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BlackBerry Storm 9530 Phone, Black (Verizon Wireless) | 
| Brand: BlackBerry
Category: Wireless
List Price: $499.99
Buy New: $0.01
as of 11/27/2009 01:47 CST details
You Save: $499.98 (100%)
New (4) from $0.01
Seller: Amazon.com
Rating:  180 reviews
Sales Rank: 261
Color: Black
Media: Wireless Phone
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: Storm
UPC: 738572575946
ASIN: B001HN5BPS
Release Date: November 16, 2008
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | First BlackBerry touchscreen phone packed with messaging, document editing, and multimedia features; international GSM roaming | | • | Access V Cast, Music and Video services via fast EV-DO data network; GPS-enabled for turn-by-turn directions; use phone as a modem for your laptop | | • | 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth stereo music; MicroSD expansion to 16 GB; access to personal email and instant messaging | | • | Up to 6 hours of talk time, up to 360 hours (15 days) of standby time | | • | What's in the Box: handset, removable battery, international charger, USB cable, 8 GB MicroSD card, user manual |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description
Designed to satisfy the needs of both consumers and business customers, the BlackBerry Storm smartphone offers a revolutionary touchscreen that dramatically enhances the touch interface and enables easy and precise typing. The world's first "clickable" touchscreen responds much like a physical keyboard and also supports single-touch, multi-touch and gestures for intuitive and efficient application navigation. Whether traveling to Europe or Asia, the Storm provides globetrotters the freedom of reliable global connectivity with Verizon Wireless's reliable, high-speed 3G CDMA network here in the United States and compatibility with GSM networks abroad. 
The SurePress touchscreen with tactile click response allows you to accurately navigate and type messages on the BlackBerry Storm. | 
The Storm's built-in accelerometer automatically switches the screen between landscape mode and portrait modes as it rotates. See larger version. | It's compatible with the V Cast Music and V CAST Music with Rhapsody services, which enables you to purchase songs through your phone and download them via Verizon Wireless's fast EV-DO data network. You'll also benefit from the phone's A-GPS receiver, which enables you to access Verizon Wireless's VZ Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions. Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth connectivity for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, 1 GB internal memory, MicroSD memory expansion to 16 GB, support for up to 10 personal and corporate email accounts, access to popular instant messaging services, and up to 6 hours of talk time. Verizon Wireless Service
With support for the EV-DO high-speed data standard, you'll enjoy fast access to the Internet and Verizon Wireless's multimedia services (additional charges applicable), with average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps and peak rates up to 2 Mbps. (Learn more about where EV-DO coverage is offered.) The V Cast Music service enables you to download songs instantly to your phone, or purchase music through your PC and transfer the files to your phone. If purchased from your phone, you'll receive two copies of the song: a Windows Media Audio Pro Plus format at 64Kbps stereo is sent to your phone, and a Windows Media Audio 9 format at 160Kbps stereo is sent to your account in the V CAST Music online store for downloading to your PC. V Cast Music offers nearly 2 million songs, with more being added all the time. In addition to the V Cast Music service, this phone is also compatible with Verizon Wireless's V CAST Music with Rhapsody, which enables you to access this exclusive digital music service for RealNetworks and for MTV Networks. V CAST Music with Rhapsody delivers unlimited monthly access to music on up to three Rhapsody-compatible mobile phones and players and online on multiple PCs and Web browsers. In addition, customers who purchase music over-the-air are able to download the master copy of the songs or albums to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where music can be played. The V Cast Video service enables you to stream or download video clips to your phone from a variety of news, entertainment, sports, and weather channels, including CNN, ABC News, E!, CBS Sports, The Weather Channel, and VH1. With this GPS-enabled phone, you'll be able to access Verizon Wireless's VZ Navigator service (additional charges applicable) for voice-prompted turn-by-turn directions, heads-up alerts, local search of nearly 14 million points of interest in the US (such as landmarks, restaurants and ATMs), and detailed color maps. And Verizon Wireless's Chaperone service lets you easily locate your loved ones from your cell phone phone or PC in real time. After defining a zone, such as an area designating a school or summer camp, you'll be sent an alert via text message when the Chaperone handset enters or leaves the zone. With BroadbandAccess Connect (subscription required), you can use your smartphone as a modem for your notebook when you connect the two using a USB cable--or open a Bluetooth connection--enabling you to access the Internet or your company intranet. The tethered modem capability is ideal when you're traveling and need to use your notebook to check email, access corporate networks, or download large files like presentations and reports. And with BroadbandAccess Connect, you won't have to buy an extra PC Card or other devices. With Visual Voice Mail, you can delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions. Visual Voice Mail is the ideal tool for the busy mobile professional who may need to prioritize which messages he or she listens to first. 
