Editorial: Why the BlackBerry Storm Sucked!

I will be the first to admit, I love a good touch-screen. If a device has one, it’s peaked my interest already. I’ll buy a toaster just because of the touch-screen. All kidding aside I hope you see my point. I’m also a proud Canadian and support everything we put out, except for Celine Dion. Anyhow, when I heard that RIM was developing a touch-screen Smartphone, I almost lost it. Being a fan of the BlackBerry I thought nothing could go wrong. Oh how I was disappointed. But why? Who’s fault was it? Research In Motion couldn’t possibly put out such a sub-par Smartphone without a reason, could they? In my opinion, and this is strictly my own, the Storm failed because of three things. Software glitches, lack of Wi-Fi support and the SurePress touch-screen were the issues that crippled such a promising device.

So who’s to blame? Was it Verizon pushing for a Christmas release date, or RIM for allowing the device to walk out the door unfinished. Considering RIM’s track record, I’m apt to say Verizon was the culprit, and no I’m not a CrackBerry addict, truth be told, I own an iPhone and I’m very happy with it. For 10 years Research In Motion has put out a great array of phones, not perfect but great at what they were intended to do. The whole package just feels rushed. The glitches could have easily been fixed if given more time to iron them out and the SurePress touch-screen wobbles… Seriously, try it out. All RIM needed to do was secure it to the rest of the phone. The lack of Wi-Fi can’t really be blamed on RIM, and it’s not really Verizon’s fault either. Verizon’s network does not allow Wi-Fi capable devices, and really, that is Verizon’s choice. It’s their network, they can do what they want with it.

Now I’m not saying Verizon is a bad company, and RIM has its hand in the Storm’s failure too. It was no secret that Verizon was pushing for a holiday release of the Storm, and RIM obliged them. That just goes to show that taking a little extra time will save you many headaches in the long run.