DavidGervino.com

Blackberry Storm

This is certainly not the first phone to disappoint me (See previous post regareding the iPhone), and it probably won't be the last.  Nevertheless, I am sad to say that I will not be getting the Blackberry Storm.  

I spent a considerable amount of time at the Verizon Store trying out the new phone and I just wasn't impressed.  The browser and pretty much everything on the phone ran much slower than on my  Blackberry Pearl.  I'm sure there will eventually be a software upgrade that will iron that out, but that wasn't the only thing I didn't like.

I type fairly fast.  The phone could not keep up with me.  This wasn't a software issue -- it was a mechanical issue.  The screen pushes in each time you type a letter. I found this to slow me down a lot beacuse I had to pause and wait for the screen everytime I typed a letter.  The pause was only a fraction of a second but it was definitely slowing me down.  So alas, I am stuck with my Pearl and I will wait to see if Verizon gets the Blackberry Bold or Blackberry Javelin

Nothing says "upscale hotel" like bullet proof glass surrounding the front desk....

 

The first review on the travel website said something to the effect of "Don't let the fresh coat of paint on the outside fool you...." I guess that should have been a clue. Then I arrived and saw that that there was a thick pane of bulletproof glass separating the small lobby area from the front desk.  Another clue.  I asked the front desk clerk whether or not my room would have an iron and ironing board in it.  He told me that it didn't but that I could check them out from him and carry it to my room -- which I could only get to by walking outside and walking around to the back of the building, in the 30 degree weather.   It kind of reminded me of when I first moved to Chicago and didn't have a car.  I went to Kmart and purchased a full-size ironing board and then I got to take it back home with me on the bus, in the middle of rush hour.... I've been in Philadelphia for less than 24 hours and I've already had all this excitement.  I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip goes....

Slydial

Slydial is a pretty cool thing.  It is a free service that enables you to leave a voicemail message on somebody's cell phone, without their phone ever ringing.  Here are a few instances in which you may want to take advantage of a service like this (As taken from the slydial.com website):

Appease your family
Your Aunt June sent you a sweater for your birthday. You need to call her to thank her but you don't want to listen to her go on and on about her recent hip replacement. Instead just leave her an appreciative voicemail that she can share with her bridge club.

Buy yourself some time
You go to a week long convention for work in Las Vegas and blow $5,000 the first night at the roulette table. You need to call your wife and tell her why she should hold off on making the monthly mortgage payment. Her voicemail will be much more understanding than she will.

Give your fingers a break
You need to get some pertinent, detailed information to someone quickly but you don't have time for the idle chit chat that would certainly follow if you called them. Typing it all out in a text message would just be agony! Instead just leave a quick voicemail and your fingers will thank you.

Maximize your time
You are working on a dozen different projects and have as many calls to return. Instead of being stuck on the phone with just one, leave each a voicemail with an update and you may just have enough time to enjoy Happy Hour.

Blackberry Storm

The Blackberry Storm is now on display in Verizon stores and it will be available for sale this Friday, November 21st! I'm excited to finally be able to get a phone that has the cool look of the iPhone, coupled with the functionality of a Blackberry.  I'll be sure to post a review next week, after I've had time to thoroughly test it out.