What I like and dislike about the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Storm
Home screens
I like the iPhone 3G and have liked it since it was first released. It has changed the way we think about smartphones, no question, and it is a very fine one. I also like the BlackBerry Storm, an opinion that is more unusual. It is a BlackBerry at its core, which makes it a fine smartphone in its own right. I am in an unusual situation since I have both of these smartphones, and I am getting asked frequently to compare them. This is not something I usually do as I find that there is no one “better” device in cases like this, as one phone will excel in certain situations and not so much in others. I will thus lay out the things I like and dislike about both of these phones and you can draw your own conclusions as to what each might mean in your particular case.
I will start out by making it clear that I like both of these phones. They do what they do very well and they each take a different tack to do that. This is where they differ and why they excel in different areas and fall short in others.
The good, the bad and the ugly
The first thing you have to admire about the iPhone 3G is the size. It is as thin and light as a phone can be and beats the Storm in this regard. That said, the Storm is still light and feels natural in the hand as it is smaller than the iPhone, even though it’s a tad thicker. I find both phones to be similarly comfortable to use, which is all that matters at the end of the day.
Web browsing in portrait
The primary thing I like about the iPhone 3G is the web browsing experience it provides. This is accomplished by the mobile Safari web browser which stands out in several ways. First and foremost, I am impressed with the iPhone’s “speed to web.” I have yet to find another phone that can go from starting the browser to a web page in as short a time as the iPhone. You simply click the icon and are on the web in just a few seconds. The Storm doesn’t take much longer than that, but it is not as fast as the iPhone.
The web browsing experience on the iPhone benefits greatly from the multi-touch implementation that Apple has created. The “pinch and zoom” ability is something that I use all the time while surfing the web as it makes seeing information on the small screen so much easier. The Storm browser can easily zoom in and out on web pages too with simple screen taps but it’s not quite as easy and natural as the iPhone’s method.
Web browsing in landscape
The iPhone’s browser displays complex web sites better than the Storm’s, although the Storm does an adequate job. I don’t find that I lose any ability while using the Storm, as I find the browser to be almost as good as Safari on the iPhone. I am comfortable using either device to surf the web, so they both fit that need fine.
The area of my phone usage where I find the Storm really shines is in the email/ messaging area. It is a BlackBerry after all, and they have been designed from the ground up to be great messaging devices. Like the iPhone, I have multiple mailboxes set up on the Storm so I can get all of my email on either device. The Storm excels over the iPhone in this regard, as it lets me work with all of my email addresses in a single Messaging mailbox. I can still work with each address separately if I wish but it is a big time-saver to be able to work with them all in one inbox. The BlackBerry also includes text messaging and “missed call” notifications in the unified Messaging inbox, which is appropriate.
One of the areas where the BlackBerry Storm outperforms the iPhone 3G is in the area of multi-tasking. The Storm can have quite a few applications running at the same time which makes switching between them a breeze. The Storm even has a nice task manager bar to facilitate moving between apps fast and simply. The iPhone falls short in this area, no question, and while it makes it easier for developers to expect having the phone’s full attention while their program is running, it’s not easier for the user.
Another area where I find the Storm to be better than the iPhone is going to be the most controversial, I am certain. That’s because when it comes to keyboards, especially those of the on-screen variety, it comes down to personal preference. My preference leans heavily toward the on-screen keyboards of the Storm over that of the iPhone. Don’t get me wrong, I can type fine on the keyboard of the iPhone, but the Storm leaves the iPhone in the dust with a variety of keyboard options that fit my needs. The inability to type messages on the iPhone in landscape orientation is a big failing for me.
-
- T9 keyboard on the Storm
-
- SureType keyboard on the Storm
-
- QWERTY keyboard on the Storm *
-
- Home screens
-
- Web browsing in portrait
-
- Web browsing in landscape
-
- Buttons, buttons, whose got the buttons?
I use both phones in landscape orientation a lot, and the Storm’s QWERTY keyboard is awesome to use while in landscape. This alone would make it better for me than the iPhone’s portrait keyboard but RIM has thrown in several different keyboards to use that also work well. The SureType keyboard that first appeared in earlier BlackBerry models is just awesome to use on the Storm. It makes typing on the screen a satisfyingly fast process and I use this method a lot. There is a standard T9 keyboard that can be used too although I don’t use this one much. Any way you slice it, the extra options means I can always use the method that fits the particular task at hand which keeps me more productive. Of course, all of this good keyboard love is predicated on the fact that I find the SurePress (screen clicking) technology of the Storm works well for me. Some folks don’t like the clicking, and I understand that, but it makes this all work well for me personally.
Another thing I really like about the Storm is the ability to shoot video. Enough said about that. I would like to think that someday Apple would grace the iPhone with that ability but they’ve ignored the requests so far.
