BlackBerry Storm review summaries

November 19, 2008 by Wayne Schulz

Thinking of getting a new BlackBerry Storm when it’s released on Friday? The first reviews are starting to trickle in with the Wall Street Journal posting the first official review.

Unfortunately Walt Mossberg of the WSJ spends a large amount of time reminding us of why the BlackBerry Storm is different from all other BlackBerry’s (anyone not know the answer here — hint – look at the picture and try to find a keyboard).

Overall he pronounces is faster on high speed cellular data than the iPhone but couldn’t test it on Wi-Fi — because the BlackBerry Storm lacks any Wi-Fi capabilities. Unfortunately he also doesn’t say much about the multimedia capabilities of the phone (only one sentence).

As more reviews are released, I’ll compile them below so you can access them easily.

Note: Most reviews of the BlackBerry Storm are under embargo meaning they cannot be released online until a date set by Verizon. As soon as we spot sites posting their reviews (which should be soon given that the Wall Street Journal already has published) we’ll be linking them below.

Wall Street Journal Reviews BlackBerry Storm

Summary: Cursory review that focuses on reminding anyone living under a rock the past year that the BlackBerry Storm is different from prior BlackBerryies because it has no keyboard. There’s no analysis (save for one sentence) of multi-media capabilities or any discussion of APPS that are unique to this new touch device.

Rating: Duh.

Link: WSJ BlackBerry Storm Review

Mobility Today Video Review

Additional Reviews We Like:

BoyGenius Report – Verizon BlackBerry Storm review
Wired – RIM’s First Touchscreen Device Almost Eclipses the iPhone
ZDNET – Hands On: The BlackBerry Storm
JkOnTheRun – BlackBerry Storm, yes it can cut and paste (includes video)
CrunchGear – Review: BlackBerry Storm for Verizon Wireless

BlackBerry screen capture software eliminates the need to cable to grab a screenshot

November 16, 2008 by Wayne Schulz

Last night I stumbled across CaptureIT software for BlackBerry devices running OS version 4.3 or higher.

The program does one thing that I had been wanting to do for quite some time. It allows you to take screenshots of your BlackBerry device WITHOUT needing to cable it via USB to your computer.

This is the first time I’ve noticed a software only solution for BlackBerry screen captures. The prior solutions required that you cable your BlackBerry to a Windows PC and run a Javaloader application. Under the old method your screens would be captured and saved onto your PC. With CaptureIT the screen image is saved right to your BlackBerry’s media folder.

From the media folder you can email yourself the photo (or even better email it out to Flickr for hosting).

Link: CaptureIT OTA (over the air) download via BlackBerryForums

Blackberry Storm Manual Online

November 1, 2008 by Wayne Schulz

The user manual for the Research in Motion’s first touch screen device has just appeared online. The Blackberry Storm has yet to be priced and there’s no formal release date. Expect to see it on Verizon Wireless in the US – possibly before the Thanksgiving Holidays.

Blackberry Storm Manual Online (PDF) download via: Crackberry

Gmail offers free SMS text messaging to US phones

October 30, 2008 by Wayne Schulz

Google just introduced a new feature that allows Gmail users to send free SMS text messages to their contact’s cell phones. These short messages can be sent while using the Gmail chat feature which is part of the Gmail interface. Unfortunately these messages can only be sent to US phones and it is send only — you won’t receive replies.

In order to use this feature you must first enable it via the settings tab in Gmail. Since this is a Labs feature – you should consider it experimental.

At this time the capabilities have not been added to any of the Google widgets or instant message clients, though I would expect that they’d appear soon.

via: Geardiary

Best Buy prices the Blackberry Bold at $399 with 2 year contract

October 26, 2008 by Wayne Schulz

best buy blackberry bold.jpg

There’s been a lot of speculation over not only the ship date for Blackberry’s latest flagship model – the Blackberry Bold – but over what the ultimate pricing will be.

It looks like at least one major reseller will be pricing the Blackberry Bold at $399 after a 2 year contract.

(NOTE: After visiting the Berlin CT Best Buy, I am convinced that even though the sales circular lists $399 as the price for the Blackberry Bold — the store price will be $299 for new activations on a plan of $65/mo or more and $349 on a plan that is less than $65/mo).

If you are an existing AT&T customer eligible for an equipment upgrade you can get the device at only $20 more – or $419 the price is $349. If you’re not eligible at all for an upgrade then you’ll pay the full boat price of $659.

This pricing is surprising because AT&T had announced that their price on the Blackberry Bold would be $299 when it is officially released in their stores nationwide November 4, 2008.

This will be an interesting story to watch. The wildly popular iPhone is a cheaper choice at $199 for an 8GB model and $299 for a 16GB. Arguably the iPhone has more capabilities with a vastly larger inventory of downloadable programs and the same (or similar) monthly data service pricing.

Will a $399 $299 Blackberry Bold sell into an economy that is facing more bad news each day? Will Best Buy lower their pricing to meet the AT&T announced pricing?

Click the photo at left for a larger image of the Blackberry display in the Berlin CT Best Buy. If you look closely at the price tag you’ll see the advertised pricing for new plans, upgrades and outright purchases.

via: Best Buy Sales Circular

Wall Street Journal Reviews BlackBerry Storm

Mobility Today Video Review

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