In addition to its messaging capabilities, the Storm features a 3.2-megapixel camera and multi-format media player. See larger version. | Global Connectivity
The BlackBerry Storm allows for global roaming--from Europe to South America to Asia--and also provides 3G data speeds on select international networks, giving you high-speed connectivity when you're abroad. The Storm offers Verizon Wireless's fast 3G EV-DO Rev. A/CDMA connectivity in the United States, and UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz) and quad-band GSM/EDGE/GPRS connectivity for use outside the U.S. The Storm comes pre-installed with a SIM card, so customers who plan to travel abroad can activate global service at the time of purchase or by calling Verizon Wireless prior to leaving the U.S. For those who travel abroad frequently, the company's Global Value Plan offers discounted roaming charges on calls made to and from 130 countries. Phone Features
The first BlackBerry to feature a touchscreen interface, the Storm's large 3.25-inch LCD (360 x 480-pixel resolution) actually depresses ever so slightly when the screen is pressed, giving you the distinct feeling that the screen is being pressed and released with a gentle "click"--similar to the feeling of a key on a physical keyboard or a button on a mouse. The "clickable" touchscreen gives you positive confirmation that you've made a selection, resulting in a highly-intuitive typing experience. In addition to the familiar navigation keys (phone, menu and escape) that are common to other BlackBerry smartphones, the Storm adds support for multi-touches, taps, slides and other touch-screen gestures, so you can easily highlight, scroll, pan and zoom for smooth navigation. The BlackBerry Storm smartphone also features a built-in accelerometer, allowing its touchscreen to automatically switch between landscape mode and portrait mode as the you rotate the handset--RIM's SureType keyboard layout is available in portrait mode and a full QWERTY keyboard layout is available in landscape mode. Other relevant features, such as cut and paste, are only a touch away for the ultimate smartphone experience. 
Blackberry's efficient SureType hybrid alpha-numeric/QWERTY keyboard appears in portrait mode. | The on-screen SureType hybrid alpha-numeric/QWERTY keyboard, first introduced with BlackBerry Pearl phones, places two letters on each button of the keyboard layout and the Storm automatically determines which letter is the intended one based on what it predicts you are trying to spell. SureType also learns the words you use most often, further enhancing your typing speed. View your favorite web sites the way they were meant to be seen with the high-performance web browser that works in either portrait or landscape orientation. Navigating Web sites is fast and easy with the touch-screen interface that lets users double tap to zoom in and slide their fingers to scroll and pan. Icons along the bottom of the display allow for quickly accessing Web sites, switching between Page View and Column View as well as the ability to toggle between Pan mode and Cursor mode. The enhanced browser supports file downloading, streaming audio and video (RTSP), and built-in RSS support--enabling content from supported Web sites to be automatically pushed to directly to you.  | Whether you're on the clock or out-and-about, the Storm has the tools to keep you productive. Access up to ten supported personal and corporate email accounts, including the most popular ISP email servers, using BlackBerry Internet Service. View and revise Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint files using Word To-Go or Slideshow To-Go. And keep your schedule on track with the advance calendar function, which allows you to check appointments or make new ones in just a few clicks. In addition to the industry's leading mobile email and messaging solution, the Storm supports text (SMS), picture (MMS) and instant messaging (IM) on today's most popular platforms as well as social networking sites. Take your social life on-the-go with Facebook for BlackBerry and Flickr Photo Uploader for BlackBerry applications (pre-installed on the Storm). A Mobile IM feature provides access to Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo!, Windows Live, and AIM instant messaging services. Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server. The media player can play movies smoothly in full-screen mode, display pictures and slideshows quickly and manage an entire music collection (compatible with MP3, WMA, and AAC/AAC+/eAAC+ formats). Playlists can be created directly on the handset and there's an equalizer with 11 preset filters--including Lounge, Jazz and Hip Hop--for customized audio ranges when using wired headphones or external speakers. The Storm has 1 GB of internal memory--enough to store 250 tunes--which can be expanded via optional MicroSD/SDHD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size).  | Other features include: - 3.2 megapixel camera with variable zoom, auto focus and a powerful flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video
- Built-in GPS supports location-based applications and services, as well as geotagging of photos
- An ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts backlighting for ideal screen viewing and an accelerometer that allows customers to view applications in either portrait or landscape mode by simply rotating the handset
- Visual voicemail allows you to browse your in-box and choose the messages to listen to with just a few clicks.
