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BlackBerry Storm Review

Phone rating:

In a nutshell: Built on BlackBerry's reputation for the best in mobile email and web browsing, the Storm has a touchscreen user interface that incorporates a full virtual QWERTY keyboard. The Storm includes a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash, video recording, a media player, GPS navigation, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, 3G with HSDPA and 1GB of built-in memory plus the ability to expand the memory with a microSD card. However, the Storm is generating a lot of negative reviews from our users, so we have downgraded our rating to 2 stars.

Review: October 2008. Updated January 2010.

For the past couple of years, RIM (the makers of BlackBerry) have been chasing the mass market. They've glued cameras, music players and even GPS navigation systems onto their business smartphones. But still the mass market eluded them. The Storm is the first BlackBerry to have a touchscreen user interface. In one fell swoop, finally here's a BlackBerry that looks like a mass market product. Ever since Apple released the iPhone and iPhone 3G, every phone manufacturer has been trying to produce an iPhone killer. Here's BlackBerry's answer.

By adopting a touchscreen UI, the BlackBerry Storm offers all the benefits of a standard BlackBerry (i.e. full QWERTY keyboard and unrivalled email/web browsing), with the style and ease of use of an iPhone. Cleverly, the Storm incorporates two kinds of virtual keyboard: the full QWERTY keyboard seen in the BlackBerry Bold and the SureType® keyboard used in the "baby" BlackBerry Pearl. The keyboard switches depending on whether you're in portrait or landscape mode. The touchscreen on the Storm is a capacitive type - the same kind used in the iPhone. We find this easier to use than the resistive touchscreens used on most rivals. You get a better response when moving your finger around the screen, and the near-instantaneous response makes the user interface very intuitive. Rather than using haptics (vibrating feedback) to indicate when the screen is pressed, the Storm uses a new innovation called "ClickThrough". This means that the screen responds to pressure, so it feels almost like you're using a real keyboard. The display itself is massive and has the one of the highest resolutions of any phone that we've reviewed. With 480 x 360 pixels, you can fit a lot of information on screen, and view photos and videos in near-perfect detail. As with previous BlackBerrys, the font sizes are user adjustable - a feature that we love and wish was present on rival phones too.

BlackBerry phones enjoy an unrivalled reputation when it comes to mobile email, and the Storm is no different. Apart from the ease of entering text with the virtual keyboard, the Storm beats other manufacturers' email systems because of its ease of use, power, wide compatibility with all email protocols (including web-based mail and secure mail) and its support for attachments. There is even an attachment editor, so you can edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on the phone. The Storm is also an absolutely brilliant platform for the mobile web. With HSDPA running at 7.2 Mbps, you have the fastest possible download speeds available on any phone. The huge screen and ClickThrough response is ideal for viewing web pages. And the Storm supports rich media, including YouTube videos. Built-in applications make it easy to access social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

The Storm is a smartphone, just like previous BlackBerry phones, so there will be plenty of applications available for it. It also supports multitasking, so you can view a document or browse the web whilst talking on the phone. The Storm supports a range of advanced features including voice activated dialling, conference calling and voicemail attachment playback.

Any phone that wants to conquer the mass market needs to have a good camera and media player and the Storm does. It certainly isn't the best camera phone around, but the camera has a resolution of 3.2 megapixels, and with autofocus and an LED flash, it will take reasonable pictures - good enough for print quality, provided that you don't zoom too much. The media player supports every common audio format and synchs with iTunes. The Storm has 1GB of built-in memory, which is plenty to get you started, and will accept microSD memory cards up to a whopping 16GB, which is enough to store around 4,000 MP3 tracks. There's full support for Bluetooth stereo headsets, and another great feature that is missing from many rival phones is the 3.5mm audio jack, which enables you to connect any standard stereo headphones. This means that you're not tied into proprietary headphones, but can connect to very high quality headphones for the best possible audio experience.

We mentioned the presence of GPS earlier. The Storm has a built-in GPS device and comes with BlackBerry Maps, so you can find your way around. With the large touchscreen, this combination works well, and is ideal for pedestrian use. With a proper satnav application installed it could even replace a dedicated in-car satnav. The Storm comes with a 6 month licence for Vodafone Find&Go Sat Nav .

Battery life is quoted to be 5.5 hours talktime and 360 hours standby. In the real world, using the phone heavily you'll get about a full day's use between charges. So if you don't like the hassle of charging each night, the Storm probably isn't for you. The Storm loses one star from its rating because of this.

Which brings us to the one other feature that we dislike about the BlackBerry Storm - its size. Even larger and heavier than the iPhone, the Storm weighs in at 155g, making it the heaviest smartphone currently on sale in the UK. Bigger is not always better, and we'd certainly like to shave a couple of millimetres off the Storm. But then again, you need a big device to have a big screen, and when you consider the number of features that have been crammed into this beast, it's a trade-off that we're happy to live with.

But the worst features of the Storm are its habit of freezing and dropping calls. These make it pretty well useless as a business tool. The Storm2 adds WiFi and some other improvements, but suffers from the same kinds of problems.

Features of the BlackBerry Storm include:

  • 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash
  • Video recording (30fps)
  • Display: Transmissive TFT LCD, 480 x 360 pixels, 65,000 colours, user selectable font size
  • Media player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus audio formats supported)
  • Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant messaging, push email with attachment viewer
  • Built-in speakerphone
  • Voice dialling
  • Voice memo recorder
  • MP3 ringtones with LED indicator and vibration alert
  • GPS with BlackBerry Maps
  • Personal organiser functions
  • Memory: 1GB onboard memory plus microSD memory card slot (up to 16 GB)
  • Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB, RIM wireless modem, 3.5mm stereo headset port
  • Internet: Web browser, GPRS, EDGE
  • Size: 113 x 62 x 14 mm
  • Weight: 155g
  • Quadband GSM plus 3G HSDPA (7.2Mbps)
  • Talktime: 5.5 hours
  • Battery standby: 360 hours

BlackBerry Storm User Reviews

Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!

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Average rating from 107 reviews:

Reviewed by Luke from United Kingdom on 25th Jul 2012
Well i've just recently bought a storm & yeah its got problems with battery life & signal, it has frozen a couple of times on me but its not as though it happens constantly folks!!! My advice to anyone out there who's got a storm (try downloading the firmware update) this seems to clear up the freezing probs etc etc.

