Verizon Hopeful For BlackBerry Storm This Season
As wireless providers gear up for the holiday season, Verizon Wireless says it has high hopes for the new BlackBerry Storm against the ever-popular iPhone 3G, offered by rival AT&T Inc.
The company, which represents a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone Group Plc, has focused solely on Research in Motion’s touch-screen BlackBerry, rather than emphasizing different scales of phones for different users this holiday season.
"This is our big holiday season phone," said Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Brenda Raney, adding the Storm was a game changer and Verizon would do more marketing for it than any other phone in the fourth quarter.
Both phones have similar features and are in the $200 price range for customers who agree to a two-year service contract.
However, Storm hopes to distinguish itself from rival touch-screens with a feature that could win over people addicted to the keypads on other BlackBerry e-mail devices. Storm users have to press firmly until they feel a physical click more similar to the experience of typing on keypads.
And while iPhone users make a pinching motion with two fingers to reduce or enlarge a Web page, Storm users tap twice to zoom in or tap a magnifying glass icon to zoom out.
Verizon hopes to cash in on the idea that, RIM has already set up its security and e-mail systems to support the BlackBerry. Therefore, buying a Storm would be easier than trying to make systems compatible with the iPhone, which also supports corporate e-mail.
Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said Apple’s consumer fans would probably still go for the iPhone, but big corporations or consumers who are looking to move to Verizon’s network would likely favor Storm.
"Companies that insist on using BlackBerry will be thrilled with the Storm … Quite frankly it’s sexy — having a big touch screen with a BlackBerry," he said, adding that over half of new BlackBerry buyers are consumers these days.
Storm also features a navigation that worked well compared to T-Mobile’s G1, which uses Google’s Android operating system.
"One of the key problems with most smartphones is that half the time you’re trying to scroll down the page and the phone thinks you selected a link," said Greengart, noting that only the iPhone and Storm have solved that problem.
"Flick your finger down and half the time it scrolls correctly, half the time it thinks you’ve selected a link," he said, referring to Web surfing on LG’s Incite, carried by AT&T.
Experts don’t think the Storm will generate the same kind of buzz that Apple’s iPhone did when consumers waited for hours outside of Apple and AT&T stores to purchase the new device. However, Verizon users have enough demand for a good touch-screen phone.
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