An overview of what I like about these phones would not be complete without praising the Verizon network. I find the Verizon 3G network to give me good speeds pretty much everywhere, something that the AT&T network falls short doing. The Verizon network works well for phone calls too, something that is not the case with the iPhone. It is still common, even if not so much so as in the beginning, to have calls drop for no reason on the iPhone. This never happens to me on the Storm with Verizon. I also have to occasionally turn the 3G radio off on the iPhone if I find myself in a fringe coverage area. AT&T is just not as good a 3G network as Verizon.
Both phones have decent multimedia players, but the iPhone shines in this area. After all, it’s an iPod and since I use iTunes on the desktop it’s great having an iPod in my phone. The Storm’s media players, audio and video, are decent enough, but I wish I could play my DRM-hampered iTunes music on the Storm. That will never happen, I’m afraid. It’s too bad, too, as the micro-SD slot of the Storm means it has unlimited storage for music and video, while the iPhone is limited to the 16 GB of integrated memory. The Storm will handle stereo Bluetooth which is not possible on the iPhone which is odd given the iPod features. I haven’t tried using this on the Storm though so I can’t reflect on how good this works or not.
The iPhone has the App Store which gives it an advantage over the Storm. The ability to locate and install programs from either the desktop or the iPhone itself is very convenient. The Storm has very nice over-the-air (OTA) application installation, too, which works very well, you just have to find the applications lacking a central store.
Not having an App Store could also be viewed as an advantage for the Storm over the iPhone. While third party apps have to be ferreted out for the Storm I find them to usually be of more use than most of the thousands of apps in the Apple App Store. This is due to the open nature of the BlackBerry compared to the totally closed system of the iPhone. Developers see a need for a BlackBerry utility, and they address it by releasing the app to the enthusiast community. iPhone developers have to deal with the App Store, meaning they don’t always know when, or in some cases if, their app will get released.
This open nature of the Storm is why it is possible to customize the interface and thus adapt the user experience to better fit the individual’s needs. There are already many themes available to download and apply on the Storm to change the way the phone looks and works, something the iPhone lacks. The iPhone interface is very nice, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also nice to be able to change things if desired.
The one glaring feature missing from the Storm is WiFi. I’m not sure why RIM chose to leave WiFi out of the Storm and the iPhone has an advantage in this area as a result of that bad decision. I admit that the Verizon 3G network is so good that I rarely miss having WiFi, but it’s always better to have an option like this than not.
To keep things fair, I must list the one glaring omission of the iPhone and that is buttons. The iPhone only has the one “Home Screen” button on the front while the Storm has typical phone buttons (Send, End, Menu, Back). This makes interfacing with the Storm a bit easier for me than the iPhone.
Buttons, buttons, whose got the buttons?
Conclusion
This comparison of the BlackBerry Storm and iPhone 3G has turned out to be much longer than I thought it would be. I must restate that phones are very personal devices, and what works well for me may not work at all for others. That’s the nature of personal technology, the more personal it is (like phones) the more likely that users will interpret them differently.
I do find that either one of these phones works well for me in daily use. They both do what I expect them to do and what I need for them to do. They approach things differently and that makes the user experience different as a result. I do find that using either of these phones is just plain fun, and I take big stock in that. The decision of which phone might be better for you will have to consider many factors and hopefully this overview may make that easier to do.
* The portrait QWERTY keyboard as depicted is not available in the latest shipping Verizon version of the BlackBerry OS. This was enabled by the RIM beta OS I have installed.
Are you using Portrait (Tall) & Landscape (Wide) the wrong way round in the middle of the article?
Shouldn’t “The inability to type messages on the iPhone in landscape orientation is a big failing for me.” be “The inability to type messages on the iPhone in portrait orientation is a big failing for me.”
No, I said it the way it is. You cannot type messages (email) in landscape on the iPhone.
@PJE, I think James has it correct, the problem with the iPhone is not being to turn it sideways (Wide) and type with the bigger keyboard
@Myself…. My mistake! I just assumed that the iPhone would allow a Landscape keyboard in emial.
“I find the Verizon 3G network to give me good speeds pretty much everywhere, something that the AT&T network falls short doing. The Verizon network works well for phone calls too, something that is not the case with the iPhone. It is still common, even if not so much so as in the beginning, to have calls drop for no reason on the iPhone. This never happens to me on the Storm with Verizon. I also have to occasionally turn the 3G radio off on the iPhone if I find myself in a fringe coverage area. AT&T is just not as good a 3G network as Verizon.”
Anything other than anecdotal evidence to support this? My experience with the iPhone 3G has been just the opposite, and I travel a lot, too. I’ve also owned a Storm, and liked that device.
