iPhone vs. Blackberry Storm

[Monsterlover]

My dad was looking at a Storm and all the reviews I read for it. . .

well they all hated it.

I love my iPhone.

I had a HTC touch before this on verizon's network and Windows Moble 6 is just plain stupid in comparison to the iPhone.  Apple flat out obliterates WM as far as im concerned.

I had email trouble, and logged more than 40 hours total trying to solve it (that's time at the Verizon store waiting for the tech monkeys to finish flinging their poo at the phone, time on the phone with tech monkeys listening to them tell me how to fling poo, and time on my own trying to figure out how not to get hit with poo)

[Monstermash]

My dad was looking at a Storm and all the reviews I read for it. . .

well they all hated it.

I love my iPhone.

I had a HTC touch before this on verizon's network and Windows Moble 6 is just plain stupid in comparison to the iPhone.  Apple flat out obliterates WM as far as im concerned.

I had email trouble, and logged more than 40 hours total trying to solve it (that's time at the Verizon store waiting for the tech monkeys to finish flinging their poo at the phone, time on the phone with tech monkeys listening to them tell me how to fling poo, and time on my own trying to figure out how not to get hit with poo)

Wow, thats a lotta Poo! 

I've been online all night trying to make a decision and I think I'm going with the iPhone. Although so of the things I don't like is the inability to set your own music as ringtones and your photos as picture ID's. 

[bigiain]

What I really want/need it for is it's multi use capabilities. I'm sick of carrying a bunch of different devices around with me.

I like my iPhone from this point of view, but keep in mind it's camera is only OK, as an iPod it's kinda small, as a GPS it's limited - it needs a network connection to get googlemaps and it doesnt do the "talk you to your destination turn by turn" that any cheapo Chinese GPS does these days (apparently due to licencing issues with google maps). But it does most of that stuff pretty well most of the time. I still carry a camera to gigs, 'cause the iPhone camera really doesn't deal with low light. I still take my iPod on trips 'cause I can't carry 60 gigs of tunes in the phone. But day to day, I pretty much just carry the iPhone now.

One of the biggest problems I have with the iPhone is the iTunes software. It's dreadful IMO and I hate using it.

That could well be a deal breaker for you then - the iPhone is _tremendously_ strongly tied to iTunes.

The other two _real_ resons not to get an iPhone from my (and my friend) experience are:

1) if you use an Exchange mailserver with anything other than just a plain inbox - the serverside mailbox filtering ends up not working at all well on the iPhone (I'm told that by default Windows Mobile sucks pretty badly for this too, but there are heaps of easily installed addons to make it work "properly" in WinME, but none yet for iPhone)

2) if you seriously use your phone for editing documents on the move. A lawyer friend of mine says she couldn't get an iPhone 'cause she needs to be able to edit word docs on her phone and send the edited versions back to the office. (I can't imagine doing that, it kinda explains why legal documents end up being so hard to read - they were all edited on a 2 by 2 1/2" screen while in the queue at Starbucks by someone not paying much attention...)

That said, my iPhone is by far the best gadget I've ever bought - I don't really think of it as a phone, it's really "the internet in my pocket", which also happens to take phone calls...


big

[Monstermash]

My dad was looking at a Storm and all the reviews I read for it. . .

well they all hated it.

I love my iPhone.

I had a HTC touch before this on verizon's network and Windows Moble 6 is just plain stupid in comparison to the iPhone.  Apple flat out obliterates WM as far as im concerned.

I had email trouble, and logged more than 40 hours total trying to solve it (that's time at the Verizon store waiting for the tech monkeys to finish flinging their poo at the phone, time on the phone with tech monkeys listening to them tell me how to fling poo, and time on my own trying to figure out how not to get hit with poo)

Interesting this is.

I've just spent about an hour or so reading reviews and watching them on you tube. It seems that most people agree that Verizon rushed to get the Storm out on time and there were problems. From what I have been reading these was a software update that fixes all the issues. Also I was at Verizon today and the store manager mentioned something about new software for one of the demo phones they have on display. One worked considerably better than the other and he said that one has had the upgrade and the other hasn't. The one that had it was much much better.

I'm starting to rethink my decision to get the iPhone now. I'm still very disappointed that I can't use my music for ringtones and my photos for caller ID pics.

Am I wrong, is there a way to do that with the iPhone?

[derby]

I'm starting to rethink my decision to get the iPhone now. I'm still very disappointed that I can't use my music for ringtones and my photos for caller ID pics.

Am I wrong, is there a way to do that with the iPhone?

ringtone: itunes > music > select track > make ringtone

[ROBsS4R]

All the Iphone Storm comparison reviews I have read so far indicate the Iphone is the much better phone at this point.

I would wait for a few firmware upgrades on the Storm first.

I played with a Storm in the store and it was snail slow. The touch screen is very gimicky. Its one huge button and you need to wait for the operating system to catch up to highlighting the cursor before you can press the button.

[superjohn]

Any cellular network can be spotty in places. Especially given that most of them were cobbled together from local and regional carriers that were purchased by Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T then linked up to the national network. What you have to do is evaluate where you're going to be using the phone most and plan for that. Pick up a throw away, pay-as-you go from each carrier and see which network works best in your area.

