My Blackberry Storm Review

Before I begin I want to give a word of thanks to Arnie who dropped me a line to see if I was OK and why I haven't been posting. It's funny how life gets in the way sometimes. Yes Arnie I am still alive and kicking and thanks for checking in on me.

Back to the Storm review. About a month ago it was time to get a new phone. Up until that point I had a Motorola Q and was very pleased with it. Based on everything I read, I had decided to get the new Motorola Q9c. But when I arrived at the Verizon store I was informed that the Q had been discontinued. I had a hard time believing it so I called around and verified that it was indeed being discontinued. This left me in a position where I was uneducated on just about every phone in the store. A friend of mine had the HTC Touch Pro and for several reasons, I won't go into, I had decided against it.

Because I have an Exchange server, I had a pretty specific set of requirements that my phone needed to have. With no Q available and not wanting the HTC, that left 2 choices. The Blackberry (which I have had bad luck with previously) and the Samsung Omnia. This is when the salesman at the store went to work on me.

The Blackberry Storm was the best thing on the planet AND it was on sale. If you bought one storm, you got the second one for free. What a great deal right? I told him that I was extremely happy with the Q and wanted the SAME functionality and Exchange integration. I was absolutely assured that everything about the Blackberry Storm would integrate seamlessly with our existing server environment. After repeated clarifications on this matter I ended up getting the Storm. I have never had a touch screen phone and, after all, it WAS kind of cool.

This is where the misery unfolds. Despite all assurances, it turns out the Storm doesn't integrate with an Exchange server like a Window Mobile device. You have to purchase additional software from RIM (Blackberry), set up separate admin accounts, create additional databases on the server and purchase additional enterprise licenses for each Blackberry in use. 3 days and countless hours of tech support later, the Storms were functioning. OK, it was a headache to get the Blackberry Storm working but after all that it has to work great.

NOT the case. As I started playing with my new Storm, I was excited about the number of apps that were available for the device. You know, the whole "kid in the candy store" thinkg got the best of me. I immediately proceeded to install a bunch of apps that were either handy or fun to use. It turns out that the OS on the Storm kind of struggled with some of the apps that were available. YouTube, Google Maps and others seemed to create some minor conflicts with power management and other areas in the phone. Pretty soon my phone started crashing and rebooting on a regular basis. I began reading some forums in an attempt at troubleshooting my issues. In the end, I uninstalled all of the apps bringing the phone back to the original configuration. This should have fixed it.

Again, not the case. Touch screens are cool, no doubt. However, I soon realized that I like buttons. About a week ago I went to dial a phone number and the touch screen number pad had crashed. I couldn't dial a phone number. I had to take the phone out of the case, remove the back cover and take the battery out to force the phone to reboot. I did this twice and the touch screen number pad began working again.

Aside from the technical problems, the email and SMS organization leaves a little bit to be desired. You can customize it a bit by separating the SMS and email messages but all of your sent messages go into your main message folder. Not the end of the world, you just have to sift through more lines to get at what you want.

I have talked to people that are pretty happy with the Storm. My guess is that they are simply a casual user. Below are some additional negatives as well as positives.

The WIN: The Storm's browser is fast and loads websites quickly, the voice dialing works reallly well and the screen size is outstanding for browsing, viewing pictures and reading emails. The camera on the Storm takes really good pictures and the threaded text messaging is great. The Storm has a TON of on board memory with the option for additional memory via the memory slot.

The FAIL: Touch pad dialing and typing is MUCH slower and cumbersome vs. a conventional keyboard, the Storm OS app conflicts and the horrible integration and setup. Even though the camera takes great pictures, it crashes frequently and takes FOREVER to "snap" the picture. Sending pictures is also a tedious venture at best.

Bottom line? I don't think I can recommend the Blackberry Storm to anyone. There are a variety smartphones out there that seem to function much better.

