BlackBerry Storm 9530

Lots of improvement, but users are mostly unimpressed

The BlackBerry Storm's touch screen is unlike that of the Apple iPhone or any other cell phone -- and it's definitely a love-it-or-hate-it feature. It uses SurePress technology, which is a tactile screen that you click like a computer mouse. In essence, the screen is one large button. A light tap produces a letter, while a harder tap generates a pop-up interface with menu options. In addition, there are two cramped virtual keyboards: a smaller SureType keyboard when in portrait orientation and a full QWERTY in landscape orientation. Professional reviewers and users alike say the touch screen requires a steep learning curve. While most critics found the Storm's keyboard frustrating at launch, reviewers who give it a second look say the software upgrade makes the keyboard more accurate and easier to use.

Experts still note some bugs but are more forgiving than users, who are vocal about the Storm's frequent freezeups and sluggish interface; one user at CNET calls it "a phone for masochists."

CNET's Bonnie Cha reports that the Storm remains sluggish, but in two weeks of testing, she doesn't experience any system freezes or crashes. PCMag's Segan reports a new bug during music playback, however. Message alerts cause the player to pause, he says, and -- if you're using Pandora -- the alerts will force the player to restart the song from the beginning.

The pros of being a BlackBerry

The hefty 5.5-ounce device packs a 528 MHz processor and comes with an 8 GB microSD card; a rich, high-resolution, 320-by-480-pixel display; a 3.2-megapixel video-capture camera and stereo speakers. The BlackBerry Storm's corporate functionality bests the competition with push email, text and picture messaging, document editing and integrated desktop software that syncs contacts and calendars. PCMag.com's Sascha Segan commends the BlackBerry Storm for "fine reception" and notes that "earpiece and speakerphone volume are both very loud." Spoonauer agrees, writing that "the speakerphone on the Storm is top-notch" in his review at Laptop Magazine.

The BlackBerry Storm is available from Verizon Wireless and is compatible with the carrier's high-speed EVDO Rev A network for fast data transfer. The Storm also features world roaming ability, GPS functionality with Verizon's VZ Navigator and Bluetooth. However, the Storm lacks Wi-Fi, a drawback because EVDO is available only in about 250 U.S. cities; elsewhere, it defaults to EDGE. On the slower EDGE network, the Storm's sluggish browser lags further behind Apple's Safari and Internet Explorer Mobile.

Nearly all of the expert reviews we found compare the BlackBerry Storm 9530 to the iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1 and BlackBerry Bold. PCMag.com and CNET give the Storm another look after downloading the software upgrades, while Laptop Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times offer detailed reviews of the original version. User reviews at CNET, PhoneScoop.com and Amazon.com reveal common denominators of product performance among both experts and consumers.