I just got the iPhone and I like it. It's not perfect, but it's a pretty damn cool toy. Having a full browser to surf the Internet is great. Being able to use Wi-Fi hotspots is great (which BTW, AT&T has a ton of at places like Starbucks). It only takes about 2 minutes to acclimate to the touch-screen keypad and all the other functions are very intuitive. The Google maps with GPS and streetview is killer, and there are a ton of cool apps that are available.  As a phone, the iPhone works pretty well, though I admit I don't use it a lot.

The only real iPhone drawbacks:
Battery life can be a bit short if using 3G, searching for Wi-Fi and getting push E-mail. Longest charge lasted 4 days. Shortest lasted 36 hours.
Still no Flash support, so if the webpage media isn't Youtube, it's not going to play.
The occasional app (including Safari sometimes) will just stop and crash.
Custom ringtones still a pain without resorting to 3rd party software.

Other than that, the iPhone works as it's supposed to and does it's job pretty well.

[ZLTFUL]

I got my Storm and am loving it.
Granted, I haven't played much with the IPhone, but of those 237845692384756 apps available for the IPhone are useless crap like the Zippo app or the Cowbell app (That's right Randy, I'm talkin' to you! )?

My previous phone was a Motorola Q with Windows ME and it blew.

The vast majority of the free and pay to play BB apps work just fine on the Storm.
The Crackberry forums even have links to almost all of the BB apps out there.
As a media player, the Storm works great for video and MP3. The camera works pretty dang well.
The VZ Navigator software is great and also gives you voice prompting.
The updated OS for the Storm makes it nearly as fast as the IPhone but it is still slow comparitively.
Verizon compared to AT&Ts network is world's better and with the merger with Alltel will be virtually seamless throughout the nation.
(I tested both carriers and while a couple years have passed, I couldn't believe how light AT&Ts coverage was in areas where you would need a cell phone call the most inan emergency.)

I can definitely see why people get hooked on BBs. Setting everything up was a breeze and unfortunately for me, I was recieving my work emails less than 20 minutes after recieving the phone.

I am by no means an expert with the Storm as I am still fnding new things on it daily. But I am VERY happy both as a business and casual user of my Storm.

[cyrus buelton]

I love my 8310 Curve.

Can't imagine needing anything more in a mobile device.

[derby]

I love my 8310 Curve.

Can't imagine needing anything more in a mobile device.

RIM really has the "important" stuff down: email, calendar, and contacts.

the "user experience" for other stuff; web browsing (even with operamini), googlemaps, etc., is just ok... read: i can get by, but i prefer not doing it.

the iphone is a better "consumer" phone and the blackberry is a better business phone. apple is gaining ground on the business end... quickly.

it'd also like to add that i was a palm (3com pilot from the beginning, then treo) user and i hated giving up my "endless supply of apps" when going to a business-supplied blackberry. rim's push email/cal/contacts kicked palms ass, though.

iphone looks like it'll (eventually) be the best of both worlds.

[OverCaffeinated]

I've got an iPhone on Tmobiles network. My friends owns a cell phone store, so I get to try out the newest coolest stuff. Did I say I have an iPhone? There no comparison. iPhones are open source, meaning anyone can create apps. The BB's are closed, try creating an app for the Storm and send it to BB and see what they say.

As far as networks, you can have the iPhone on any network other than Verizon and Sprint. But I do here Verizon might get the iphone soon too.

BB's are for people who are still running windows 98

[derby]

iPhones are open source, meaning anyone can create apps. The BB's are closed, try creating an app for the Storm and send it to BB and see what they say.

you don't need RIM to "approve" an app for a blackberry just as you truly don't need apple to approve iphone apps.

you can load any app you want on a BB through the desktop application installer.

you can load any app you want on an iphone after jailbreaking it.

[Monstermash]

As far as networks, you can have the iPhone on any network other than Verizon and Sprint. 

Then how do you explain this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-rn4kfWASE&feature=related

If I can make this happen then there is no reason for me to even consider the Storm. I really want the iPhone because of how easy it is to use but I'm concerned about the AT&T network.

[cyrus buelton]

RIM really has the "important" stuff down: email, calendar, and contacts.

the "user experience" for other stuff; web browsing (even with operamini), googlemaps, etc., is just ok... read: i can get by, but i prefer not doing it.

Ok, it's a phone.

I don't buy one to web surf. I buy a phone for functionality of using the phone and email.


I guess I am not the typical consumer and that is why I don't own an I-Phone or have any interest in one.

[OverCaffeinated]

Then how do you explain this?

If I can make this happen then there is no reason for me to even consider the Storm. I really want the iPhone because of how easy it is to use but I'm concerned about the AT&T network.

The video doesn't surprise me. the iphone on verizon has been a rumor for awhile. therefore apple probable already built in the hardware into all there new 3g phones. Another example, for some reason there is a gps chip in the ipod touch. Nobody really nows why, but maybe apple was planning something that didn't go through.

I'd recommend you hold off on a purchase to see if verizon announces it soon, or more hack info becomes available.