Apart from the couple of problems i've had its a great phone, really simple to use, well built & has really clear screen.
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Reviewed by Daniel from Malaysia on 23rd Jun 2012
Terrible life of battery! I hate it! Sucking hang!
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Reviewed by James from London on 16th Mar 2012
Never have I ever owned anything that so thoroughly deserves a one star rating. It is mentally unintuitive and given that I like my blackberry pearl so much, Im really shocked by this one. Terrible.
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Reviewed by Ade from UK on 13th Mar 2012
NEVER under any circumstances buy a Blackberry!! they are awful awful phones, never work properly, keep freezing, deleting apps, losing info, not connecting to wifi, losing id. Absolute rubbish, my 11 year old bought one with her xmas money and it is an absolute piece of junk!!!
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Reviewed by dignu from UK on 4th Feb 2012
I am one of the unfortunate owners of a blackberry storm. That phone crashes in the middle of most basic applications, the only manner in which you can get it to work again is by resetting the whole handset - and we are all aware of the amount of time involved in that process. Whilst typing an email or an SMS, it again kicks me out on multiple occasions by locking the device. Most people I have conversations with complain that I am constantly breaking off. Doing a bit of basic math, this phone has wasted more of my time by me waiting around for it to work than the actual usage time.
This was my first blackberry experience. Despite my innate aversion towards iPhones (any illiterate out there seems to own one) I have been successfully turned me over to their side. I am looking forward to the end of my current contract so that I can become an Apple consumer.
BTW, I would suggest this particular phone to be removed form the Smartphone category - there is nothing smart about it. Also, its title is rather ironic.
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Reviewed by Julius Wandera from Uganda on 4th Jan 2012
Indeed this is rubbish of a phone. I have to charge the battery every day. on a day when i receive heavy calls i have to charge it twice. If freezes as often as i cant tell and i have to keep restarting. I am so frustrted with this devise and are looking to dispose it off. Its 11:52 here and it hasnt worked since 7am when i got to office. the phone is still frozen and cant respond to any command. jeje.wandera@gmail.com
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Reviewed by Sophie from England on 9th Dec 2011
Rubbish! Had it for less than two months as a replacement from my curve and I regret it so much! The battery is rubbish, my touchscreen freezes and does the complete opposite of what I want to do, I end up leaving it for at least 10 minutes before it begins to work again. The signal strength is poor. Calls are poor as the speaker is so quiet even on maximum volume; I always have to use my headphones to be able to take a call so I can actually hear them speak! Very poor phone, regret paying nearly £100 for it! Don't get how the Storm is getting so many 4+ reviews:S
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Reviewed by T from London on 11th Dec 2008
I commented before & am commenting again after having the phone 4 weeks. I have installed the firmware update on the Vodafone website for the Storm - battery life is 10 times better, I don't have to charge it every night or in the office now & that is with extensive use! Guys, try installing it, it's fixed a few other bugs too but the signal is still an issue - the weird thing I have found is that if you start to put the phone back into it's pouch the signal returns! Lol Makes texting or making a callhard but it does get it back straight away for you! I love this phone now.
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Reviewed by Alex from England on 11th Dec 2008
Poor battery life, poor signal. Vodafone rushed this one out big time. Had major problems with it not having any internet access, email access or anything, turns out vodafone had not set people with the new storm to be on a Black Berry contract which the system then allows it internet access, email etc. If you have problems with it, get on the phone (land line because your battery wont last out!) to voda and make them sort out the issues, and make sure you so it within the 14day cooling off period! This product has not been planned at all.
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Reviewed by brad from uk on 11th Dec 2008
What can I say that already hasn't been said. Great concept. Appalling reality. Battery life is terrible I fully charged the phone last night made a thirty minute phone call to vodafone to complain was left with 25% battery. I have made several phone calls to vodafone to vodafone about this and other issues. I want to know how you can sell a phone as a 3g phone that has to have the 3g switched off to improve the battery life surely this means the phone is not fit for its purpose? Also why don't my emails gey delivered to my phone I have set this up on the phone and on mobioeemailvodafone website about thirty times and still vodafone do not accept there is a problem? Stay clear of this phone if you need a phone that does what it advertised cos it certainly doesn't do anything it should. Waste of time and money!
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Reviewed by Lex from England on 9th Dec 2008
Hmmmm! Should be the best phone on the market! Unfortunately it falls down on two key points. Battery life and signal strength. Picture the scene, I have entered a vodafone shop with the express mission of buying a Blackberry Bold, only to find out the Storm is on the same tariff and is supposed to be the better phone.... 2HRS later I come out with a storm, love the keyboard & the UI is brilliant! But and its a huge but the battery never lasted a whole day the 4 days I had the phone. Worst of all the signal seemed to scramble as soon as I turned the phone to landscape. This is the only reason I brought the phone, if you want to type at any speed. Portrait is too fiddly. All in all a great idea that needs fine tuning, by the way have swapped for a Bold and can not find a single fault!! Easily the best phone I have ever owned!!
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Reviewed by Thought it wuld better than the Xperia from UK on 8th Dec 2008
Battery, battery, battery. Turn the phone sideways to be type (you have to unless you have small fingers), wait for a couple of seconds for i to catch up and then it becomes easy to use. The build quality is fine, making a call is easy and I have not tried email yet but after one or two 20 min phone calls and 5 texts, the battery is on its last bar. Go figure the frustration which is a shame as it coule be good.
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Reviewed by PJ Higgins from England on 8th Dec 2008
You should think very hard before getting this phone. I held on hoping it would be the answer to the i-phone, but it's not in the same league. First of all, the reception in my area was much worse than my old Sony Ericcson. Secondly, the battery ran down so fast with light use on the phone, never mind the internet. It's biggest and most fundamental problem is the keyboard. I persevered, but found I was so much slower than with my old phone. It's two steps forward, one step back: as you have to correct all the wrong characters even my average size hands produced all the time on the flawed keyboard. I also spotted big gaps at the top and the bottom of the keyboard and wondered how they would deal with condensation or inevitable splashing from using it in the rain - I'm sure the water would penetrate easily and wreck the keyboard. A frustrating 5 day experience and I was so glad to get rid of thing. I don't think this phone should have come to the market with all these design defects.
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Reviewed by Haseeb Sheikh from England on 6th Dec 2008
its just like marmite, you either love it or hate it. my rating totally contradicts it... lol!
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Reviewed by Wan from England on 6th Dec 2008
I've got to say this is a fantastic phone and I really do love it... The only problem is I am now on my third one. #1) Everything started off well except the dire battery life, it would last 5 hours at the most. Then I stopped receiving text messages, all texts sent to my BB Storm werent coming through (so I had to keep changing to my old phone to check them. Vodafone then swapped this #2)This one arrived, the screen was really loose but I thought maybe the old one was like this and I had blocked it out due to the frustration of the other stuff that was wrong. Then it kept freezing on me, text kept going really big and spaced out which only taking the battery out reset would solve. And the final straw was that emails stopped coming through, not very good as I use my email a lot. Called Vodafone replacement #3) Everything again started smoothly, then the battery held its charge for approx 6 hours, stopped receiving text messages to the device, then emails stopped coming through, blackberry messenger says I am busy and undeliverable all the time and every second page I load on the internet has an error and can't open. I contacted Vodafone for help on all occasions and they don't seem to have any faith in the phone at all. I think this phone is fantastic, just wish it would work!!! I can't give it less than three stars because if I actually can get one that works I will be a really happy BB storm owner....!!
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Reviewed by Andy from UK on 5th Dec 2008
I've had to setup a couple of these on a BES. If you're a business user, stick with the Bold. the Bold performs so much quicker application-wise, I'm seeing better 3G reception on the Bolds than I am on the Storms, and the touch-screen, while good is nowhere near a fast to type on as the Bold.
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Reviewed by Helen from UK on 5th Dec 2008
I sent my Storm back after one week. I found it too difficult to navigate the click screen, the SMS was too much trouble and super slow to use. You need mega slim fingers for the on screen keyboard. I tried to persevere but found the whole thing much to fiddly, and slow. I'm not the worlds greatest techie, but I like to be able to use a phones most basic functions like calling, and SMS and camera. The Storm fails on basic to the extreme.
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Reviewed by Henry from Scotland on 5th Dec 2008
i have left 2 reviews previously about what i think of the phone itself and also things that i did to improve the preformance of my Storm. so this time im just gonna leave 3 stars so it doesn't effecting the Average rating of this phone. first, the latest firmware update (.78)for the phone has been released in the German Vodafone site which also work for the UK. the update has fixed alot of the existed bugs and users have found their Storm workinng alot faster. go to the Crackberry.com to see all the comments from other users about the update. second, empty your cashe from the phone or take the battery out and hold down the power button for 10 sec then put battery back in and restart will help the performance of your Storm.i done that last week and since then my phone have been working flawlessly.
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Reviewed by Iwan from Wales, UK on 3rd Dec 2008
