Blackberry Storm vs Apple iPhone

Blackberry Storm details are coming out fast and furious.  From early reviews, it seems to meet and beat most expectations.  It may certainly be the best corporate device ever built though I’m sure some will argue otherwise.  The keyboard, our big question in previous posts, is getting good reviews and RIM seems to have done a good job of using the capacitive aspects for actions and a hard button interface for selection.  Of course it has the strengths of RIM’s industry leading mail/contact/calendar applications with BES synch.  It appears to be somewhat weaker than the iPhone on the consumer applications side – video presentation, browser, and music.  Especially when it comes to the slickness, design, and hardware graphics acceleration of the consumer application interfaces.  The application store / deck / market has had little discussion so far though it appears from the rumours that carrier’s will control the application they allow in the market.  Payment/account registration etc. details are still unknown.

For us, we are very impressed and can’t wait to get out hands on it.  We don’t know if it will displace our affection for the iPhone – it seems to be missing the lifestyle aspects but it’s our ideal corporate phone. 

Competition is good.  Finally, we can kill the abuse of the term: ‘iPhone killer’.  We now have two very good and different phones to choose from – it’s no longer a one horse market.

Technologizer created a good early comparison table that we’ve copied for you below:

 

The phones	BlackBerry Storm 9530	Apple iPhone 3G
Platform	BlackBerry (Java based)	Apple’s proprietary OS X
Availability	Soon	Now, although supply is occasionally spotty
U.S. carrier	Verizon	AT&T
Price	TBD	$199 for 8GB model or $299 for 16GB model with two-year contract
Data plan	TBD	$30 a month for unlimited data; $5 a month extra for 200 text messages
Locked?	Presumably, to Verizon	Yup, to AT&T
Colors	Just black, as far as I know	Black (8GB and 16GB); white (16GB only)
Size and weight	4.4” by 24” by 0.55”; 5.46 oz.	4.3″ by 2.4″by 0.33″; 4.05 oz.
Screen size and resolution	3.25″; 480 by 360	3.5″; 480 by 320
Input	Multi-touch haptic-feedback touchscreen with QWERTY and SureType keyboards	Multi-touch touchscreen with on-screen keyboard
Buttons	Volume; lock; left and right Convenience; mute/play; send, menu, end, and escape	Home; volume; vibrate
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes
Headphone jack	Standard 3.5mm	Standard 3.5mm
Bluetooth	Stereo	Monaural
Voice dialing	Not sure	No
Voice recording	Not that I know of	No
MMS	Yes	No
Camera	3.2 megapixels; flash; digital zoom; video capable	2 megapixels; no flash; no digital zoom; no video
Voice	Quad-band GSM and CDMA	Quad-band GSM
Data	Both HSPA and EVDO	HSDPA
Use as tethered modem?	It has the ability technically, at least; not sure if Verizon will permit	Violates AT&T’s terms of service; tethering plan is rumored
Data plan	TBD	$30 a month for unlimited data; $5 a month extra for 200 text messages
Wi-Fi and GPS	Nope on Wi-Fi; yep on GPS	Got ‘em both
Battery	5.5 hours talk time; 360 hours standby; removable	5 hours talk time; 300 hours standby; not removable
Web browser	BlackBerry Browser	WebKit-based Safari
Web searching	Presumably in some form, but I don’t know the details	Yes, via Google or Yahoo
E-Mail	IMAP, POP, BlackBerry Enterprise Server	MobileMe, GMail, Yahoo Mail, AOL; other services supported through IMAP
Calendar	Yes, with to-do list	Yes, but no to-do list
Microsoft Exchange support	Yes–hey, it even supports Notes and GroupWise	Yes
Instant messaging	AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo, ICQ	Only through third-party apps
Office Apps	Documents to Go Office-compatible suite, with editing	Microsoft Office-compatible viewers, but no editing
Maps	Yes (BlackBerry Maps)	Yes
Turn-by-turn navigation	Not standard that I know of; apparently available through third-party apps	No, but may be coming from third party developer(s)
Music	Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus formats	iPod player and iTunes Store; supports MP3, AAC (with or without Fairplay), WAV, Apple Lossless, AIFF, VBR formats
Video	Yes; supports H.264, MPEG4, and WMV formats	iPod player, YouTube; movies through iTunes Store; supports H.264 and MPEG4 formats
Photos	Yes	Yes
Wireless synching	Yes, through BlackBerry Internet Server and BlackBerry Enterprise Server	Yes, through MobileMe
Desktop synching	Yes, through BlackBerry Media Sync	Yes, through iTunes
Application store	RIM is supposedly readying an application store; apps available from third-party stores	Yes, the iTunes App Store

