Derrick
ლ(ಠ_ಠ )ლ
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,085
- Reaction score
- 5
It will certainly appeal to fans of the BlackBerry platform. But I'll be sticking with the iPhone for now, and watching with interest to see if Nokia's upcoming N97 and Palm's new Pre can unseat the Apple device.
Ever since Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the first-generation iPhone in January 2007, other smartphone manufacturers - from Nokia to Research in Motion (RIM) - have been scrambling to come up with a rival. None has come close - until now.RIM's new BlackBerry Storm, developed in direct response to the threat posed by the iPhone, will make many people stop and consider their options before rushing out to buy the Apple device. But, after a few days of playing with the Storm, our first impression is that it still isn't good enough to unseat the iPhone 3G as the king of keyboard-less touch-screen smartphones.
The biggest reason the Storm doesn't quite cut it is that it is just not as easy to use as the Apple. Regular BlackBerry users will probably feel right at home with the interface but, unlike the iPhone 3G, people new to the platform will need to spend considerable time learning the phone's operating system.Don't get me wrong - this is a stunning phone. But it lacks the simplicity of the iPhone 3G. It's also a bit heavy, not all that well constructed - our review unit has a noticeable gap between the screen and the phone's four tactile keys through which the backlight shines (annoying at night) - and the software is too often unresponsive.
There are other problems, too. The Storm's accelerometer (motion sensor) is far too sensitive. As a result, the phone keeps flipping between portrait and landscape modes when you don't want it to.
Where the Storm scores big is its on-screen "click" technology called SurePress. It allows you to "click" the screen, ensuring you never accidentally select the wrong link on a website, for example. But, at the price, this technology is not enough to recommend this device over the iPhone.
The camera is good - 3,2-megapixels - and the stills shots it produces are gorgeous. But the video mode creates blocky images. It's better than the iPhone's 2-megapixel camera, which still can't shoot video footage - though, if the rumours are true, this problem will be addressed in a forthcoming software update from Apple.
The BlackBerry device has a 3,5 mm audio jack, volume control buttons on the side. And the built-in speaker is surprisingly good.
It will certainly appeal to fans of the BlackBerry platform. But I'll be sticking with the iPhone for now, and watching with interest to see if Nokia's upcoming N97 and Palm's new Pre can unseat the Apple device.
Ever since Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the first-generation iPhone in January 2007, other smartphone manufacturers - from Nokia to Research in Motion (RIM) - have been scrambling to come up with a rival. None has come close - until now.RIM's new BlackBerry Storm, developed in direct response to the threat posed by the iPhone, will make many people stop and consider their options before rushing out to buy the Apple device. But, after a few days of playing with the Storm, our first impression is that it still isn't good enough to unseat the iPhone 3G as the king of keyboard-less touch-screen smartphones.
The biggest reason the Storm doesn't quite cut it is that it is just not as easy to use as the Apple. Regular BlackBerry users will probably feel right at home with the interface but, unlike the iPhone 3G, people new to the platform will need to spend considerable time learning the phone's operating system.Don't get me wrong - this is a stunning phone. But it lacks the simplicity of the iPhone 3G. It's also a bit heavy, not all that well constructed - our review unit has a noticeable gap between the screen and the phone's four tactile keys through which the backlight shines (annoying at night) - and the software is too often unresponsive.
There are other problems, too. The Storm's accelerometer (motion sensor) is far too sensitive. As a result, the phone keeps flipping between portrait and landscape modes when you don't want it to.
Where the Storm scores big is its on-screen "click" technology called SurePress. It allows you to "click" the screen, ensuring you never accidentally select the wrong link on a website, for example. But, at the price, this technology is not enough to recommend this device over the iPhone.
The camera is good - 3,2-megapixels - and the stills shots it produces are gorgeous. But the video mode creates blocky images. It's better than the iPhone's 2-megapixel camera, which still can't shoot video footage - though, if the rumours are true, this problem will be addressed in a forthcoming software update from Apple.
The BlackBerry device has a 3,5 mm audio jack, volume control buttons on the side. And the built-in speaker is surprisingly good.
It will certainly appeal to fans of the BlackBerry platform. But I'll be sticking with the iPhone for now, and watching with interest to see if Nokia's upcoming N97 and Palm's new Pre can unseat the Apple device.