I admit absolutely hating this phone when I first received it, but I have to admit after a few days I've grown to love it. It does take time, but the email capabilities is excellant. The camera is fiddly though, and sometimes the accelerator is slow when turning from landscape to portrait. Nevertheless as a first attempt at a touch screen device, RIM has done well, though I expect version 2 will exceed expectations. Remember the oringinal iphone had many flaws!
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Reviewed by DG from UK on 3rd Dec 2008
Where are these occasional 5 star ratings coming from? I suspect from Vodafone employees desperate to give the phone some unjustified credibility. I returned my Storm after a week because it would have brought my business to its knees...slow unresponsive software and terrible RF sensitivity with an unrealistic battery life were my biggest gripes. I've now got my PAC code from Vodafone and have transferred my 15yr old number with Vodafone to a new 3G iphone with o2.....Its streets ahead of the Storm, great intuitive user interface, lightning fast email and web browsing. I've since revisited my local Vodafone store to transfer my partner's account over to o2 as well and the sales assistant told me he had never handled so many complaints and returns as he's had with the Storm. Keep well clear of this totally useless phone if your business depends on it.
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Reviewed by Andrew from Ireland on 3rd Dec 2008
I am returning this phone as the clickable touch screen makes it very cumbersome and quite slow to text with. I am a heavy texter and find that it takes twice as long to compose messages compared with traditional keypads. The clickable screen is unique but requires too much force to actually 'click' - so to continually depress the screen for each letter makes it far from comfortable. The other poor feature is the slow response in the image gallery - pictures take too long to appear and scrolling through your gallery is a task in itself.
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Reviewed by Aj from UK on 2nd Dec 2008
Awesome, just awesome. RIM have hit the mark. It takes a few days to get to grips with the phone due to the [really cool not-so-obvious] quirks of Blackberry phones. But after 3 days i'd got the idea. Admittedly the media player isn't as nice as the iPhone since you can't browse through by album art, instead you get a list view of all your tracks however it makes up for this with a nice view of the specific album image when you go to the "Now Playing" screen. The integrated software is excellent, through the Blackberry menu you can immediately access "Now Playing", you can upload images straight to Facebook through a link on the Camera menu, you can also SMS, Email etc... The email is awesome. BlackBerry have done a hell of a job sorting out email, all emails are near-instantly recieved, in fact, it beats Outlook by a mile (on send/recieve speed at least :p) Also, i recommend if you have any issues, look through the Vodafones BlackBerry Storm forum - they are extremely helpful, and you may just find some features to your liking while your there. If you're thinking of getting one - get it! The touch screen operates in 2 ways - if you move your finger on the surface of the screen it acts much like a mouse on a computer, and then, when you've found what you want you just press down. Once again, this takes a good hour of usage before just about you get the hang of it, perseverance is key.
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Reviewed by Marc from Northern Ireland on 2nd Dec 2008
I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Blackberry Storm. So much so that my partner and I both got one and are paying our other contractual commitments off. Boy where we dissappointed?! The Storm is, in essence, everything a phone should be and really deserved the branding of an iPhone killer. However, it has been a serious let down. It must be the slowest ever to operate between applications, the touch screen has great potential but instead is inaccurate, and the phone keeps crashing for no obvious reason. I think RIM should hang their heads in shame ... they had the potential to release possibly the world's smartest and most enjoyable phone but instead have rushed out what feels like a trial edition. I have since returned my Storm and am waiting on the arrival of a Sony Ericsson X1.
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Reviewed by Ryan from UK on 2nd Dec 2008
RIM rushed this phone to market for the Christmas period.That was a HUGE mistakle becasue it's given them all sorts of negative reviews ,and justifiably so in many instances.Had they waited and sorted out the problemsmwhich they must have known about,they would have had winner on their hand. The biggest probelm that I had in my short time with it was that the battery life was the worst I;ve ever encountered on any device.I mean I'm not a heavy phone user ,and on a full 17 hour charge my battery continually lasted until about 2 PM from a 7 Am start. You can excuse little teething problems but to have a battery that can't cope with the things that the phone throws at it is inexcusable. You shouldn't have to shut off backlights etc,and make all sorts of adjustments just to get the phone to last a full day of normal usage. It's too bad becaseu I actually liked the phone.I found it intuitive and easy to use.Very well thought out phone in my opinion,but like I said they brought it to market too soon and they've lost a lot of customers as a result.
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Reviewed by Mike A from UK on 2nd Dec 2008
Had my Storm a few days and like any change it takes getting used to. My change from the side wheel to the pearl on my curve took a couple of days so I expect that with this. I'm generally happy although if the pearl hadn't failed on my curve I would probably not have changed. I get a bit concerned by battery life although it seems to run a long time at 20%. I ony really use it for mail and calls and it does that fine. I may grow into the other apps. My biggest frustration is how to transfer my address book over GRRRR! I may come back with another uo date in a week or so. Love yourself x
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Reviewed by Elizabeth from Wales on 2nd Dec 2008
All singing all dancing, not without any battery it won't. Charged overnight EVERY night for 7 days and its dead by 5pm the following day. Sorry but its going back
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Reviewed by Dan Cooper from UK on 2nd Dec 2008
I really wanted to love this phone, with all the hype of it being an iPhone killer, but unfortunately it's far from it. The touchscreen with the click should have been a frontrunner in touchscreen technology but at times it just didn't respond. Also, even though transitions between applications were nice, for a power user it just took to long to go through the menus. This phone should have been fantastic but it was just a big dissapointment.
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Reviewed by Santa Claus from UK on 2nd Dec 2008
Everyone who has been naughty over the last year should definitely find a BB Storm in their Xmas stocking. We had 4 of these in our office and each and everyone of them has been more trouble than they are worth. glitchy software poor battery life etc etc. Where as the Samsung Omnia may not be perfect its pretty close and beats this thing hands down, still on the bright side we now have 4 nice BB Storm paperweights in the office. Definately more of a wet mist than a storm, buy one at your own peril, I had expected more from Blackberry still if you really want a BB the BB Bold is far better. Call me cynical..... but do Blackberry employees write some of these reviews ? So the Police took Daminan Green's Blackberry from him.....If there's any Police Officers reading this ....I know where there is 4 more they can take too.
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Reviewed by Sammi from England on 2nd Dec 2008
Looks good but in this case looks certainly are'nt everything.....Its Bad with a Capital B from build quality to software and everything in-between, I like blackberrys but not this thing, most definately one to avoid
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Reviewed by Gary Marsh from UK on 1st Dec 2008
I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Storm. I have had a few Blackberry's and loved them, but this Storm is awful! Every call I made dropped its signal, and I mean every call. This was with Vodafone and their customer service was the worst I have ever experienced. The touch screen felt great with the click but was just not accurate. I spent a lot of time just zooming in rather than selecting a button. I was really disapointed with this phone. I am sending it back!
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Reviewed by dave from uk on 1st Dec 2008
had a storm now for a few weeks, and yea there are a few little bits that arent maybe as good as they can be, but the service i got from my local vodafone store, plus all the video demos on the voda website for stuff like how to do bluetooth an everythin else is very very helpfull, as for they battery life, mines been fine ever since i did the following (which i reccomend for all users) go into options, then securit settings, then memory cleaning, then enable it, close the window selecting save, then lock the phone to start this function. this is basically like emptying the cache on your web browser, i found it speeded up the fone ten fold.
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Reviewed by tasha from england on 1st Dec 2008
Had my Storm for 4 hours and hated it - but persevered with it and now I LOVE it. Took a weekend of constant playing to get to grips with it but was worth it. Battery life and signal strength appear to be fine. Touch screen takes a bit of getting used to, but doesn't take long. Can't understand the people who send stuff back after a few days...patience people!
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Reviewed by Samrat Bose from United Kingdom on 30th Nov 2008
This is my first BB and I am not having a lot of problems with it. I have to agree, however, that the battery life could have been better. It is not too bad, and I don't have to charge the phone every night (once evry 48-72 hours does well for me), but I am not a too heavy user. However, I do access the internet quite frequently and do most other things one can do with this phone. The battery indicator, from a fully charged state, always shows the first mark disappearing rather quickly, but the rest take time to go. Don't know if the battery drains that unevenly!! Another problem I am having occasionally is that the screen sometimes turns from portrait to landscape mode without me turning the phone on its side. It takes a while before it spontaneously corrects itself. I do not know if this is a problem with my handset or is a generic problem with the Storm. I am searching for an answer to this through a BB community at present. I'd like to point out that there are not two (as mentioned in the review) but THREE types of virtual keyboards...the full QWERTY (landscape), Suretype (portrait) and Multitap (portrait). The last one looks very much like a "normal" mobile phone keyboard we know. But all in all, I'm simply enjoying the Storm and have no big issues with it in the three weeks that I've had it. First versions (BB touchscreen, in this instance) can be difficult, but this does not appear all that bad.
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Reviewed by Ashley from UK on 30th Nov 2008