Blackberry Storm to Launch Exclusively on Telus in Canada

Blackberry Storm

Telus has their Blackberry Storm teaser page up.  It’s identified as an ‘exclusive’ and thus implies that we will not be seeing the Storm on Rogers or Bell at launch.  Quite the sweep by Telus given the expected corporate and consumer interest in the device.  However we expect that the use of the term ‘exclusive’ may apply to the EVDO/HSPA model versus the pure HSPA model (‘exclusive’ on Rogers).

Here’s the page: http://promo.telusmobility.com/storm/

Here’s the Vodafone page with more graphics and a specification sheet: http://blackberry.vodafone.co.uk/storm/

Another Blackberry Storm / Thunder Video

An official Vodafone Blackberry Storm / Thunder video.  Slick presentation of the functionality.  Looks good though we’d like to see the UI in a bit more detail.  Soon enough…

Blackberry Thunder / Storm on Video!

The first video of the upcoming Blackberry Thunder (Storm on Verizon)!

Captured by Brew Ninja – infamous for early access to upcoming phones.

Blackberry Thunder / Storm Release Date and Other Rumours

Verizon Blackberry Storm Box from Engadget

The Blogsphere is brimming with speculation on the upcoming Blackberry Thunder. 

 

A quick recent rumour mill summary:

• It will be called the Blackberry Storm 9530 on Verizon
• It will be called the Blackberry Thunder on Rogers and Vodafone
• It will be exclusive to Rogers in Canada
• Telus will also carry it in Canada. (Yes, conflicting rumours)
• It is ready for prime time and expected out on Verizon in October
• The user interface and OS is still buggy and it will be delayed into November
• It will include Wi-Fi
• It will not include Wi-Fi
• The touch keyboard: haptic feedback, full Qwerty in landscape, and Suretype in portrait
• 8 GB microSD included.  Raising hopes of strong multimedia capabilities

Of the rumours to date on the Storm/Thunder, a few things stand out for us. 

1. World phone.  CDMA/EVDO and UMTS/HSPA in one piece of hardware spells bulk.  Good for CDMA players and their business customers but a handicap when compared to pure UMTS/HSPA devices.

2. No Wi-Fi.  If this is true, then it will be a significant liability relative to other new smartphones such as the iPhone.  The majority of the average user’s time is spent in home and work environments that can support much faster speeds via Wi-Fi.  Wi-Fi for speed and EVDO/HSPA for coverage appears to be a reasonable approach taken by other smartphone vendors.

3. Battery life.  Heavy users, especially business users, need their device to work all the time.  Time is money etc.  It will take more battery than a traditional Blackberry to power the big screen.  More battery implies more bulk.

4. Keyboard, keyboard, keyboard.  Blackberry’s are highly regarded, rightfully so, for having fantastic keyboards.  They keyboard will make or break this Blackberry.  No doubt, great Exchange integration, rock solid reliability, and enterprise grade security have all contributed to the RIM’s success and should be expected on the Storm / Thunder but without a novel writing worthy keyboard, this Blackberry only will fall into line with the other ‘average’ business smartphones.

We are longtime Blackberry fans and are hopeful and excited about the launch of this device.  If the keyboard is close to as good as a traditional Blackberry hard keyboard, then we will forgive the bulk.  Though maybe not the lack of Wi-Fi.

UPDATE:  The Blackberry Thunder on Video