UPDATE: I was just on the Verizon website and discovered that the Motorola Q9c IS available again. There's a little salt in the wound!

 

To Further Beat Texting To Death

OK, tell me to stop anytime. In my ongoing obsession with texting, I ran across this.

So California already had a law that preventing people to hold a cell phone in their hand right? Apparently the Governor of the Left Coast just signed a new law specifically dealing with texting.

"The new law may seem a bit redundant to one that took effect in July that banned holding a cell phone while driving. Using headsets and the like is still OK, of course...The initial law proscribed holding that cell phone up to your ear in order to make or take a call. It didn't block setting the phone on the passenger's seat or on the dashboard and pecking away while you drive" via

Those silly texters will now have to start using some kind of voice recognition software so all they have to do is talk into their Bluetooth headset and compose their text message.

OR they could just make a call.

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Texting Really IS Taking Over!

Last week I wrote about how much people are texting. A recent survey by Nielsen Mobile confirms my worst fears. People are texting MORE than they talk on the phone. You see, I knew it! It is some kind of mind control from the pod people. They will soon be here to get us when we sleep.

The survey reports that "In the second quarter of 2008, the average mobile subscriber sent or received 357 text messages per month, compared to placing or receiving 204 phone calls." Wow, in this day and age of instant gratification and low patience, this really amazes me. It takes so long to text what you really want to say, you can more effectively communicate through a phone call. I will read the text messages I receive, but if a response is required, I will call that person back. I know, that may sound old fashion, but it's what I do. And since most of my mobile phone use is behind the wheel of a car, I like to think that I am being responsible.

Here's the shocking stat of the century. "Teens ages 13-17 are the heaviest text message users averaging 1,742 texts per month and 231 calls." Seriously, did anyone see that one coming?

 

Looks Like I Will Have To Get Rid Of My Bag Phone

As of February 19th cell phone carriers, including AT&T, Alltel and Verizon Wireless, began turning off their analog networks. I wondered why my bag Phone stopped working. I loved my bag phone. It was heavy, it would fit into a backpack just fine and it was extremely powerful. I could be in the middle of a swamp (because there's a bunch of swamps around) and still get reception.

It seems that in 2002 the FCC decided to allow carries to turn off their analog networks beginning this year. The result? It will free up the radio spectrum and allows digital technology to be used more efficiently.

I am sure that you would have been notified but if you have an analog alarm on your house or have an OnStar system on your vehicle that is older than 2003, it's probably working as good as my bag phone.

Hold the phone there cowboy! I just found something. It appears that all hope is not lost for the bag phone connoisseur. I see that Motorola has the M900 and M800 bag phone available, AND they can be had for the low, low price of only $699.99

What a deal! But at least you can be 3 times further away from a tower and still get good reception.

Long live the Bag Phone!

 

Android Part 2.

The post is guest blogged by the
Android Guys and is providing a
brief overview of what the new
Android is all about. This post is
part 2 of 2 in what we are calling
the Android series.

Hey everyone this is Scott again from AndroidGuys, doing a little guest blogging thanks to Big Pappa!

If you currently own a cell phone or plan to in the future, Android will probably play a part in your experience. Google created Android with 33 other companies called the Open Handset Alliance. Essentially what they are doing is taking control away from cellular providers and giving it to the consumers. By providing less restriction, you will be able to do more with your phone than ever before without barriers getting in your way.

About The Android Guys:

While there may be a handful of excellent tech/mobile/gadget sites out there with thousands of readers, we found that nobody was covering Android specifically. We created the site as a project between a few friends who wanted to post our own daily findings about Android. As a community blog, we wanted to avoid the constant "Hey, did you see Google is doing this…?" situations. We intended to direct our friends there whenever they were asking questions. We realized very quickly that nobody else was doing this on any level, so we took it from our secret site to a larger audience. We've seen our traffic grow leaps and bounds in just over 10 weeks. Daily posts of facts, rumors, and opinion is what our readers have come to expect.We cull information together from a variety of news sources and report on what we feel is the most relevant. We also write our own opinion pieces every few days about anything related to the mobile industry in general.

