Adam Ginsberg: Blackberry Storm VS iPhone

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As loyal a fan, and as much as anyone could love me, would be well described by a holiday gift I received - a shirt with the phrase "Crackberry Addict" on the front.

Then, something happened.  Apple introduced the iPhone - a revolutionary touch phone that not only looked cool, but would work effortlessly with my Mac.

So, I took a leap of faith and jumped ship - taking an oath that the day Blackberry came out with a touch phone I would switch back.

So I waited - and in the interim upgraded to the 2nd generation iPhone...still wishing the email was more like my Blackberry.

Finally, on November 21st - the day it was released, and true to my word - I purchased the Blackberry Storm - the first Blackberry touch phone.  I kept it for less than 48 hours and then returned it.  It was terrible.  The lag time, the learning curve, the frustration...I was so disappointed.

I returned the phone, canceled the plan with Verizon and went back to my iPhone.

Then, something happened.  Blackberry started releasing system updates and spoke to a few people who told me the new software fixes made a huge difference.

With a bit of hope and enthusiasm, I headed back to the Verizon store and I am so glad I did.

I've had my new Blackberry Storm for almost a week and I'm really enjoying it.  Last night I upgraded to the newest system release and it's really starting to take shape.

Is the Blackberry storm an "iPhone Killer" as some people have said?  Probably not.  It's not as user friendly for a technologically challenged person looking to pick up a phone and use it in minutes...however, it is formidable competition.

Here are the drawbacks with the Storm that need fixing:

1.  The homepage screen rotates and there's no way to disable this.  That's a problem.  There's actually no reason for the home page to rotate - and when it does it can take up to 10 seconds (lag time) before it rotates back to the proper view. This, by the way, was the main reason for my initial return - at that time it could take as long as 30 seconds for the home screen to rotate properly.

2. The ipod component of the iPhone is superior.  Not much, but definitely better.

3. While Google Maps rock on the iPhone, the Verizon Navigator is spectacular.

4. The Verizon phone network is FAR superior to the ATT's "least drop called network".  I haven't had a single call drop with Verizon - whereas with ATT I would average 8-10 dropped calls per day.

5. While confusing perhaps for some, I type significantly faster on the Blackberry Storm than on the iPhone.

6. The killer app of the Blackberry of course is it's mail functionality.  There's no way to explain Blackberry mail other than it's on a separate planet than the iPhone.  If you use email a lot, this Blackberry is the way to go.

7. I prefer texting on the iPhone and of course there's the iPhone app store (which I've hardly used).   Blackberry is set to open an app store in the coming months.

8. AT&T charges international data roaming rates for checking email and surfing the web whereas with the Blackberry Storm you can upgrade your plan to an international data plan - unlimited data roaming with no excess fees.  If you travel outside of the US (which I do a lot of), this is a huge feature.

The iPhone is a great phone - there's no question about it.  For me, though, I feel like I'm "home" again.  If you get a Blackberry Storm, keep it and use it for a week.  If you can make it through the first week, you'll never go back...

One thing I've been really impressed with is the approach Blackberry is taking to update the firmware on the Storm.  There have been 3 updates in the last 3 weeks.  Blackberry is serious - because they have to be.

Today I'm going to officially port my phone # over from AT&T to Verizon and make the switch from the iPhone to the Blackberry Storm official.  The more I use the Storm, the more I can appreciate the power of it.  In the long run this phone is going to dominate the marketplace.

What are your thoughts?  Do you have an iPhone and love it?  Do you have a Blackberry Storm?  Have you had both?  Share your comments below - would love to hear from you!