I am going on my years of experience with both networks. I have used both networks all over the US and the coverage is always better with Verizon than AT&T. As always though coverage depends on exactly where you are.
I’ve owned devices on both networks as well (in fact, all networks) simultaniously. In my experience Verizon has better coverage than AT&T. In fact, I’m pissed today – the two offices I’m visiting (miles away from each other) are AT&T dead zones. Which is why I now complement my iPhone with a Boost Mobile (Sprint) all-you-can-eat plan.
Thanks for the comparison. I have only used an iPhone for a short period of time but found typing fast on it to be quite frustrating. I enjoy the SurePress on the Storm, and think it makes for easy typing. I don’t find it to be any different from clicking the keys on my old blackberry.
JK – Thanks, good review/overview. I was one of those who wanted to read your comparisons of the two. I have had both for short periods of time and I believe I would have chosen the Storm overall. Great display, I liked the keyboards and even the clicking (I find that I accidentally “hit” keys on the iPhone that I don’t mean too. But the main reason I did not keep the iPhone was the network – ATT 3G did not work for me in Austin. And I dropped calls in my house which is also my office. As you read across the web, ATT’s service is one of the big complaints about the iPhone (with c&p and MMS probably being the other two!). Lawsuits are even popping up over this. Even Om couldn’t take it any longer!
I live in Boston, and have been in Maine, New Hampshire, NYC, DC/NoVa, Key West, San Francisco and LA since the first of the year. No issues with the iPhone 3G. I’ve been a customer of both companies in various iterations since 1996 (Sprint, o2 and Vodafone now, too). Verizon is always better? Always? Come on. Both have ups and downs depending on location. And yes, I had the Storm with me in most of those locations.
As I said location is everything. My own experience is as stated.
I’ve never used a Storm, but would probably agree with you on most points that are listed as negatives for the iPhone. How does battery life compare? It’s a major disappointment on my iPhone 3G…
I find battery life to be slightly better on the Storm but remember it has the removable battery so I could easily pick up a second and swap.
Well, I find the weather in El Paso to always be better than in Houston. Location is everything.
You got that right.
What version of the Storm firmware are you using? What about all the complaints that you hear about the Storm just not working right?? Also you do know that there are plenty of widescreen keyboards for the iPhone right? For better or worse this seems to be Apple’s approach to “fixing” things people don’t like about the iPhone..letting developers do it. But they haven’t been able to fix cut and paste or MMS messaging. It is puzzling why Apple hasn’t taken care of this yet.
I am running firmware/OS 4.7.0.103 on my Storm.
How timely
I just posted my review of the Storm: http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/life-with-the-blackberry-storm/
tnkgrl, nice review and a good example of why I say that phones are subject to such personal objectivity. You hate the SurePress keyboard so there’s no way you can like the Storm as it is what makes it tick.
It’s a clear demonstration how one feature that is “must-have” for one person can be a deal-breaker for a given phone.
James, you’re right – a lot of it has to do with personal preference.
James you surprise me. Have you not found EasyWriter, a free app that let’s you type emails in landscape mode on the iphone. i’ve only had the iphone for two months but its the best touch phone i’ve had. I’m really looking forward to seeing what apple’s going to do with the next iphone, now that the other phone makers are starting too catch up. Keep up the good work
I have heard of EasyWriter but not tried it. Where the Storm shines in this area is how the keyboards are built into the very OS so I don’t have to pay attention which app I am in. I can just turn the device sideways and the keyboard is there.
This is an odd statement, “The Storm’s media players, audio and video, are decent enough, but I wish I could play my DRM-hampered iTunes music on the Storm. That will never happen, I’m afraid.”
I’m sure you are aware that iTunes allows you to upgrade your DRM-hampered music to DRM-free and higher quality. It costs $0.30 per track or $3.00 per album. Not free but unless you bought hundreds of individual tracks, not outrageous either. I have had some trouble upgrading but it was easy for most the tracks that I previously bought and Apple changed the rules so you can now pick and choose which tracks you want upgraded instead of the all-or-nothing from before.
I have almost 1,000 DRM-protected songs in iTunes right now.
That’s a bit prohibitive for me.
C’mon James, pick and choose. You must have favorites you’d be willing to unlock for 30 cents each (or at least burn to CD then rip back as MP3 for free).
There’s just too many to decide.
http://tunebite.com/en/audio_video_drm_copy_protection/index.html Tune Bite software will help you to remove the DRM audio so that you can play your songs on any hardware.
The storm just keeps getting better and better. I now have the beta .103 software on my phone and it has made a world of difference from the official Verizon .75 os.