I have already added my rating here, so for that reason will give an average 3 stars so as not to skew the overall score any more. However, please, some sanity guys...Sally writes..."great apart from the battery life and signal strength...cannot understand all the negative feedback that this phone is receiving" - uh, Sally, signal and battery, um, pretty fundamental features girl. WIthout power and signal your phone, uh, don't work! Many people here giving 5 stars also state the battery life and signal is pants. If you guys think a firmware update will cure these you are dreaming! I agree with JT - the BB fan club/ desparate BB employees have hit this site to try to save the abysmal Storm from its fate. Let me say, I even now would love to find something good about the phone as it is lovely to look at and I depserately wanted to have one before I tried it. Trouble is, the screen has too much play, buttons can come off if you use the BB case, typing is not easy, and the whole touch screen experience is pretty sticky (try the Google G1 or the iphone and compare). I have always found cnet.co.uk to be very good tech reviewers. CHeck out their review of the storm. If you want a flash bit of kit but do not rely on it for your business then the Storm may well be a palatable choice, but if you want performance there are so many phones out at this very moment that kick the Storm's butt all the way back to Canada!
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Reviewed by Rick from USA on 30th Nov 2008
This has to be the worst Blackberry ever! And thats from one of BB's most avid fans. The software is a joke, build quality is poor at best and less than a day's worth of battery life makes this phone impossible to use for business. I just checked out Blackberry's own user forum and it seems I'm not alone, the negative comments outweigh the positive comments by a long long way...and thats on BB's own users forum! I've already sent mine back after 5 very disappointing days. No amount of software updates will fix this lemon.
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Reviewed by julie from uk on 29th Nov 2008
ive now had my storm for a week and love it. discovering new things every day. texting is fine and quick in either touch type mode or auto text. yea the batteries not brilliant but im in the habit of charging every night and then its fine. was well worth the wait.
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Reviewed by H from UK on 29th Nov 2008
This phone is just aweome. Its really special and the touchscreen is just brilliant. You have to give it a chance, people just write reviews when theyve been with it for a few minutes or even a few hours. also, theyre giving a new update, so all the bugs and lags will go the feel of the phone is solid and its the best quality recommended to everyone
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Reviewed by JT from UK on 29th Nov 2008
I can only assume as a heavy business user, some of these reviews must be written by the blackberry fan club or even employees, this phone is absolutely the worst I have ever owned, and i will be joining the long queue of dis-satisfied customers sending this one back....avoid it.
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Reviewed by Sally from UK on 28th Nov 2008
Had phone now for 5 days. In short, it great apart from the battery life and signal strength. That said, I am very pleased with it and cannot understand all the negative feedback that this phone is receiving. All we need now a a firmware update and all will be well.
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Reviewed by Lewis from Worthing, UK on 28th Nov 2008
I rate this phone as one of the best I have ever had, and believe me I have had loads. The battery life is very poor in comparison to other phones but that aside, it is an excellent device. The email facility is second to none and I get all my Pop3 emails instantaneously which is amazing. Once RIM sort out the bugs this will be by far the best phone out there.
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Reviewed by Dean from London, UK on 28th Nov 2008
I've been using this phone now for seven days and I have to say... it's brilliant. The battery and signal strength could be better - which I understand will be fixed by an immanent firmware update from RIM. Apart from this, the phone has been a dream to use.
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Reviewed by T from UK on 28th Nov 2008
I love this phone too, it's my 1st Smart Phone & at 1st I found it hard to navigate but you do need to spend a week or so with it to get used to it. The battery life isn't the greatest but it has improved - not sure why as I'm not doing anything different. It crashes a lot less than it did at 1st & now works really fast. I got Vodafone to extend my 14 day cooling off period by one week as I wanted to be sure & they did this no problem. It's an amazing piece of kit & I really don't think you can come to a conclusion after an hour of using it. It's a lot, lot better than the Omnia & I would even go as far to say better than the iphone! Try before you buy & if you have the patience & are slightly tech savvy then this is the phone for you.
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Reviewed by Sharon from UK on 28th Nov 2008
This phone is brilliant! I brought mine two weeks ago and love it. The battery life can be a bit annoying but other then that its the best phone on the market by far.
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Reviewed by Joaquim from UK on 28th Nov 2008
This is the best phone ever. Those people who wrote bad reviews on this forum after having the phone for a couple of hours should really just stick to more simple things in life, like the iPhone. I have had mine for 48 hours and the battery is working fine. It does go down fast but not after five calls. Yes, there is a space between the screen and the frame and it moves slightly, but that is the design, so get over it. By the time I finish my phone set up (which includes a short tutorial), I was typing without mistakes, and now faster and more accurate than previous phones. The clickable screen is so great. It feels that you are typing and a blue highlight follows your finger before you actually press it. Once you go clickable touch scree, you don't go back. I was a bit nervous to receive my phone after reading this forum but this is the best phone of all times. Beautifully designed, well-built. It's a blackberry.
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Reviewed by Dom McHugh from UK on 27th Nov 2008
As an owner of a samsung omnia I was intrigued by the Storm as I have always wanted a Blackberry phone but never taken the plunge. I have to say that I have been looking for a replacement for the omnia as I have many issues with it and the Storm was the first phone that I had seen that I really did like the look of. I went into the vodafone shop today and spent above an hour playing with the phone as I didn't want to be stuck with another touchscreen phone for 18 months that I didn't like much. First off the screen is Waaaaay better than the omnia as the colours look more natural and richer. The touching of the screen is also vastly better. Typing texts was very easy with zero mistakes which is difficult when you have sausage fingers like me. The screen responded to touches (should I say presses)very quickly and going from menu to menu was very fluid with no lag at all (other reviews mention lag A LOT but either vodafone have shop floor only models or the build quality was p or in only the initial batch of released Storms). Using the camera was ok (I say okay because for me all cameraphones have poor cameras in them). I have yet to use a phone camera and be impressed with it and I have owned n95, omnia and sony erricsson k810. I am unable to comment on the battery life but I intend to purchase a Storm in the next few days and if it is as poor as other reviews say then I will be taking it back under the 14 day cooling of period.
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Reviewed by C.Black from UK on 27th Nov 2008
ok, ok. I wanted an iphone, was talked into getting the storm. Have had it for 24 hours. First impressions...........it is my first smartphone, but I like my toys (and I am a girl), so I thought, why not. And in the business sector, I have had to deal with blackberrys for 4 years, so I thought I would try one myself. What are my thoughts? Battery life is not rubbish. After charging over night the battery died halfway through the day, but I guess this depends on how much you use it too. Signal strength? Not good either, but then I dont live in a great mobile area, so I am hopeful (cross fingers). Some applications I find fast, others I find frustratingly slow, like surfing the web. I am a fast typer and the keyboard I find a little annoying, but I can live with it, better than what was on previous blackberrys. The camera is ok, but then I have a 13.2 mexapixel digital camera so I am not fussed about that, at least it has the focus and flash. As an owner of 8 ipods in 3 years, I wont be giving up my ipod just yet, although the music player does sound surprisngly well. Personally I like to keep my music player and camera seperate to my phone. The emails work great, so does the DataViz applications and the maps etc (although I dont know if I want to walk down the street holding it to find out where I am going-it is a little bit too inconspicious..........lol) Overall I think this is an o.k phone, I would not miss it if I did not have it, but it still is a nice piece of kit, and means I may/not? have to take my lap top everywhere. For the business man on the go, unlike previous blackberrys, I dont think this will cut it, the battery life is too short and the signal is not great, but hey, it looks good if that is what you are after. Personally, I will let you know how I feel in another week. :-) On another note, a friend of mine has one of these and he endlessly complains about the signal strength. Unlike me he also uses the case for it (c'mon something a bit less embarresing would be good) and he warns be careful using the case as it has made his buttons fly off when he is getting in and out! (some would say-lucky him)# Keep you updated :-)
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Reviewed by Steve Barnes from Wales on 26th Nov 2008
After receiving my Blackberry storm 6 days ago, I have organised a return with Vodaphone today. Battery: Charged overnight, I can't even get an average day's use out of it. 5 or 6 5-10 minte calls in a day and I leave the office with the battery indicator flashing red. Software: Regularly crashes. In fact I couldn't even get through to the relevant dept of Vodafone as the number keys on the phone get confused, and for instance 3 fires an 8?? Speed Dials: Using the storm in the car, even though the speed dials were meticulously assigned, I call home, it calls work. It even dials random numbers of it's own accord. The QWERTY keyboard. Whenever I turned the unit on it's side, half the keys are missing. Big Software issues. Speed: In the advertising, words like " surf at warp speed" are used. In reality, this is the slowest, least reactive unit I've ever had the misfortune to use. All in all, we all make mistakes in life, and going for the Storm is the biggest mistake I've made in a long while. Lots of hype - In reality it doesn't live up to what's promised. Also took me 3 days with the last day 58 mins on hold to organise a return. Not Impressed Vodafone!
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Reviewed by Ralph from USA on 26th Nov 2008
Why does Blackberry get a pass from everyone on the poor e-mail client it has. It only does plain text, it only shows the messages from the Inbox. If you don't use the Blackberry Enterprise Server, you get random retrieval of e-mail. And yet, the reviewer quotes the Blackberry line: "reputation for the best in mobile email". It still sucks. Do the reviewers not ever try the e-mail because of the "reputation"? Or are the kickbacks from RIM just that good? I can't figure it out.
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Reply by Mobile Phones UK from UK on 26th Nov 2008
Kickbacks from Rim? LOL!

