Posted by Kyle James on Sun, Apr 05, 2009
So since I got my Blackberry Storm way back in November I've been waiting for the Blackberry App World to launch. The App World is RIM's response to the Apple iPhone App Store. It's not like Blackberry devices didn't already have hundreds if not thousands of apps that ran on their multiple devices, it's just that they hadn't built a place to easily find and add new apps.
Before We Even Start...
So on Wednesday April 1st the long awaited Blackberry App Store finally became a reality. Before I even share my thoughts I do want to go ahead and start with a gripe. RIM has been promising this marketplace for a long time (heck six months at least right), but what makes it so bad is that this was supposed to be out in February and it wasn't until a full month after the end of February that it is launched. Now there isn't anything I can do about that besides complain, but considering they took their long sweet time to launch you would expect it to just be amazing, right? Now when I first downloaded App World on Wednesday it was version 1.0.0.26 and just in the past few days they have already released two new versions to address issues. Now it's good to see RIM address issues quickly, but guys... they have had plenty of time to get this out and get it right to start with.
Thoughts About the Blackberry App World
Upon opening it is nice to see quite a few games, apps, add-ons, etc that the store is already populated with. There is 120 games and probably a good 300 total apps upon launch... not bad. I haven't bought any apps yet, but from what I've read the purchasing process is a little clunky as you have to tie a PayPal account to it. Luckily I have a PayPal account, but I still have a hard time imaging they could have done this a little more "professionally". I have a Blackberry Storm and one of the BIGGEST turnoffs of that phone is the lack of WiFi support, thanks Verizon for screwing us all on that one. WiFi would have definitely made the store a much better experience because although the 3G network is nice I just have to think that it would have been faster over WiFi. I'm especially spoiled because my WiFi at the house is connected to a 20MB FiOS network that I can't tap into. Another blaintanly missing app was any Twitter applications... just wierd?
At the end of the day I'm excited about this organization and advancement in Mobile software for the Blackberry lineup and the initial lineup has some really fun software to play. I am a little critical because I think it could be a little better, but am really glad that it's out. If you have a Blackberry Phone produced in the last two years there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn't download and install App World. You will get waves of new functionality out of your phone.
I have some additional links to reviews below the picture here, but if you want one great review, besides this one of course, then I would highly recommend Walter Mossberg's First Impressions of the New Blackberry App Store. Walter, like myself, is very critical but does a great job of waying the pros and cons and simply writes a fantasic review.
Other Reviews:
Posted by Kyle James on Sun, Nov 23, 2008
So here we go. Let's get this Blackberry Storm review underway. I've had the phone a few days now and spent hours tweaking it and trying to really figure out the system.
Pros
- 8GB microSDHC memory card expandable up to 32GB from the best report I could find, but the largest cards I could find online were 16GB for around $100
- Click Screen and visual indicator about what you are clicking before clicking
- Gorgeous 480x360 screen
- Rock Solid Blackberry OS
- 3G Network Speeds
- Handles Email like a champ
- Beautiful 3.2MP Camera (See a Flickr example) and Video Recorder
- Preconfigured Facebook, Flickr, Instant Messaging clients (Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Gtalk, AIM, Blackberry Messenger)
- Works as a tethered modem for your laptop (no more airports without WiFi!)
- You can swap out a dead battery
Cons
- NO Wi-Fi WTF
- Typing definitely not as fast as a regular keyboard, not a normal blackberry
- Rather steep learning curve. A few hours of playing is required.
- Minor delays in response time in programs from time to time.
Recommended Apps for the Blackberry Storm
Create your own free RingTones from your MP3 with Audacity. Here are some example RingTones I created.
My Verdict
Blackberry Storm is the hands down the best phone on the Verizon Network and the Verizon Network, in my opinion, has the best wireless coverage in America. Therefore Blackberry Storm = Winner. It might not be an iPhone killer, but it holds it's own. People will be comparing the Storm to the iPhone like they compare the XBox 360 to the PS3 or Windows to OSX. They each do 95% of the same thing just a little different and each have 5% exclusives. That is how I see this battle panning out in the long run.
Some might say the iPhone has a head start, but does it really? RIM and the Blackberry OS have been around for years and it already is integrated in corporate networks around the world. The iPhone does already have it's App Store launched, but Blackberry is in the process of launching their own and they already have hundreds of software applications already that run on the Blackberry OS without the Store.
Bottom line it's the best phone on the best wireless network.
Other Blackberry Reviews