for a month.
I also want to give an extra shout-out to podtrapper. I listen to podcasts a lot, and podtrapper is an excellent program for downloading and listening to podcasts. The best I've used.
I'd highly recommend people take advantage of the 30 day guarantee and try this phone out. It's worth it to be able to stay on Verizon!

It is the greatest device to happpen to me since the invention of the Voyager. I like the fact I have a big full keybord. I like turning it sideways and getting the text screen to follow. Sorry I phone you cramp my thumbs with your small keyboard.   i also like knowing where I am clicking on the phone with the touch click I can do that. I phone again i'm sorry I need a removable batt. and peice of mind with insurance.

I've been using a BlackBerry hanheld device since 2003. I started off with the 6750 device, which was okay for the time. It had email, web, service, and was not too ugly for the cell phone comparisions in that year. It had a black and white display with limited tools, but it was the second release of "BlackBerry". Then I got the BlackBerry 7100V. I liked it because it was a new design for the blackberry company, and it featured a color display and more options. That was about two years later, in 2005. Accidently dropping the phone 9 months later in my pool, I got the 7130E since I was a Verizon user. I loved it so much that I kept it up until 2008. 3 years- meaning I extended my contract for $90 more to have an extra year. It was unbelieveable. In 2008, Curve 8330 for Verizon. I LOVED THAT PHONE! I just had it about two weeks ago, but when I was at the airport, I lost it somewhere in a bathroom. I had insurance, so I got a phone for about $60 off. That phone, was indeed the BLACKBERRY STORM! The touchscreen is probably my favorite part because you can click it instead of just use a regular touch screen, which most phones offer like the iPhone 3G and the Samsung Omnia (both owned by my nearest and dearest family friends). The storm has a pretty good price at $199.99 and $24.99 a month for unlimited emailing and web browser service. I love how it only has 4 buttons and the design is pretty good and it's a nice size. It's just so amazing, I don't get why it got a 6.0. It's probably a 9.8 or 9.9/10 in my opinion

Although there are many reviews bashing the storm, I purchased it two days after it was released and loved it. The only problem I have had was after it had fallen once the screen no longer clicked. Other than that I have loved it and gotten used to all of its features! I check my facebook and email , it works great!

This is my Storm review. I have had cell phones on a consistent basis since 1996, and have had smartphones since 2004. These phones include a Palm Treo 600, 650, 700p on Sprint, and a Treo 650, Motorola Q Black, Q9m, Blackberry 8830,  HTC xv6800, Samsung i760, and the newly-released Omnia.
The Omnia was a toss-up against the Storm back in November. I was hesitant about the Storm because of the initial reviews, so I went with the Omnia. I liked the Omnia after the second one (the first one had terrible battery life), but as I was approaching the end of my 30 day WFG period, I took another look at the Storm.
Ultimately, I went with the Storm because WinMo phones no longer held any mystery for me. I am a tech geek, so I like to play with different technology at times.
So I got the Storm. I didn’t have any problems getting used to the touch screen (remember, the Omnia was my first touchscreen phone), so I went right to work.
Multimedia
The Storm has all of the features of my 8830 and more, plus that beautiful screen. I have already converted an AVI file of the Incredible Hulk onto it to show off its capabilities. MP4 movies play great with no lag. Every time I show it off, people want to buy it. The music abilities are great for a smartphone. I play music when I have to wait for something, so having a copy of Hotel California is a great way to kill time. I like the camera just about as well as I did on the Omnia, but it does take a bit of time to take a pic. Hopefully, the next software update will address this issue. Again, not a deal killer. I also like the way the media content is organized.
Organizer
This is another feature where the Storm shines because of their long experience in this aspect of a smartphone. add to it its seamless integration with PIM software, and you get a real winner.
E-mail
Again, this is where RIM shines. 10 email accounts including the RIM address, push technology, I don’t see that more needs to be said.
Battery life
Is it spectacular? Not bad, in my opinion. Being used to WinMo phones, I don’t expect days upon days of life; I am currently getting about 2 days with normal phones calls, extensive texting, and some web-browsing. For this kind of hardware lineup, I feel it is acceptable. Again, maybe future software updates will address it. If not, no big deal in my opinion.
I work as a tech in New England, and I admit I have been seeing a few come back. Most of them have been corrected by education. This is not a phone for the masses. I am not saying there needs to be a litmus test before buying it, but a lot of people are going for the touchscreen, expecting it to be like a Dare. Of course some people will think it’s the phone. That can’t be helped.
Conclusion
You will have to pry the Storm from my cold, dead hand before I give it up.