Reviewed by matthew from wales on 25th Nov 2008
WHAT A PHONE!!!! I cant understand why people hate this phone or disagree with it. I bought mine off ebay and lucky to pick it up for £310, i recieved it 2days ago so far so good. It does what i tell it to, only had to charge it once in the days i have used it for so far, great applications as always good email. This is the first blackberry phone iv ever owned and i have had IPHONE, IPHONE 3G, SAMSUNG PIXON, LG RENOIR, NOKIA N96, AND SE C905, And i have to say this beats them all. If you want one by one you will seriosly not regret it.
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Reviewed by Neleta from UK on 25th Nov 2008
I received this phone last week and loved it for all of 12 hours and then the damn thing broke! The touchscreen was no longer touch so I was unable to do anything on it. I have since contacted Vodafone to get a replacement but they are out of stock and has said that it could be a while so they have given me a courtesy phone which to be honest is the most basic phone you could ever purchase and has no internet or email facilities (it doesnt even have predictive text) After all these problems I am dubious about getting another one so I am considering the Samsung Omnia, Any thoughts? I am worried that I am cutting off my nose despite my face and that I should wait for a replacemnent, I am soooo confused but all I know is I need a phone asap!!!! ahhhhh!!!!!
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Reviewed by Smart from UK on 25th Nov 2008
I've been watching the incoming reviews here since returning my Storm last week. If I still had it, I'd make sure the software was bang up to date... I've discovered there's a web page on the BB site where you can do this. (Go to BB's Storm Support page and look under Downloads.) So... if you're having problems, before you take your Storm back, check to see if the s/w is up-to-date. You may be in for a pleasant surprise. (Now I'm wishing someone had told me about this a week ago!) Of course, the issues may not be s/w related after all, but it's worth a try.
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Reviewed by Dan Gleebitz from England on 24th Nov 2008
I've been using the Storm now for a week and I have to say, apart from the odd little glitch, it has performed faultlessly. I don't understand all the negative feedback this phone is getting. Quite honestly, it's a great phone that is streets ahead of most mobile phones out there. The email facility is the best as is the screen quality. Admittedly, there are a couple of issues surrounding battery life and signal strength but these will be sorted in a forthcoming firmware update. I suspect some of the negative reviews here are from jealous iPhone users.
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Reviewed by Neleta from UK on 24th Nov 2008
I had my phone for a whole 12 hours and the damn thing broke. It was fine then all of a sudden the touchscreen was no longer touchscreen. Then it just completely froze up and I really liked it for the first 12 hours. I reported it to Vodafone and they have no stock so they gave my some bloody awful courtesy phone that is as basic as you can get and as I went for the blackberry storm, I did say to them that this would suggest that I needed a phone with some internet and email capability. What a knightmare. I am now waiting on the replaceent and have been informed that it could be a while so I am now looking at alternative phones such as the Samsung Omnia as I need one with the same functions and one that wont break either.
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Reviewed by chris from scotland on 24th Nov 2008
i previously left a review on the 20/11 saying that my storm was going back due to reception problems and poor battery life only to find out that phones4u wont give me a different handset because the storm has its own special tarrif so all they will do is exchange my storm for another storm! they said they would let me know when more handsets wer in stock so i thought i may aswell give the phone another go untill i got a new and hopefully better working 1 since i was going to hav it for 18months wether i want it or not, iv been using it for a few days now and the battery doesnt last long but doesnt take long to charge either so il live with it, my main problem is signal strength when im indoors, it doesnt work in any house i go 2 although it works fine when im outside so hopefully a new handset will work better for me, anyway if ur thinking of getting a storm give it some real thought and maybe dont go to phones4u just incase.
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Reviewed by Tim from London on 24th Nov 2008
Very impressed with how fast Vodafone got a BlackBerry Storm biked round to me. Unfortunately it doesn't work. Its small buttons fell off. The screen flicks happily between white and dark like a Christmas Tree light. Its obviously got software and construction issues. What a huge mistake to rush out a phone that's not ready for market. Perhaps later models will be ace. Shame loyal vodafone users are dumped on with this turkey. Worse, fast as Vodafone are at advertising this loser, its impossible to get through to the jammed operators to arrange the wretched thing to be collected. The sales guys answer fast, but can't arrange pick up of the phones they are happily pushing. Phones that don't work. Just sat on hold on and off today, forty mins on average, still holding as I send this. Beware this phone, its simply a menace, and I do hope vodafone suffer for treating customers so poorly..I tried to stick with vodafone but I guess its get rid of this junk, get a PAK number and call O2 fast.
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Reviewed by Henry from UK on 24th Nov 2008
i have left a review last week and after a weekend of "playing around" with the phone, i have find out a few things which have improved the performance of the my Storm. 1)do take your time to read the "Help" within your phone. its one of the functionalities that in the menu and it has all the tips which will help the performance of the Storm. 2)the bettery life last alot longer now compare to last week when i still use the default setting! the more emails you setup with the Storm, the shorter the bettery will last because of the Push Email functionality. so change the setting for your Email. (the Help screen will have tips to guide you to set it right) 3)a tip that my workmate told me from his experence, do not place your phone on top of the case when you using the phone. There are magnet inside the case which put the phone in sleep mode when the phone has put into the case to save bettery. so if you place your phone on the case when using the phone, then it might get put in sleep mode or turn off the device.
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Reviewed by Don from UK on 24th Nov 2008
Grrrrrrrrrr...after 8 days trying to get this awful excuse for a phone to work I'm sending it back to Vodafone today. No amount of software updates will rectify the terrible touch screen the poor battery life and the worst build quality I have ever seen in a phone. I called Vodafone Customer Support today to ask why it won't sync with my Mac,they said they were aware of this issue and had been informed by RIM that full Mac compatability will be available early next year! Sorry Vodafone..you've been had!
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Reviewed by J from England on 24th Nov 2008
i am returning this phone. DO NOT GET THIS PHONE - it is RUBBISH
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Reviewed by mark2jag from UK on 23rd Nov 2008
Blackberry storm is s***!!! I appreciate the no swearing rule but without it you have absolutely no idea of the frustration levels caused by this DAMN phone.....I'm on my 2nd one now and its still slow, laggy, gets very hot,doesnt allow me to view websites that require a download,screen keeps calling me a lair by selecting options on screen that I really havent chosen. The edit text option requires that you have millimetre wide fingers, which is no good to me. I also have a nokia n95 which picks up a full scale signal in my living room, where the Storm will not pick up any!!!!. I have missed countless calls thanks to it deciding it cant get a signal in places where other phones work perfectly. I really dont know what to replace it with, and am on the point of phoning voda and telling them I really dont want it, revert my upgrade date back to before I had this godawful phone, and will wait and see whats released in the new year...
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Reviewed by Karl T from London U.K on 22nd Nov 2008
If you must have a Blackberry go for the Bold, the Storm is far from good, it just doesn't do what it says "on the tin" needless to say this is one that is definitely getting boxed back up and going back.
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Reviewed by Wayne from England on 22nd Nov 2008
Well its been a week since I upgraded to my storm from a SE K800i. Overall I'm very happy. Occasionally it does some random things and I'm still stumbling across options I didn't know exist!! Screen works well, however no touchscreen will be able to replace a standard keyboard for speed and feedback. Texting takes me a bit longer now, but adapting to a new phone always takes some time. Have the odd button faff but like the size of the display too much to go back to a standard keyboard/screen combination. Browsing is fine and I don't have any issues with battery capacity. I currently charge the phone for a few hours in the evening and its fine for the next 24 hours or so. I had a E66 for a week or so before the Storm and it was a lot, lot worse. Plus with this you can get a replacement battery, unlike the iPhone. Camera is very laggy, but hopefully it'll be sorted when the firmare is updated. Not sure what all the WiFi fuss is over, with the package from vodafone it will be unusual to be away from a decent signal. Overall its a 8 out of 10, but the touch side of it won't please everyone. I strongly suggest you spend time with the phone before deciding to buy it.
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Reviewed by swiftysue from england on 22nd Nov 2008
i have had an iphone before they were released over here,and i had but got bored with it , i had the storm and thought if it is bad it can go back, i am a phone freak . after the first 48 hours i wanted to throw it out of the window, could not type in landscape, screen slow, etc, but i have stuck with it . battery power has improved, aplications have got quicker i am finding loads of things the phone does that i am really impressed with, and for me it does beat the iphone , but you do have to work hard with it the first couple of weeks and give it alot of time , but you are rewarded in the end
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Reviewed by Ashley from UK on 21st Nov 2008
Played with this phone a few days and its gone back. What a huge disappointment. The keyboard is not very easy to use as you have to wait for it to pop back up before typing another letter. Sometimes the buttons clicked just don't respond. The build quality is disappointing. Too much play with the screen and a big gap at the bottom that will no doubt be a dirt magnet. I really wanted a 3G Blackberry, but the Storm has far too many problems, and the Bold, although a much better device, has the styling of an old Jaguar with its faux leather back and plastic chrome bumpers! I want a 21st century phone. I now have a Nokia E71 which is fantastic. Solid build (10mm thin, steel), better features than all the BBs put together, and Nokia have a new email service that is currently free while they test it that is comparable to the legendary BB offering. Best of all, the battery lasts for days even when bashing it by using all the apps. If you need a serious bit of kit for business I hig hly recommend it over the dodgy Storm! I so wanted to love the Storm, but pretty looks can't make up for such a lack of performance. Oh, and the E71 has WI-FI and a browser that kicks BBs butt! Lastly, I have to say (like a few others here) where has the integrity of this site gone? I used to rely on this site for an honest opinion. Now it aimlessly gives out stars despite some phones being very obviously undeserving of such. Seems like the site has been bought off by manufacturers/ ISPs. What a shame. The best thing about it now is the user reviews. Response Ed?!!
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Reply by Mobile Phones UK from UK on 21st Nov 2008
Hi Ashley, I hope that you can still rely on Mobile Phones UK for an honest editorial review. Our review is 100% honest, even though you may not agree with it. As for being bought off by manufacturers, I wish! Come on manufacturers, please send us buckets of cash LOL! As for the Storm, the number one complaint from users is battery life. As mentioned in our review, you should expect to charge it each day if you're a heavy user. As for the user interface, we like it. Some people have complained about it being slow, others here say it's fast. A few have complained about build quality. The Storm is attracting mostly 5 star or 1 star reviews, which leads us to suspect that there are good ones and bad ones around. Jamez and Smart below (20th Nov) have also commented on this. Our advice: if you think there's something wrong with your Storm, ask for a replacement. Obviously Vodafone/RIM have made a huge cock-up if they are allowing sub-standard versions of the Storm to be released, but that wouldn't be the first cock-up ever! Both Vodafone and RIM have made a massive investment in the Storm and I can't believe that they will allow this situation to continue. If in doubt, wait a bit longer before buying.

