BlackBerry Storm Doesn't Blow Away Reviewers - Page 2

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Pogue also criticized RIM for not taking further advantage of the possibilities offered by an onscreen keyboard. For instance, he noted that there's no ability to switch languages within a sentence or an automatic insertion of quick text items like ".com" when entering a Web URL.

"Incredibly, the Storm even muffs simple navigation tasks," Pogue wrote, explaining that commands on menus are too close for easy navigation, which leads users to clicking on wrong items.

"Trying to navigate this thing isn’t just an exercise in frustration — it’s a marathon of frustration," he said, adding that he "hasn't found a soul who tried this machine who wasn’t appalled, baffled or both."

And that's just Pogue's diatribe on the combined keyboard and touchscreen. The fact that the Storm doesn't provide Wi-Fi connectivity, though RIM's wholly consumer-oriented BlackBerry Bold does, is baffling to Pogue and other critics, as well.

RIM and Verizon Wireless did not respond by press time to inquiries on why the device does not have Wi-Fi -- a feature also offered in the iPhone, the Android-powered T-Mobile G1 and an increasing number of competing mobile phones.

It's Mossberg who appears most disappointed about the missing feature, calling it a "glaring deficit."

"This means that, unlike on the Bold, the iPhone or the Google G1, if high-speed data service is absent or pokey, you can't fall back on speedy Wi-Fi connections in public places," he noted.

Others were less unhappy about the decision to exclude Wi-Fi connectivity.

"Although the phone omits Wi-Fi, as long as you stay inside decent Verizon coverage areas, you won't feel that sting too badly," Engadget's Topolsky wrote.

The Times' Pogue claimed that testers he talked to were appalled and confused about the smartphone, even before discovering Wi-Fi was not available.

"It can’t get onto the Internet using wireless hot spots, like the iPhone or other BlackBerrys," he wrote, noting that while Verizon's 3G network is in 258 American cities, "that's still a far cry from everywhere."

But not all of Pogue's take on the Storm was negative. He was pleased with the device's copy-and-paste capability, programmable side buttons and voice dialing features.

He also said he liked the expandable storage -- the unit offers a microSD slot for expansion and comes with an 8 gigabyte memory card, in addition to 1GB of onboard memory -- the Storm's Web browser, its GPS capabilities and the iPhone-like visual voicemail feature, which costs an extra $3 a month.

That's still not enough to salvage the device for him, however.

"When you look at your typing, and you repair the dents you've made banging your head against the wall, you'll be grateful that Verizon offers a 30-day return period," he wrote.