I watched a few weeks back as an iPod Touch was given away here and was very excited to see the level of participation that the blogging community had. So excited in fact, that we decided to throw our own contest for our Entrecard brothers and sisters. Although we aren't giving away actual hardware or devices, we figured we pay tribute to what got us here in the first place. Entrecard credits!



We are throwing a contest through the end of January where you can win 250, 500, or 1,000 credits just for dropping your card off at our site!

As a way of thanking our loyal visitors, and as a way of roping in some new traffic, AndroidGuys is pleased to announce our inaugural contest! In what is sure to the be the first in a long line of giveaways, we are gonna throw a contest for our fans! So what exactly are the prizes? Read on!

First place is 1000 EntreCard Credits!
Second place wins 500 Credits!
Third place wins 250 Credits!

We're going to draw the winners names on February 1st at midnight so you have two weeks to get your entries in.

There are plenty of ways to gain an entry into the contest.

1 entry for commenting in this post.
1 entry for dropping your Entrecard off
3 entries for subscribing to our feed via email.
10 entries for writing a blurb about our contest.
20 entries for placing our 125px ad on your site until the contest is over.
50 entries for placing this into your site until the contest is over. (be sure to link back to the post !)

There is no limit to the number of times you can drop your card off!

Good luck! Enter as often and in as many ways as you'd like. If you link to us or host our ad, email us at androidguys@gmail.com so we know about it!

Remember, the deadline to enter is midnight February 1st at midnight. Winners will be announced the next day!

 

It's No T-800, Model 101, But It Will Do.

The post is guest blogged by the
Android Guys and is providing a
brief overview of what the new
Android is all about. This post is
part 1 of 2 in what we shall call
the Android series.


Android is the open source operating system that will be implemented into handsets and mobile devices starting second half of 2008. Being 'open' allows developers to create unique mobile applications that can take advantage of all a handset has to offer. For example, any of the phone's main functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera can be changed or tweaked in any way imaginable.

Android is built on the open Linux Kernel which is becoming more popular on PC's all the time. It will run faster and use less memory resources than the other OS's out there. As new technologies and capabilities emerge, Android will be easily adaptable and able to incorporate them.

The beauty of open source is that all applications are created equal. There is no way to differentiate between a core application and a third party one. With devices built on the Android Platform, users will be able to tailor the phone to their liking. Change the phone's home screen, the style of the phone dialer, or any of the programs. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos. With a free, open source platform to work with, Johnny down the street can create a program with as much power or capability as the big software houses we've become accustomed to giving our money to.

Developers can combine information from the internet with data on your mobile phone like your contacts, calendar, or geographic location -- to provide a more relevant user experience. Some of the possibilities include finding the location of people and places based on proximity to them. Imagine driving down the highway and your phone automatically tells you the price of unleaded gas at the next exit. How about a promo that pops up to save $5 on your pizza if you mention the code when you go in? As GPS gets cheaper and incorporated into devices, location based services will emerge as one of the leading reasons to purchase a smart phone. Android is the open source project that will enhance your user experience.

Tune in tomorrow for part II.

 

The Top Secret GPhone

Most of you have heard that Googe's stock has bulldozed it's way past the $600 mark. Obviously this is an effect of the widely anticipated and top secret GPhone that is building momentum.

Adding legitimacy to the whole upward trend of Google's stock, the search giant announced its acquisition of an obscure Finnish start-up, Jaiku, holder of key Short Message Service patents. SMS is text messaging, the technology that enables the exchange of short messages between billions of ordinary cellphones.

Obviously Google is not discussing anything about the GPhone, but USA Today reports; "Trip Chowdhry, analyst at Global Equities Research, says Google also has already begun designing an advanced GPhone model, equipped with a Google browser optimized to display Google services such as Gmail and YouTube.