- Record and send verbal reminders to yourself and others with the easy-to-use Voice Notes feature, which allows you to recored, pause, and resume your voice notes in the push of a button.
- Enhanced noise cancellation to offset background noise
- Low-distortion speakerphone
- 3.5 mm stereo headset jack
- Polyphonic and MP3 real-music ringtones
- MicroUSB connector for charging and data transfer
- Removable battery
- Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), PBA (transfer contacts)
Vital Statistics
The BlackBerry Storm weighs 5.5 ounces and measures 4.43 x 2.45 x 0.55 inches. Its 1400 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6 hours of talk time, and up to 15 days of standby time. It runs on Verizon Wireless's 800/1900 CDMA/EV-DO frequencies while in the United States, and it can connect to 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks as well as 2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 3G frequencies when outside the U.S.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 180
 Storm? More like Katrina. November 19, 2009
T. Moss (Berea, OH United States)
I saw the commercials for the Storm2 and decided I had to have this phone (yep I'm a sucker for cool effects). So I called Verizon and asked about it. The Tele-Sales rep said to me why not just get the original storm, it now has the same OS but the only real difference is that the original storm doesn't have wi-fi. I don't use wi-fi anyhow so the deal sounded good as the phone was only 49.95 with a 2 year contract. I got the phone and couldn't have been more disappointed. The click keyboard is a hassle to use. It shouldn't take me 30 seconds to dial a number. Most of the apps cost extra money per month. The web browser didn't even work. The media player is fair and I have to say the phone is LOUD! When the phone goes from normal to landscape it takes too long. Loading music is a chore, the software convoluted and it just plain bad design. It should not take me 3 weeks to learn how to use a phone. I have had it under 30 days so I am turning it in and probably getting a Motorola Droid A855 Phone (Verizon Wireless) or Samsung Rogue SCH-U960 Phone, Black (Verizon Wireless). Stay away from this piece of junk.
 I like it better than -roid! November 16, 2009
Hummingbirds (USA)
I've had my Storm for a year now, and have been debating whether to upgrade to the new Storm2 or the Motorola Droid. I had the opportunity to play with both phones, and I can confidently say that the Storm is the true winner! I like the fact that you can touch the screen but need to actually "click" down on the screen to open an app --whereas on the droid it opened whatever my fingers accidentally touched, and had stuff opening all over the place just from handling the phone! The touch keypad is much more accurate (and I had less mistakes) on the Storm than on the droid. I also like that the Storm, now a year after its release, has become MUCH more stable due to consistent operating system upgrades. The new OS is much faster and more reliable. The camera and video camera work great, I have 16GB of photos & songs on the media card - which play as good as (if not better than) an ipod, there are TONS of apps and games, and the Bluetooth sync'd to my car is awesome! I also like how everything is organized much better, and easier to find (in logical places and menus)- which I could not find in the droid. I also use my Storm as an MP3 player and a radio when outside thanks to the Slacker Radio app and my Bluetooth headphone! Apps that I have installed on my Storm are: a GPS app that is very cool and works w/ the Blackberry Maps; a Level app that turns the Storm into a level tool; a Flashlight app to use the phone as a flashlight; a task reminder app; Bartender app; Photo paint app; a Travel/Pedometer app; Weather app; Unit convert app; YouTube, and of course Facebook. In playing with the new Storm2, the only thing I can say is it is a little bit faster, has more app memory than the Storm1, and has wi-fi. I believe that the Storm2 with wi-fi will really speed up the browser. I think I will be upgrading to the new Storm2 rather than the flakey droid that I had the opportunity to play with. If you want the best, go with the Storm!!!
VERIZON SUPPORTS THE RADICAL RIGHT November 8, 2009
trastevere (rome, italy)
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
VERIZON IS A KEY CORPORATE SUPPORTER OF EXTREME RIGHT WING PAC 'FREEDOMWORKS,' BACKERS OF OF THE RADICAL RIGHT WING TEA PARTIES. IF YOU BUY THIS PRODUCT YOU ARE GIVING FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO THE ALLIES OF GLENN BECK, RUSH LIMBAUGH, AND SARAH PALIN.
BOYCOTT VERIZON!
