The BlackBerry Storm: Your Top 20 Questions, Answered
Article by | PCMAG.COM
Video by | TheStreet.com
On Monday, I asked Gearlog readers to ask me everything they wanted to know about the new BlackBerry Storm 9530 for Verizon Wireless. Now I have the answers.
I re-ordered the questions by theme, and eliminated a few duplicates and a few that I still can't answer. (Battery life tests can take days.) Hopefully, this will answer some of your questions, too.
PRICING
1.) How much does it cost to use this phone?
(Video by | TheStreet.com)
The phone itself costs $249.99 with a new, two-year contract. You'll receive a voucher for a $50 mail-in rebate with that, making the effective price $199.99. Verizon also sells all of their phones with one year contracts ($349.99) and month-to-month ($399.99).
You must buy this phone with an applicable data plan. The minimum plan for this phone is $49.99 for data only, no voice. For both voice and data, you'll pay at least $69.99 total; $29.99 for the personal data plan and $39.99 for a 450-minute voice plan. That includes e-mail and Web browsing, but it doesn't include SMS text messaging. SMS messaging packages range from $5 to $20/month depending on how many messages they include.
If you use the BlackBerry with a corporate server, add another $15. If you want to use it as a modem for your PC, add another $15. If you want to use it in foreign countries, add $10 or $20 depending on your existing plan.
2.) Is there anyway to get Wi-Fi and not have to pay for a data plan?
No.
PHONE FUNCTIONS
3.) I'd like to know the quality of the actual phone: listening quality, talking quality, messaging, etc.
Pretty decent.
4.) How is the RF reception? I've seen better, I've seen worse. It won't make or break your buying choice here.
5.) I'm confused about the pre-installed sim card... Does that mean it's not removable? If it is not removable, and I go overseas, am I restricted to using Verizon? If so, how much will that cost me? (I will be traveling to London and Mauritius.)
The SIM is removable. Once you have had the Storm for 60 days, Verizon will unlock the SIM card slot to let you use any SIM you want. Remember, to get BlackBerry features, you'll need BlackBerry service on your GSM account; otherwise you're stuck with voice and text.
6.) Some time back I thought I read that you could sign up for a month-to-month contract with Verizon in order to buy the Storm, then have Verizon unlock the device to make it usable on the TMobile network. Is this true?
In theory that could happen; Verizon will unlock the phone after 60 days and you can force it onto GSM.
PHYSICAL ASPECTS
7.) Internal storage capacity: does it have a card slot? Is there an easy way to back up and restore the contents of the phone (the phone book, contacts, etc.) if it breaks and I have to replace it?
Yes. It comes with an 8 –Gbyte card and supports 16-GB cards. You can back up your entire BlackBerry with the included desktop software.
8.) In portrait view, will the standard keypad (not the SureType) have t9 input, or only multi-touch input? I'm a big fan of t9, and hate SureType, but SureType is better than multi-touch!
It uses SureType, which is a predictive text system like T9, but better.
9. How easy it is to type on it versus the Curve ? Can I type just as quickly and accurately?
No; the QWERTY keyboard takes some getting used to. But in SureType mode it's as good as a Pearl .
MEDIA
10.) How is live streaming audio from sites like NPR, NFL.com and CNN.com? How is streaming video? Can you download and play podcasts? Does it support Verizon TV? How much extra money does it cost?
Streaming video from m.youtube.com works fine. The rest of those sites detect the BlackBerry's browser and don't show their streaming audio links – that isn't a BlackBerry problem, it's a site problem. V CAST streaming video will be "coming soon," according to Verizon.
11.) How about the media player? Is it easy to use? Does it look good? Can we live without the iPod now?
It's easy to use, sounds and looks good. But syncing with PCs and especially Macs isn't as smooth as the iTunes/iPod combo. It works, just not as smoothly.
12.) I would like to know: can you go to Netflix.com and be able to use the "watch instantly" feature on the phone?
No, their player runs on Microsoft's Silverlight platform, which doesn't work on BlackBerrys.
OS AND BROWSER
13.) What OS does it run on? Can you share the phone with a computer using the USB cable as with the BlackJack?
It uses BlackBerry OS 4.7. You can use it as a modem for an additional $15/month on top of the regular service plan.
14.) How does the BlackBerry Storm compare to the Motorola Q? Is it Microsoft driven?
The BlackBerry Storm does not have a physical keyboard like the Q, and it runs a totally different operating system. It is not a Windows Mobile device; it runs the BlackBerry OS.
15.) What browser is the Storm using and could it be upgraded to use Opera or Fennec or something else? What are the chances of touchscreen zooming like on the iPhone? (Slim to none, I assume.)
The Storm uses its own browser, the BlackBerry Browser. Opera Mini also runs fine on the Storm. You can zoom in on web pages with the touch screen by double-tapping on the screen.
16.) Will the Storm sync smoothly with Outlook 2007?
Yup. No worries there. Just did it.
17.) While you indicate Storm will sync with Outlook, will it do so with more than one computer (i.e., a desktop and laptop)?
Yes.
18.) Will it sync with a Mac?
In the future. Unfortunately, the current version of PocketMac won't recognize the phone.
GPS FUNCTIONS
19.) Is the Storm's GPS unlocked? Can I pinpoint my location on Google Maps in maps and satellite views? Also, does Street View work well?
The Storm's GPS is unlocked, but it looks like GPS apps must be written specifically for the Storm. Google Maps is a mess; Street View doesn't work, and it gets approximate location with AGPS but not precise location with GPS. But the free BlackBerry Maps uses the GPS quickly and accurately, so it seems this is a Google problem, not a Storm problem.
20.) With the GPS, can you enter a latitude and longitude in addition to an address?
Not on the existing apps, but there's nobody stopping anyone from writing a geocaching app. Also, you can take a photo and geotag it with the latitude and longitude automatically, which might do what you need.
Have more questions? Ask me on Twitter; I'm saschasegan.
