After owning a basic Samsung phone for about six years, my mother finally wanted to get a new phone “with a Bluetooth”. Â But she also wanted to check her email. Â As you all well know, I’m a fan of Apple products, and suggested that she switch to AT&T to grab iPhones. Â After all, it’s one of the easiest phones to use, and does everything she wants out of a phone, without being complex.
Well, Dad didn’t want to switch from Verizon. Â So she asked for a Blackberry Storm, the antithesis to the iPhone. Â With a “clickable touchscreen”, the Storm was touted to be an iPhone killer from the get-go. Â Unfortunately, either due to patent issues, poor hardware or software engineering, or sheer arrogance, the Blackberry Storm is actually not a very good phone. Â Yes, it works for what it does–but it doesn’t work well. Â Transitions aren’t smooth, fast, or consistent. Â The keyboard clicking is actually a hinderance, and tracking isn’t precise. Â I actually became frustrated while using it, not because of its inherent complexity, but because it kept clicking in the wrong spot.
Anyway, my mother has been calling me almost constantly while trying to figure out how to use the phone. Â ”How do I silence it? Â What’s a profile? Why does the screen go dark after 30 seconds? How do I write and email? How do I send it? Â How do I know it sent? Â How do I change my ringer? Â Can I go online? Â I don’t understand this keyboard!”
Please, people, don’t buy something you’re not going to understand. Â It makes OTHER peoples’ lives more difficult.