Reviewed by D Simmons from UK on 21st Nov 2008
I went to my local Voda store on Saturday to try the Storm, on initial Demo (I've been a Vodafone Customer for over 12 years) I decided to commit to an 18 month contract. After just 3 days the Storm was returned for a Full Refund, due to poor 3G signal and absolutely dire Battery life which failed to last a full day without needing a charge. On a plus I felt the touch screen was great. So what did I go for after returning my Storm, an iPhone, the best move I made.
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Reviewed by Henry from UK on 21st Nov 2008
i really don't understand how people return the phone just after 3 days because they don't like or haven't got used to the control quick enough. if that the case for me then i would have return every single phone that i have owned in the past. this is my first Blackberry and i do agree with some of the issue which other reviewers pointed out such as delay between screens and so on but these are all software related issues, so a update will fix all these problems. overall i find this phone is excellent. the battery life does not match the expectation but when im at work, i connect it to my PC via USB anyway so it fine with me. i will give it 5 stars after their first OS update when they fix the existed bugs. :)
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Reviewed by Mark from Belfast, UK on 21st Nov 2008
Hello! I've had my Blackberry since Wed and I can truely say it is a great phone. Being a Mac user I was worried but I now have everything sync'd and love it to bits. I've had plenty of time on the iPhone and find the touch screen technology to be ingenious but it's too easy to make mistakes when typing and browsing. Blackberry's solution blows it out of the water.
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Reviewed by Coggs from UK on 21st Nov 2008
I have had the phone for about 4 days now and cannot get the battery to last longer than 8 hours. I use the phone for work i.e. access to my emails etc ..... I thought this was going to be the dogs B******* and am regretfully let down. Trying to type an email with the phone on it's side is very difficult, trying to delete a letter is difficult and when you find out it's easier to type with the phone upright, then the screen takes about 15 seconds to stand upright. The system is very slow and you don't even get a memory card (Something else you have to purchase). Signal is not very good (Especially for a vodafone network) as I've never had this problem. I am really thinking about handing back to Vodafone on the 14 day cool off, however not sure on what to get. May just keep using my laptop when out of the office and get the N96.
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Reviewed by Dana from UK and USA on 21st Nov 2008
I spend 6 months a year in the UK and 6 months in the US. I was fortunate to be in the UK when the Storm was launched on Vodafone before my folks back home could get one on Verizon. I purchased my new Storm last Friday and was so excited to see that when I opened the box it looked just as beautiful as I expected. I've always been a Blackberry fan despite all my family continuously bragging about how good their iPhones are. Can you imagine how embarassed I feel now that I've tried the Storm and have to concede that in almost every single respect its failed to live up to all the media hype. I really really wanted to fall in love with my new Blackberry Storm but its let me down badly. The touch screen is the biggest culprit it just makes sending SMS and email messages so darn difficult! I'm a proficient touch typist and am proud of how fast and accurately I can type but the quality of messages I compiled on my Storm was nothing short of embarassing. The screen keeps freezing between landscape and portrait views, the browser crashes at will, its NOT the business phone which Blackberrys are famous for. My average battery life after fully charging, just on standby and fiddling around with the setup menu was around 6-7 hours and the phone got very hot. I've persevered with this awful phone for almost a week now and just cannot feel comfortable with it. With great reluctance its now back in its box and going back to Vodafone. Do not buy this phone if you rely on it for your business as I did.
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Reviewed by Mark from UK on 21st Nov 2008
I really like this phone but.... I had it on charge all day but the battery only lasted 5 hours and that was making a couple of calls a quick browse of the net and sending 2 emails not that impressed. Really want to keep it but don't think I can live with such a poor battery for 24 months.
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Reviewed by Lyn from UK on 21st Nov 2008
Really wanted to love this phone.. have had BB's for 4 years and have been looking forward to getting this for weeks. .... This is very pretty,but it takes more than looks for a phone to impress me - it needs to work for a living. After 2 days of really really trying to get on with this phone I admit defeat - it has absolutely exasperated me.. it's slow (there's a terrible lag in moving between applications)- typing on the touch screen is not accurate (I have small hands and type for a living), but I'm not dexterous enough to get a tune out of this - or at least certainly not at any speed. Form over function is my verdict on this - not a case of iphone sour grapes from me as I will always use BB's -their e-mail capability is unbeatable if you need them to do a job - but not the Storm - which is boxed up ready to go back.. what a dissapointment. Perhaps the Bold will be of more real use.
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Reviewed by Jamez from Uk on 20th Nov 2008
The poor battery life and signal issues are being addressed by RIM and should be fixed with an update soon. Many Storms were dispatched running Pre-release software versions - they simply weren't updated prior to being released. This is the reason for the slow UI and lag - a big mistake by RIM and Vodafone. This is also being addressed with an update. However, my Storm is running the correct software version and is superfast, super responsive and a joy to use. The reasons stated above would explain why some people are giving the Storm 1 star and other 5 stars on this site. Best bet is to give it a couple of weeks until RIM have released the updates which will resolve these issues - then buy one! In case people have their suspicions, I don't work for or have any association with RIM or Vodafone, I'm just a happy Storm owner whose handset is running the correct software version.
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Reviewed by Smart from UK on 20th Nov 2008
There's definitely something very odd going on with the Storm. I don't think it's a simply case of some people loving it and others hating it. I did love mine, but it had to go back cos the dang thing didn't do what it was supposed to do. The positive reviewers here can't understand why there's so much negative feedback, but the same applies in reverse. It's like we're talking about two entirely different phones... I'm left wondering if there is some techno reason for these two incarnations of the Storm... I read something somewhere about calibration issues (not that it means anything to me) ...maybe in trying to meet VF's pre-Xmas deadline, BB's QC was compromised. Something sure isn't right. There be good 'uns and there be dud 'uns, yet you just don't know which one you're gonna get till you hand over your money.
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Reviewed by chris from scotland on 20th Nov 2008
my storm will be going back after only a week! cant text with it, only able to phone people if im outside and cant use the internet either! the vodafone sim card works perfect in my old phone though so getting a reception with the storm is clearly a big problem. the battery life is shocking aswell, if you plan to buy one you'll be carrying your charger everywhere with you. it is a nice looking phone but in my experience it just didnt work so i would go with another handset.
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Reviewed by Lee from UK on 20th Nov 2008
I cant believe the negative feedback this phone is getting!!!! I absolutely love it typing email, sms is so easy. The media player is top notch. The Touchscreen is unbelievable very responsive not sure why so many other people are having problems. Internet is super quick for me I am constantly keeping up with the latest news, sport from skynews and NY Times fanstastic. Cant recommend it enough get one ASAP and dont listen to the negative reviews they are probably ppl who own a iphone and dont want ppl to know there IS a better phone on the market. I wouldn't swap this phone for any other 5/5 outstanding.
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Reviewed by J Thomas from Wales on 20th Nov 2008
Build quality was terrible, gaps around screen etc, and it gets worse from there on, absolutely terrible phone........shot yourself in the foot with this one blackberry.....Give it a wide berth
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Reviewed by Smart from UK on 19th Nov 2008
I loved my Storm... but it's gone back to Vodafone after 3 days because it clearly didn't love me. I loved the look of the handset, the large, bright screen, the icons, the feel of the phone... all the aesthetics. But what I did not love was how hard it was to get the phone to do what I wanted it to do... Every single text I wrote was full of mistakes. It was simply not possible for me to use the keyboard in either portrait or landscape without inadvertently hitting the wrong keys. And I'm no Goliath... Using the touch-screen menus was a challenge too. You have to highlight the command you want and click the screen. Yet when I put my thumb on the screen to SEND the phone seemed to think I had asked it to do the next command down - SAVE AS DRAFT. It wasn't that I was cack-handed either. Even doing this in slow-motion, it was clear that my phone had 'issues' in working out where my thumb was and what I wanted. A good few times, I clicked a command and nothing happened. If you s pell a word wrong and want to go back and change it, you just touch the screen and a cursor appears, which you can move to where you want, for insertion or deletion. But this was so fiddly - often the cursor refused to appear at all... On top of this, I actually ended up with sore thumbtips from clicking the screen. Clicking real keys - or touching digital keys is a lot less taxing. Unfortunately, there is still more to this tale of woe... Like others have said, battery life is way below what is claimed. The device that's supposed to know which way up you're holding the phone sometimes kicked in for no reason and other times didn't work despite my giving it every help. The handset got rather too warm for my liking during a longish call... So... overall, a disappointing venture into Blackberry country for me.
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Reviewed by Gordon from Oxford on 19th Nov 2008