I briefly owned a Storm that I won in a competition and generally came to the conclusion that it’d be excellent when they finish it! I sold the phone due to reception problems and I now own an iPhone but do miss one really nice touch on the Storm – the ability to rapidly filter more or less any list (songs, emails etc) by swiping up to open the keyboard and typing… it made finding a particular song in the media player just a few screen clicks away. In contrast finding a particular email or song on the iPhone is a considerably more hit and miss experience…
Great topic!
First I owned an iPod Touch (I know, its not an iPhone but please be patient), then a Storm. I gave the Storm back to Verizon in large part because of battery issues. Because of JK (darn you!), I decided to pick up a Storm on Craigslist and give it another chance. Tentatively, the battery life on this unit seems better than that on my first (both running the latest VZW provided firmware).
I assume the Touch and iPhone to be similar in terms of the user interface. And thats the only real comparison I can make since the Touch is not a phone. That said, the Apple interface is sooo much slicker, refined and intuitively useable. The Storm still suffers from lags, poorly placed and/or sized buttons and inconsistencies. Its clear that the Storm is built on the traditional BB foundation (some of that is good) but like JK, KT and MM have so often said about Windows Mobile, its not good design when the user has to think about how to do something and similar actions require dissimilar inputs.
Nevertheless, like JK, I am going to persevere with the Storm. I am looking forward to the authorized release of xx.103. Finally, and I know this strays a bit, but neither is really well suited to one handed operation as is a Curve or Treo. In many ways that capability trumps the sexy interface and hardware of Apple and Storm.
Do you recommend the average (non tech) user to use OS that is not provided by Verizon?
No, I would stick with the latest Verizon one. I should clarify that by stating I had no problems with that OS as shipped, I upgraded mainly because I’m a total geek.
* The portrait QWERTY keyboard as depicted is not available in the latest shipping Verizon version of the BlackBerry OS. This was enabled by the RIM beta OS I have installed.
Could you please post the link where this RIM beta OS for the QWERTY keyboard? Thanks.
It is version .103 in the CrackBerry Forum. Just look under Storm.
Hey guys on crackberry.com 4.7.0.109os came out sometimes this afternoon. according to verizon rep a official os build is due sometime in march!
Gotta love how RIM gets their “beta” software field tested! I actually think it is a good thing – at least they seem to be constantly trying to improve instead of keeping folks in the dark for months on end.
I have been waffling between getting the Storm again, talking myself into an iPhone even though I know the network is not up to snuff or waiting on the Pre or Touch Pro 2 on my current carrier Sprint. The Storm is looking better all the time.
BTW JK, can you comment on call quality a little – specifically, I returned mine because I sounded “muffled” on the other end and the ear piece was bad – sounded like it was blown, not clear at all. Others have had this problem and I was hoping that it would get worked out in future hardware builds. How does your sound on both ends?
First, I think its funny that you have all those phones. Second I wish I had them because i have a palm centro and it is not quite the power that I would like. Third, Do not go to my website as it is not very good and not finished
You guys (Kevin and James) should do an article explaining what you guys do everyday. How do you work? I love this Site.
I had the latest software up until today. I have been very happy with the STORM but there was period of adjustment.
My main complaint is my typing speed with the touch keyboards. I had a Curve and sending a large number of emails and text messages was effortless. Five weeks later with the STORM, still not effortless. I tend to be a bit impatient and I definitely have to go a little slower.
Pros are reception (Verizon network), data speed and VZ Navigator capability. I am pleased with the video and music quality and the 8GB external storage that comes with it makes file transfers easy. Overall with the new software, this is hands down a great device.
Also look into Blackberry Media Sync to play your iTunes on your Blackberry.
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/media/mediasync.jsp
Dave Licari
http://salesmotivation.wordpress.com/
I have a storm and my mom has a iphone. I do miss the wifi on my storm but being able to send pics to others with out sending emails. The buttons are a big thing to navigate around. I find it hard on the iphone to just back up and not hit that button and go all the way back to the home screen.
I’m locked into a family plan with Verizon until Feb. Have played with 3 iPhones and fell in love, decided I just HAD to have one. A salesman at Car Toys told me about the dropped calls with AT&T today. Then I read both this post and tnkgrl’s. Am also told that Blackberry is coming out with a new phone in Oct. that is the biggest upgrade to date and well worth waiting for. Also I’m told that I will be eligible for an early upgrade next month. Any advice between now and then would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Pat mcginnisp1@comcast.net
Can anyone weigh in on the ergonomics of the Storm versus iPhone? I have tendonitis in my right thumb caused mostly by my blackberry curve. I need a phone that I can use my index fingers to type instead of my thumbs. Which is better – Storm or iPhone? I have been waiting to upgrade because AT&T is about to install a new tower in my neighborhood, which would mean I could get an iPhone, but maybe I can stay with Verizon and get a Storm?
I think you’ll find typing with index fingers to be similar on either phone.