Stormy weather: RIM’s new device too hot
December 1 2008 - 12:56 pm ET | Allie Winter | RCR Wireless News
Daniel Salois, Jr was first in line in Toledo, Ohio — one day early — to purchase the new BlackBerry Storm. Salois camped out in front of the Verizon Wireless store at 5:50 AM and was prepared to wait overnight.
Similar to its like-named weather phenomenon, the launch of Research In Motion Ltd.’s Storm at Verizon Wireless has left mixed results. Sure, the resulting moisture and strong sales are needed, but the shaken nerves and rattled shoppers are after-effects that may take time to heal.
The device, which was officially unveiled at retailers on Nov. 21, was quickly in short supply, which led to frustrated shoppers. More than a week after the device was launched, some are still waiting for their device, while those that managed to get their hands on RIM’s latest push into the consumer market have had to adjust their expectations.
Overall, reviews seem to be positive for the Storm. Users who have turned to the Web to voice praises and concerns are consistent. Almost all reviewers say the e-mail synch and messaging capabilities are top notch — normal for BlackBerry fans — but the main gripe seems to be the Storm’s touchscreen and the allure of its “click” technology.
Bill Ho, industry analyst at Current Analysis, noted that the touchscreen aspect of the Storm might be a tough transition for some BlackBerry users, while those not familiar with the company’s Pearl or Curve models could be challenged by the new user interface.
Early frustrations
Ho said the Storm will be a good seller for Verizon Wireless, but the release-day challenges were notable.
“There was the frustration aspect of day one,” Ho said. “Some communication and supply issues; it got progressively worse as time zones woke up.”
Ho related one first-hand experience as one of his colleagues — a faithful Verizon Wireless fan — faced many challenges when trying to purchase the Storm on the release day. It seems most stores did not receive enough devices to meet the demand of hungry fans waiting outside.
The unnamed Current Analysis employee went on to say that once stores ran out of the handsets, ordering the device from the retail location became even more difficult, saying the computers were without SKUs and quickly bogged down.
The frustrated customer did note, however, that stores received more devices shortly after the initial batch ran out and offered deals to customers who would have to wait a day or two to receive the latest BlackBerry. This customer did end up purchasing the device when the second shipment came in, but had to go back to work while it was activated due to delays in the process. While this might not have been the experience for everyone, there were indeed upset customers who went home that day without a new device.
Verizon Wireless did not respond for comment on the Storm’s speedy sell-out or the activation snafus. But, in an attempt to lift frustrated customers’ spirits, the carrier said it will extend holiday shopping hours so customer have more time to demo the device. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a multitude of Storms on hand.
While first quantities were limited, Verizon Wireless did guarantee customers that they wouldn’t have to wait long. At one local store, employees said customers would have the Storm the next day, with no shipping costs. Brenda Raney, spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, however, said customers would receive the device within 7 to 10 days.
Déjà vu
AT&T Mobility faced similar opening-day frustrations on the release of the 3G iPhone. Activations got jumbled and it began to take longer for customers to get their new toy up and running.
“You’d think [Verizon Wireless] would look at their activation issues the same as AT&T and you’d think they would learn from that and not go through it, but they didn’t,” Ho said.
Outlook
When it comes to under cutting the iPhone, Ho said it will depend on user preference. Some will go for the Storm, while some stay faithful to Apple.
“It comes down to a personal decision,” Ho said. “The iPhone has a better multimedia experience and the BlackBerry has a great e-mail experience. You don’t have to worry about synching it like you have to synch with iTunes. There are pluses and minuses and it comes down to what a person needs.”
December 4, 2008 04:28 pm
Storm will be fine in the next software upograde and work just fine. you can actually get it now on crackberry.com. the media experience in my opinion is better as far as video playback goes (resolution on Storm is better) and the Storm does picture and video messaging which the iPhone does not. how can the media experience be better on the iphone if it can't do mms?! Also the guy waiting for the Storm on Sprint will have to wait quite a while since it is exclusive for Verizon..why your company is still using Sprint is beyond me! Go all ATT ot switch but Sprint is awful!!
December 2, 2008 06:01 am
It took me four days to actually get my hands on mine, but I'm glad I finally got it. Aside from the lack of Wifi (I had to throw that in, it can't be said enough) the only real problem I have is accuracy on the keyboard. I have faith in Blackberry that they'll address it in an upgrade or two. The processor is slower than I would like, but I understand that there's a tradeoff for runtime. Perhaps optimization can improve response time as well. Coming from the Windows mobile environment I'm used to phones running S-L-O-W, but it's a bit strange on a 'berry. At least speed the camera up.
December 2, 2008 06:01 am
Tried it yesterday. Couldn't even type my name. Maybe it's because I'm a touchscreen newbie, but if there's that much of an adjustment I'm not interested right now. Accellerometer is indeed sluggish and just sending an e-mail was painful. I think I'll stick with my BB Curve for now.
December 2, 2008 06:01 am
Wait for the second firmware release, particularly when it's a significant departure from the standard offerings. My corp IT group is a Sprint/ATT shop which can't get the iPhone secure enought to deploy. Storm on Sprint will be my ticket to touchscreen land!
December 1, 2008 01:17 pm
The New York Times says it’s a "dud." Several tech writers hold similar sentiments. My experience: Stormy is buggy. Navigation is crummy. Screens freeze. Accelerator is sluggish. The Storm is blowing RIM off its enterprise and pro-sumer course. Stormy was released prematurely.