I consider myself to have had a lucky escape here. I'm due an upgrade on my Vodafone contract in December and having been locked into an 18 month hell with a Motorola handset, was really interested in the Storm as an alternative to the iPhone. I want a media rich handset, and the iPhone would actually be ideal for me, but the 02 coverage in my experience is poor, and non existent where I like, so the Storm looked an ideal candidate. Fortunately I went to have a look at one in the Voda store in Paddington on Monday. What a shocker. The handset is very heavy and much thicker than I had expected. But the worst aspect is the UI and operating system. The first thing I noticed was the terrible accelerometer. The lag virtually renders it useless and most of the time the screen simply does what it wants to, irrespective of which way up you hold it. The sales assistant had rapidly perfected a weird flick of his wrist to make it respond at all, and in the end had to take it away from me - just 5 mins of use had frustrated me into shaking it to do anything at all. It was also really noticeable how slooowly apps loaded and the system responded to key, sorry, screen gestures. I can't really comment on the touch screen - it was ok and would need alot of getting used to - but to be honest that aspect of the phone was completely overshadowed by the poor performance of the operating system. I am not really sure what market this is aimed at - its too big to be of real interest to corporate users - I've got a Curve and its really just fine for business e-mail etc - and for users who want a media phone for personal use, its really not up to it. Voda must be gutted - how could they get it so wrong?
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Reviewed by Fiona Jones from UK on 19th Nov 2008
The phone is absolutely rubbish. Quite simply it does not work and after only 3 days, mine has started falling apart. It is going straight back to the shop. I have never done this before - but it really is that bad, I just dont feel comfortable signing up to owning it for the next 18 months.
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Reviewed by Nick Simes from UK on 19th Nov 2008
Had my BB Storm for 48 hours and have boxed it up and am sending it back. If you have got fingers like the ones I have a Storm definately isn't for you.The touch screen is very difficult to use quickly. You often end up with the wrong letter in your script and consequently waste loads of time correcting it. Repositioing the cursor is utterly ridiculous to say the least. I have found the signal that it pulls in is nowhere near my BB Curve and consequently have had 4 people today that I have had to ring via a landline. Even worse is when you are on the phone and press the phone to your ear too hard it will either put the caller on hold or mute the call. The final straw for me is battery life, I can't stand by a charger all day, I've got work to do!
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Reviewed by danny from scotland on 19th Nov 2008
This Phone was useless - Just brought it back to Vodafone today - I've been with Vodafone years but with the Storm i couldn’t get good signal strength in my house - making calls was a nightmare. The phone was very slow to respond and not user friendly at all. Sending texts was not much fun either, nor was deleting multiple texts at once. There was only a handful of applications available for it and i really struggled to get access to the internet and it didn’t matter what site you wanted to go on to - it took you to a list of different sites. The phone also had trouble shifting from landscape to portrait. I don’t like the i-phone but I have to say it’s the best phone/handheld computer out there at the min. I think the blackberry is probably a good business phone but as a consumer product it’s just not there yet. Give it a miss folks – it might look nice but there is no substance. Ps I cant believe that this site gave it a 5 star rating either! – Go Figure
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Reviewed by ed Riseman from UK on 19th Nov 2008
Took delivery yesterday to replace my existing blackberry for emails and motorola phone. Can't see what the hype is about and will probably send back next week. I really do not like this - just finding the call log for missed calls has proved impossible - packed with so many gizmos that it overides the main purpose - it's a phone!! Touchscreen ok but constantly opening up the email above or below - messy contacts system - generally overall a real disapointment - oh and my partner got one the same day and within 2 hours the call button fell off. Trying to do too much here
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Reviewed by S Little from Wales on 19th Nov 2008
My husband had one of the 1st batch of these phones and the signal receptopn is terrible. Other users on vodafone's forum have reported the same but if you swith the sim to another vodafone handset the signal is near full strengh. Vodafone have not as yet said if this is a hardware or software problem and many on the forum are sending theirs back for full refund. The handset is great but useless for making calls the main reason for having a phone. There is also issues regarding battery life. I would wait for a few months until vf and RIM sort these issues out.
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Reviewed by Brian Foster from UK on 18th Nov 2008
I got this phone on the say so from vodafone that it was better than the iphone i would just like to say IT IS NOT so my advise to you would be don,t buy this buy the iphone
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Reviewed by David Robinson from England on 18th Nov 2008
I got an 18 month contract on saturday with this phone, at the start it seemed amazing, abit slow, but i thought it cant be perfect, its fine. The i came home, tried uploading the software, didnt work (i have all the system requirements). Then tried bluetooth, and no matter what i did i could not recieve any files over bluetooth, i thought wtf, the bluetooth doesnt even work, a stupid old nokia can use bluetooth and this cant! Went to the store, asked them about it, they said cuz of security reasons the bluetooth is very tight on what devices it allows. Then i had to ask for a new CD after telling them my software isnt working. The software worked, but takes soo long to convert videos! About the phone though, around the edge of the screen you can see the backlight coming through (not through the screen.. through holes!) The camera is pretty shocking, its hard to make the phone "Yours" the customisation is awful, i cant even zoom in the camera far, or once your recording a video you cant zoom, thats rubbish! Loud speaker sound quality isnt great, alot worse than my sony ericsson k810i. Accesories are expensive. Sat nav is good, msn is good, connection is good, e-mail is perfect, internet is good, understanding how to change things on the phone is very hard e.g. ringtones, vibrate and just alot of other bits and bobs. It sometimes does things you havent asked for it to do. Cant rate the touch screen, cuz i havent tried other touch screens, but tbh i think the typing is easy and so is the selecting of things. What else... just not great really, i was dissapointed. Ohhhh Wait! The battery, seriously people the battery is not 360 hours standby! what did they do to test that? attach it to an LED!? I charged all of last night, woke up, throguhout the day sent some e-mails, texts and went on msn. Went on the internet for about 5 minutes, took a picture and a small video, used sat nav to go about 2 miles just to see what it was like. And now its 5.17 pm and i have 1 out of the 5 bars... when i go to charge my sony eircsson at night, its still nearly full! An this cant even make it to night time, a phone that doesnt last 24 hours is shocking in this day and age! i dont want to be charging it twice a day for the next 18 months, so im tkaing it back, also because of the bluetooth and lack of things to do with the camera such as (macro, good zoom etc) Im really feeling sorry for blackberry cuz they must have lost out on sooo much money doing this! Simple things to save the phone, more battery life, bluetooth that works, no big gap between the screen and the edge, where loads of dust will gather in the next few months and better ways of changing everything, like pictures, applications etc. Hope its helped give you an idea of what its actually like lol
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Reviewed by JI from UK on 18th Nov 2008
After all this hype, this phone is uselss. Slow, freezing, dire battery life, inaccuarte touch screen and genarally no good. I have loved Bberrys and tried the Bold before sending it back so I could have Strom. I will be sending it back so that I can get a Bold again. It is no good. I have tried to convince myself that I will grow to like it. But it is a bad bit of kit. Go for the Bold instead. DO NOT GET THIS PHONE
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Reviewed by Martin Power from England on 18th Nov 2008
I purchased this phone on Saturday on an 18 month contract - a first for me as I have always been a 12 month man due to boredom with handsets etc. I have used blackberry's before having had the pearl and the more robust 8820. The Storm is a more complete handset from Rim and shows where they are trying to focus on appealing accross markets. The handset does take some getting used to and as with any touch screen phone they something do the exact opposite of what you want! However this phone is trying not to be the all encompassing iphone killer that it seems everyone is desperate for but to set out a different but worthy option. The storms touch screen takes some getting used to but once you get used to it, it does become second nature and I would seriously advise that you have a good dem and play with the thing in the shop prior to purchase as only then will you get a true feel for it Tchnically the omission of wifi is a mistake but not irretrievable and the 3g vodas network seems to be handling the data element well. The phones ability to sync with itunes is very useful and my new ipod will remain at home for the time being. I got a free 8gb card thrown in by haggling and comparing to the standard iphone model. As a comparison there are things that each do best and the iphone for pure web surfing is a treat but as a business smartphone it is sorely lacking in practical functionality - but and this is the rub all phones do not have everything and we need to get used to it. The storm meets my needs and I will use it and probably abuse it over the next 18 months then move on. On an additional note a friend got a new HTC Touch HD on Saturday and we have been trying each others handsets out over the wekend and although the video on the HTC is a delight the ever present Win Mo interface remains dreadful. Maybe if Win Mo 7 ever appears that may be the time to move back into HTC but at present no. General advice try before you buy as 18 months is a long time to repent at leisure
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Reviewed by chris gray from uk on 17th Nov 2008
THIS PHONE IS RUBBISH,THE USER INTERFACE IS SLOW,TRYING TO GET BLUETOOTH TO WORK WILL HAVE YOU PULLING YOUR HAIR OUT,BATTERY LIFE IS A JOKE,IF YOU HAVE BIG FINGERS FORGET IT,YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WORK THE PHONE,THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE ON A CD SO NO CHANCE OF TRYING TO FATHOM IT OUT ON A BULDING SITE.TRYING TO SET RING TONES AND MESSAGE ALERTS YOU WILL NEED A DEGREE,UNLESS MINE WAS JUST NOT WORKING PROPERLY,SENT BACK TO VODA,N96 ON WAY THANK GOD.PS, IF YOU USE IT MORE THAN 10 MINS THE PHONE GETS VERY HOT.
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Reviewed by DG from UK on 17th Nov 2008