okay here's the deal. alot of the negative reviews are from people who played with the storm for a day or two or maybe even an hour or two. I hated this phone the second, third, forth day I had it but now after two weeks Im starting to actually like it alot. Besides, there's nothing better IMO offered from verizon right now. the little quirks aren't that bad at all and the pro's definitely outweigh the cons. the worst offense being the lag when picture taking,, I turned the picture size down to medium and its a little faster but on large its a joke how long it takes to snap a shot. this phone does alot of things right and is really fun to customize and play with, but you gotta give it some time to become comfortable with it.

this phone is great in all i gotta say, email is really easy too use, but the QWERTY takes some getting used too.  The 20 key QWERTY is REALLY REALLY easy to use.  Web browser is really cool and easy to get around, its a little slow. The speaker on the phone is loud and clear for music and, call quality was clear with no backround noise. Overall this phone is great to have.

I was excited to get my hands on one then my buddy bought one. I played with it and was very disappointed. Of course the iphone takes the cake as always. The resolution was ok, but was not happy at all with the texting. I really miss the track ball and was hoping they would have that on this device. When flipping the phone side to side, it lags and sometimes it does not switch at all or it will on its own. On the other hand the battery does last longer. All in all it is slow and bulky. There are other reviews saying "stick with reviews to this device only", well how can you not compare to other phones when blackberry tried to mimic the iphone in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love the blackberry and had a few. Loved the pearl which was my first phone I purchased. In the end, I did purchase the iphone and I'm very happy with it. 

 
I've been using a work Blackberry for over a year, (AT&T 8800), and really wanted one of my own so I didn't have to mix personal contacts etc.  The Storm 9530 is extremely easy to transition to for experienced BlackBerry users, but I am not certain it's for everybody.  BlackBerry devices are very complex, and while easy to use once you get used to them, they aren't for everybody.  If you're looking for a capable, all-around phone/do-everything device, I'm convinced that BlackBerries are the way to go.
 
Having said all that, if you're a Berry enthusiast, you're going to like this device, even with the bugs (which every high-profile rollout has, just ask Apple, AT&T and RIM about the Bold and iPhone).
 
About the bugs...there aren't as many as I thought there could have been.  At first glance, I'd say there will be many observations about battery life, application launches and screen transitions.  Also, it's known that this is BB OS with a touch navigation features added, so the biggest bug I've seen so far is the screen sometimes doesn't respond to inputs on the first attempt.
 
In the first 36 hours I've had the phone, it locked up, I did a battery pull.
 
About everything else...the screen is vivid, beautiful.  On the whole, the basic RIM apps work flawlessly (BB Messenger, etc).  The other rich content features seem to work well enough, I've not tried to do anything with Flickr or Facebook apps yet. The browser is RIM's best yet I think.  However, I may download others to compare as they become available.  As for the touch/click, I love it, and I'm surprised that calibration isn't required to really jump into it.  Pretty good stuff.  The camera takes outstanding pictures, and the flash is way brighter than any I've seen on a mobile device.
 
Activation process was seamless, and I was in a hurry, so I did my own email activation later, no problems what-so-ever.
 
One personal gripe, VZW come on, how about a screen-cleaning sleeve or micro-fiber cleaner included.  I know you make money with the accessories, but that's a fairly essential item I think.
 
On the whole, in my experience, this is one impressive device.  Really impressive.  If you're new to complex BlackBerry devices and are fairly savvy with tech stuff, get into it, once you're proficient, it's second nature.  BB fans, I think you'll like it.  Those that need a nudge to get into new things, this may not be your ticket.