Despite firmware update, Storm seen as business smartphone
Although the BlackBerry Storm needed a firmware upgrade just two weeks after going on sale, business users are still expected to warm up to the touch-screen handheld.
Despite the early problems, business users will still find value in the Storm, said Gartner Inc. analyst Ken Dulaney. Large businesses are already familiar with centralized BlackBerry security and management, Dulaney said, adding that various bugs will be worked out with the new device.
A firmware update was available to Storm customers last Friday, two weeks after the smart phone went on sale by Verizon Wireless Inc. Verizon and Research in Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry, provided no details on the number of downloads. Users had complained about several problems, including lagging performance, especially when switching the Storm from landscape to portrait views by using its internal accelerometer.
Since the Storm is sold exclusively by Verizon Wireless, Dulaney said a large company that already has a contract with Verizon will find the Storm a suitable alternative for users who want an Apple Inc. iPhone.
"It's a BlackBerry," Dulaney said. "RIM will fix it. And if you have to use Verizon, and people are pushing for an iPhone, then you have a choice" by recommending they use the Storm. By comparison, the touch screens on phones from LG and Samsung are "poor," Dulaney said.
Verizon officials had high expectations for enterprise sales of the Storm prior to its release. They noted the high penetration of BlackBerries among business users, the Storm's new touch screen and its capability for use in many countries around the globe.
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Micro USB for BlackBerry Storm
Although I like the Storm very much, I'm having a problem with the micro USB cable that came with it. When I try to switch data from my old BB to the Storm via the BlackBerry Desktop Manager, my Windows XP system doesn't recognize the micro USB, even though the phone itself accepts a charge from my PC. I've tried using the drivers provided by RIM and Verizon Wireless, but they still don't seem to help, and RIM's solutions center was not the best place to get answers from. Has anyone else out there run into the same problem and, more importantly, found a solution for it? Perhaps another source of micro USB drivers???