My Storm arrived on Friday and I've spent the whole weekend playing with it...trying very hard to like it but its going back to Vodafone tomorrow. IPhone killer its not...especially if you're a Mac user like me. The Tools CD supplied with the phone doesn't work on a Mac..no problem say Vodafone support..just download Pocket Mac its free. Maybe somebody should tell them that PocketMac don't yet have a Storm version..the latest version on their site doesn't recognise the memory card in the Storm and it just won't synchronise either. Then there's the major major problem with lack of wi-fi...I have a blindingly fast Virgin Media connection at home but can't use it with the Storm and instead have to rely on the weak 3G signal in my area....and that means I'm also restricted to receiving email attachments of 2.9meg or less. The accelerometer is useless..it keeps reverting to landscape from portrait and vice versa in the middle of composing emails and no amount of shaking will change it back again.But worst of all is the useless touch screen because it just won't accomodate my big fingers nor will it work if my wife tries because of her long nails. Terrible workmanship as well because in low light levels its possible to see light coming through the unsealed circumference of the screen where it 'floats' above the surface. The best thing about the Blackberry Storm is the carry pouch it comes with! Come on Vodafone, I've been a customer of yours for over 16 years..when are you going to bring out a phone thats as good as the IPhone?
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Reviewed by Neil from UK on 16th Nov 2008
I received my new Blackberry Storm and 14th and i have to admit i absolutly love it, all the features are fantastic and the new touchscreen is a dream you dontmake any mistakes when typing a message, far far better than the Omnia or the iPhone. Its responsive to every touch. Music sounds great even when the phone is flat as it slightly raised by the speaker to prevent loss of sound. Iv never had a touchscreen this is my first, i found typing a message really easy and quick from which ever way you hold the phone. However.... out of 10 id rate the Storm 9, because (unless mine is the only one and if so can someone please let me know) the battery life is undeniably appalling, I purposely used the phone as little as i could all day to see how long the battery would last because to me a phone with a bat that wont last 24 hours is pointless given an emergency situation for example. so this is how it went.. I charged the phone ALL night (the phone was swiched off) and i turned it on at 10.20am, I made '1' 20 minute phone call, played '1' 3.47 minute song, sent '3' text messages, thats it nothing else. at 18.45 the phone bleeped to be charged and at 20.05 the phone turned off, it was dead. Just under 10 hours it lasted from start to finish. And through that id even turned the brightness down from 100% to its minimum 10%. I am realy disappointed about this as I really do love the phone but to hardly use it in a day and the bat only last 10 hours is a joke, i dont think i could cope for the next 2 years with having to charge my phone twice a day. So for that reason it is going back, unless Voda offer to send me a new bat to try first. As for those at the bottom of these reviews who have only 'played with it a bit' dont rate something you know nothing about giving fauls usless reviews, may be you should go play with something small and a little less grown up you might just find out how it works.
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Reviewed by R S from UK on 16th Nov 2008
Got my phone yesterday. Has been an amazing piece of technology! I am a new Blackberry user but they beat Apple and many others for my business. I have had zero problems with mine. Display is amazing, sound and video quality fantastic. Keys and onscreen keyboard is tricky to get used to, but hey what new phone isn't? The click function makes this alot easier and the process soon speeds up after a few texts or emails. I agree that you need to actually own this phone and not have a little play around. It takes time to get the feel for a new handset and especially one with no keys. I have had the iPhone and got rid of it as it was awful, this beats it hands down. If you want to review a phone you have never used more than once, go ahead, but if you're serious about owning a great phone, go with this. You wont be disappointed. p.s. One thing, I am a Mac owner and there is no official RIM Mac interface yet...BUT they are releasing one soon I am to understand.
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Reviewed by Marc Moncrieff from UK on 16th Nov 2008
This phone is truly awful! Slow, clunky, user unfriendly and generally very poorly thought out. The pocketmac software does not work with my macbook. I wish I could get O2 reception at work so I could hav ean Iphone. Give this handset a wide berth - it's a stinker!
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Reviewed by debs from n ireland on 16th Nov 2008
I had a play with a storm instore yesterday and what i saw was a very nice phone it will not beat the iphone on looks but it is nice in its own way. the touch screen is good where you have to touch and then click maybe you could send emails if it was in your bag like others said but that would take a lot of clicks to do.the phone is a bit thicker and heavier than iphone but this makes it feel solid and not flimsy.I didnt have any trouble with the speed of the phone and the screen turned each time i turned the phone.the sales guy said he didnt know if vodafone would let you upgrade to a new version like o2 does with the iphone.the wifi problem wouldnt stop me getting the phone but would have been nice for those 2 times a year i would use it :)
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Reviewed by frank from UK on 15th Nov 2008
it locks up between apps, kept on locking up when using video, one minute it had sound next it didnt, camera is rubbish compaired with the 3.2 of a sony
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Reviewed by Slash from UK on 15th Nov 2008
Love this phone...interface is superb, and easier to type on than an iphone (which I do like too). Screen is gorgeous, displays photos and videos brilliantly. Lack of WiFi is a shame, but I'd rather have 3G than WiFi, as I live in a city. Of course, if I had poor 3G reception where I live I'd not get this for mobile browsing, so one can choose well knowing what the device offers whether it is the right one for them or not. OS speed is great, at least as fast as iphone, and much simpler than WinMo. Syncs great with Outlook. No great negatives really....sure an 8MP camera would be great, but hey you can't have everything in one device (Omnia is nearly there but the user interface pales in comparison). Very happy indeed with this purchase and it in fact made me leave my old network to move to Vodafone. O2 will be getting a battle on their hands with this device, which I must say, is just superb 
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Reviewed by Darren from UK on 15th Nov 2008
I picked up my Storm at the local Vodafone store yesterday, it's the first time I have had a BB and what a phone...it's amazing, fast internet, looks well sexy, screen clear and the sound quality is great. Typing emails, sms, mms, and notes is so easy and its a real joy to own, a very very classy phone. Decided today to sell my Iphone and just have the Storm. I have had nothing but problems with the Iphone and glad to see the back of it.
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Reviewed by Dave from UK on 15th Nov 2008
I got mine last night and its going back today , sorry its a very good piece of kit just not for me . If your thinking about getting one please please try it first for as long as you can in the shop . One other thing to look at is the gap around the screen , its looks a certain dust/water trap to me and can't imagine what it will look like in 12 month never mind 18 !!! Dave
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Reviewed by Graeme from UK on 14th Nov 2008
Been waiting for this phone for ages. Got home from work early to get it. Packaged in a lovely black box and I said to all my present friends 'ahhhh precious'. Then I opened the box and fell silent. What a piece of cheap rubbish!!!!! The touchscreen moves in the handset, i mean it wobbles around when you touch it. You can even see the circuitry through a gap between the screen and the side of the handset. I read about that a few weeks ago in a review but the reviewer said that it was a prototype and such a glaring error would be fixed in final release. oh yeah, forgot to mention it is slow and bugged up big style. DO NOT GET THIS PHONE!!! subnote i have lost respect for this site. How can you give this phone five stars
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Reviewed by Les R from UK on 14th Nov 2008
I am the proud owner of a BLackberry already, a Curve, which I love. I've been waiting for the Storm for what seems like ages and finally had the chance to try one out today in my local phone shop. After having read a million reviews and then the reviews posted on this site by members of the public, I'd like to ask one question, do any of them have a Blackberry already? The Storm, nor any Blackberry, is relatable to any regular mobile phone. I would not go back to a 'regular phone', not now. My Curve has wifi and no GPS, the Storm has GPS and no wifi for good reason, it doesn't need it. It has 3G and HSDPA, in most cases faster than wifi. The video and audio quality is outstanding, the full screen becomes a miniature cinema, it is easy to fast forward or rewind and all integrated options are easy to use. typing on the Storm is a cinch, one twist of the phone into horizontal mode makes it a full QWERTY keyboard and the reassuring 'click' when you do press a key makes it a pleasure to use. With push email, the ability to integrate MS Office documents, the option of using Yahoo, MSN and Google Messengers and so much software available out there, the Storm is not so much a phone in the classic sense, it's genuinely a mobile office. Of course it is going to slow a little as you build up your league of software but by the same token, you don't buy a new computer when yours starts to slow a little because of all the apps you put on it and expect to process. I could say so much more about the Storm but for now I'll hold back. Suffice to say, if all you want or can cope with is a dinky regular phone with a basic user interface, stay away from the Blackberrys, but if you want a technological marvel with unrivalled connectivity (including a wealth of free point to point messengers), an incredible screen and near unlimited downloads, join the Blackberry family today, no other phone currently comes close.
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Reviewed by princessmimsy from Uk on 14th Nov 2008
Ok - for all the people whinging about the lack of WIFI - the reason it doesn't have WIFI is when it was originally dreamt up, well over 12 months ago, Voda and RIM had a choice of putting a 3G chipset in it or a WIFI. Couldn't have both as it would of compromised the size of the handset. So they went with 3G as Voda are v proud of their 3G network coverage and speeds and thought that this would compensate for the lack of WIFI. Whether this was the best decision to make is not for me to ponticiate on but they made the choice in front of them at the time for better or worse. I would suspect that future members of the Storm family will make up for this lack of WIFI. Give it a chance, it's a cracking handset and remember the iPhone didn't have some of the most basic phone functions on it's first incarnation - at least you can send MMS from the Storm!
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Reviewed by Lee from UK on 14th Nov 2008
Perhaps people should not place reviews on here when all they've had is a couple of minutes 'playing' with a pre-production/demo phone in a store. Mine arrived today and it's lightening quick, really responsive, superfast internet browsing, portrait to landscape view takes no more than 1-2 secs, really can't fault it at all. Yes, it would be better with WiFi but that doesn't concern me. I've not experienced any of the issues mentioned in the other reviews - wait until the phone is released, then review it!
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