 Worst phone I've ever owned October 30, 2009
briw (New York, NY)
I would give it 0.5 stars if allowed. I've gone through 3 of these Storms already because it stops working so often (usually the buttons). But beyond that, the software and touch screen are terrible. RIM rushed this half-baked junkpiece out for show. They wanted a "touchscreen smartphone" on the market so the business briefs would say that and investors would think "OK, they're competing with Apple." But scratch the surface and there's nothing substantial to this product at all.
The Storm truly is the worst, most frustrating, and least trustworthy phone I've ever owned.
At times it's worth less than the cheap plastic it's made of. I've wanted to break it in half, stomp the living daylights out of it, and toss it in the deepest hole I could find.
OK now that I've vented, let me give you some details.
You know how you want a device that just works? Well this one just doesn't work. Its menus are confusing, redundant, and annoying. It has to pause and think about requests. It sometimes pauses for no reason at all, preventing you from making a call or sending a text or what have you.
Another problem: select a contact that has multiple phone numbers. Press the phone button to make a call, right? Seems straightforward. Not for the Storm. Instead of then asking WHICH of the multiple phone numbers you want to call, it dumbly goes to the plain phone app and gives you no phone number options at all (short of typing the number in yourself)!
The keyboard is OK, but just OK. Nothing great, and sometimes frustrating because you can't actually see what key your (OK, my) chubby finger is depressing. Thus many typos.
It also pauses while your typing, too, so you can't enter text smoothly.
The camera is atrociously slow, grainy, and dark. I infrequently get a decent picture that I'd like to save or share to my desktop, but too bad the interface software doesn't work (see below). So I end up emailing pics to myself. Not elegant.
The interface is kludgy, non-intuitive, and again slow. ARGH!
The software for linking to your computer is utterly worthless. Not only does it not work (slow, crashes, freezes 90% of the time), it is again nonintuitive and of near-zero utility. The software engineers should be ashamed of themselves for letting this get out of the gate.
If I weren't locked into a long term contract, I would have dumped this device in favor of another BlackBerry (NOT the Storm 2, mind) or the iPhone. Heck I might do that just to save myself from going postal with this thing. Save yourself the heartache and look elsewhere, folks.
 Spectacular Phone -- Woefully Inadequate User Documentation October 22, 2009
J. Bellin (Salem MA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the best, most useful phone I have ever encountered overall.
First of all, while I always prefer a phone with a real, rather than virtual QWERTY keyboard, the click-touch interface at least gives a tactile response to the user. This interface also helps distinguish between merely selecting (highlighting) something and commanding an execution. One of the great things about this interface is that it uses the type of contact used in the IPhone, where the device recognizes you with a mere laying of your finger onto the screen. Having previously used a Voyager which requires a physical push of the screen to recognize anything, this electrical type of interface is much easier. Unlike the push touchscreens which have a hard time discerning between merely selecting and executing a command, the fact that Research in Motion added a clickable aspect to the screen makes entering commands easier and more clear. By the way, even the IPhone can have that problem as it has to recognize a mere placement or swipe of the screen (highlighting) and a tap (executing a command). There are those who feel that the clickable screen slows down texting. Yes, that will be true compared to a real QWERTY or the IPhone's keyboards, but less mistakes will be made on this virtual keyboard. When selecting a link on a web page, for instance, you merely slide your finger over the screen until you get to the link you wish to click on, then push down with a click and you're where you want to go.
Speaking of the browser, it's quite quick (The new IPhone also has a WiFi option, which IS really quick, and that's what you're using when you're in an Apple store.). On top of that, there's something pretty great with the Storm I have not seen on other phones (just to say that I may not be aware of any, not that there aren't). You can set the internet browser to appear to the web page you land on as either a Blackberry mobile device or appear to the page as either a Firefox or Internet Explorer browser. Why is this important? Some sights work better with Internet Explorer or Firefox browsers. Sometimes, you don't want to get the webpage's mobile site. For example, The Boston Globe's mobile website,[...], is very limited. When I go there, I usually switch from the Blackberry mobile browser to either Firefox or Internet Explorer where I can get the full website. This phone has no problem with most full websites. I have encountered sites where you need to put in a user name and password and find that the full browser works better.
This phone has an accelerometer. I'm not sure HOW they work, but, like the IPhone, it automatically changes its orientation depending on how you hold it. If you hold it vertically, it gives you a vertical orientation, etc.