Aimed at young users, a browser GPhone would probably sell at a fraction of the price of an iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Treo or Microsoft Windows Mobile smart phone, Chowdhry says. One major hitch: Cellphone carriers are insisting on a cut of ad revenue. "The carriers want money any time the phones are turned on, especially if the call is to Google," Doherty says."

The hardware has already been developed. The only thing Google needs to do now is sign an agreement with a carrier. Once this is done, the phones could hit the market in a matter of weeks. When it happens, it going to happen fast.

It also sounds like it is going to be faster, cheaper and more powerful than the iPhone.

 

How To Get Out Of Your Cell Phone Contract

According to the The Washington Post all you have to do when you in a contract with Sprint Nextel, is call customer service and complain until they don't like you anymore.

The communications company sent out about 1000 disconnect notices to "subscribers who call customer service excessively. The terminated subscribers called customer service an average of 25 times a month over the past 6 to 12 months, mostly complaining about billing or technical problems that Sprint was unable to resolve. Some called as many as 300 times a month... Customers did not have to pay a termination fee, and they were given until the end of July to find a new carrier."

Does this send a message to consumers that they only want you if you are willing to put up with poor service? Granted, this is only a small percentage of the 53 million subscribers that they have but I find these circumstances very interesting.

Well now you know how to get out of your cell phone contract if you are unhappy with the "Walkie-Talkie" people. "Did I hear a niner in there."

 

The Q Review.

I finally decided to make the plunge and get a smart phone. After plenty of research, I ended up getting the Motorola Q. Actually, this wasn't my first PDA/phone, I had the Blackberry 8703 for about 2 days. Realizing how poor that device really was, I promptly took it back and exchanged it for a Moto Razr. The Razr is an excellent phone by the way.

In my humble opinion, the Blackberry pales in comparison to the Q.

Right out of the box I noticed the Q's slim design and easy to see screen. One of the most important features for me is the Q's ability to have mail pushed from our exchange server. I get my email as it hits our server. The wireless functionality of the Q is absolutely outstanding.

You get MSN Messenger, Windows Media Player, voice dialing and a host of other extremely useful tools. You can even connect with your Q via Bluetooth dongle or hard line and use it as a modem for a laptop.

The phone works great! Although I sometimes have problems dialing with the wee-little buttons on the QWERTY keyboard, the reception is great. I read an article a couple of weeks ago about how the Q was designed as a phone first and a PDA second. The Q was fortunate enough to have inherited the RAZR's excellent antenna. This is probably the reason that I have yet to drop a call.

One thing to be aware of if you are venturing into the smart phone arena. You need to make sure your Outlook housekeeping has been done. On your first sync, you will get everything dumped to your Q. I have over 800 contacts in my database and it took me over 2 hours to go through and clean out the old names and numbers.

The Q has a couple of irritating little quirks. Some can be remedied if you are willing to hack the registry. One of the big issues for me is that you CAN NOT save attachments to the storage card. I get a lot of big attachments and it eats up the device memory fast. I am constantly going in and deleting the temporary Internet files. The other quirk that bothers me pertains to the web browser. The web browser does not go to your home page every time you load it. It loads the previously visited page. Not a big deal, I just find it less than optimal.

The Q does not have Wifi (802.11) capabilities. However, it isn't really necessary with Verizon's EVDO broadband access. Another negative is the lack of Pocket Word and Pocket Excel. My Dell Axim x50v had these programs and it was nice to be able to edit Word and Excel documents. The Q simply allows you to view the files. Other than these small inconveniences, my overall impression of the Q is outstanding.

As a closing point of interest, I found a couple of great websites that are entirely dedicated to the Q. http://www.everythingq.com/ and http://www.qusers.com/

Bottom Line? The Motorola Q is a great PDA/phone and I would recommend it to anyone.