There are so many features built into the phone, including a GPS, which will map any area and provide directions, but no voice help. For that, you can use the Verizon VZNavigator, but that's an extra charge. The media player can play many types of music files including straight .wav files (which is the file type used on CDs, so you get the same quality sound you get from your CDs.). Most players can only play the very compressed .mp3 files. You don't even need special software to download files from your computer (though the Blackberry comes with a few programs to help you do this). Simply connect the Blackberry to your computer, then drop and drag the files you want from your computer to the Blackberry drive using Windows Explorer.
The phone can multi-task. There is a task manager, which allows you to switch between open applications without closing them.
The screen itself is pretty spectacular and the phone comes with a preview to a film just to show you how much it's capable of. While most downloaded files are not of great quality, I have streamed .mp4s and they show up quite sharp.
The built in 3.2mp camera is sharp, but not spectacular. It's color correction is not adjusted as well as it could be, but overall it ain't bad. There is a built-in flash.
There are lots and lots of applications now available for the Storm, and they take advantage of the power and screen quality of the device, including a dedicated YouTube interface. There is a Prodigy for Blackberry. This was really Blackberry's attempts at rivaling the IPhone for sure. Someone said to me that this is an IPhone for business people.
Here's the downside to the phone and it's why I haven't given it 5 stars. The documentation for users stinks. A lot of this capability I only found through trial and error or talking with either Verizon's own Blackberry service (they have a separate group that handles Blackberry only) and Blackberry's own people. Comparing Verizon's literature that came with the Voyager and other phones I have used which talked about the littlest minutiae, Blackberry's documentation leaves a lot to be desired. Thank goodness I'm pretty intuitive in this area and I know to poke around. Still, there are things I would have liked to know from the documentation that are fairly basic.
I'll cite just a few examples:
You like that one can drop and drag files directly into the Blackberry Storm by using Windows Explorer? Nothing in the documentation on that. I found discovered this while talking to one of the RIM guys up in Canada.
Want to customize your screen to eliminate icons of programs you won't use? Or how 'bout how to customize the "desktop" of your phone? Well, there's nothing in the documentation -- not in the booklet accompanying the phone, nor on the accompanying the CD, nor online. I went to the Blackberry website and did a search from the front page. I put in "icon" into the search. The only thing that came up were pages on how to create your own icons. Again, a tech was able to explain how to do this.
Third example: When using the camera, there are several icons or numbers across the lower camera screen. Some of them are obvious, some are curious and one, as it turns out, isn't used (the designers intially put it in and then opted not to use it, though it wasn't removed entirely). There is NO explanation in the documentation as to what each of the icons or numbers represent. Contrast this to the Voyager's documentation which explains each and every button and visual. No stone unturned in that documentation. Yes, the flash can be turned on automatic mode, off mode or forced mode, but is there anything that mentions this? No.
4th example: That wonderful feature allowing you to switch browser-type I mention above? I only learned about this by talking to one of the techs when I was having trouble working on a website. Again, there is nothing in the accompanying documentation about this.
So, there is a myriad of ways to customize the phone in terms of its functionality (not so much visually). Most of these are found by using the Blackberry's menu button. Unfortunately, some things you want to alter may need to be altered while in the application and others from the home screen. You'll have to learn which are which strictly through trial and error.
Contrast this to the IPhone. Apple has mastered user intuitiveness. The IPhone's interface is so obvious, at least to me. I hardly needed to know the phone to know how to use it and how to get where I wanted to go. The IPhone does have an open platform so many designers are coming up with apps for it. The interface is quite elegant. The home screen is simple and then drilling down is intuitive.
But I can download files of all types and attach them in emails using the Blackberry. An Apple rep told me that someone is working on a application which will allow downloading of files and attachment to emails. When that happens, I'll consider it. And while Blackberry's monthly fee is higher than Verizon's, it comes with unlimited data AND video and picture messaging, and I believe, the fee is less than AT&Ts monthly fee.
Bottom line here -- the Storm is INCREDIBLY capable. The user interface just isn't as elegant or intuitive for the non-computer type users. If you can be patient, and will to make a few phone calls to the techs (Clearly, they value Blackberry users business, as you get right through, no waits and all from US call centers.), once you have learned the quirks (the learning curve on this is much higher than on the IPhone), it's a wonderful and very useful phone. The up and coming Storm 2 will apparently include WiFi (useful), but may not have the click screen (I, personally, would miss this feature, but I understand it can slow down the person who is a fast text message wiz.).
I'm curious about the new Droid phone Verizon is touting. I stick with Verizon. Everyone I know who has tried AT&T has not been the happiest with the quality of the reception they get when in the US.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 180
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