The real story behind the Verizon BlackBerry Storm OS?
I want to preface this by saying that the following statements are my opinions and hypotheses, and have not be confirmed nor denied by any of sources of mine or official contacts at either corporation. It should serve as a nice little “conspiracy theory,” though. Here’s the deal:
- When we met with Verizon and RIM about the Storm, we asked about the software version. They confirmed it to be 4.7.0.65. We had heard otherwise, just like most of you, and didn’t understand why that OS version was so low when versions up to .90 were being talked about, and some demo units in stores showing .75 or higher.
- We believed this to be a non-final OS and was partly why we thought the OS would get better before release.
- We reported of a Storm shortage last night because of a last minute glitch.
- We think that 4.7.0.82, the version of the Storm box I got from Verizon directly was the cause of the glitch, and instead of a new version being flashed on Storms, what they were in fact doing was downgrading the OS to 4.7.0.65.
Now, why would we say that Verizon has downgraded these units? Do we know this for a fact? Absolutely not, and we said that above. None of this has been confirmed to us at all, but here’s the kicker… check on your Verizon BlackBerry Storm box where the product label is. It should say Version: 4.7.0.65, right? Well, after looking at a box from a Verizon store just now, I noticed a couple layers of stickers. I decided to peel those off, and what did I find? A product label underneath with version 4.7.0.82! So, they realized that there was possibly a huge security vulnerability they couldn’t fix in time, started flashing the units with the .65 software in order to not miss the release date, thus the cause of the shortages, the limited stock, and the direct fulfillment units not shipping until December the 5th. Go ahead, you know you want to peel back those product labels with yellow stickers! Let us know in the comments, ok? The pictures are after the break!
Sounds like they needed to get ahead of the Xmas shopping season and pushed it out.
Mine says v4.7.0.65 (Platform 4.00.82). Does anybody know what that means with it listing the two version numbers?
I checked the Versions at the Corporate Verizon Wireless store and the 2 demo units had Version 4.7.0.61 and 4.7.0.65. It will just be a matter of time before they get a stable version. Look how fast they got real-time and emails on the Blackberry Internet Service (BIS).
i am just glad i wasn’t the one saying up all night in the warehouse and downgrading the firmware. i bet those guys got some overtime
For those people familiar with product management vs. engineering struggles, this sounds very familiar. Some VP somewhere probably declared that this thing was going out before Thanksgiving week regardless. It speaks to the (formerly) spotless name of Blackberry hardware that people are throwing tantrums over some slowness in the OS. Have none of these people used Windows Mobile before?
Ordered mine in the store with NE2 pricing ($99, $106 after tax).
Anyone else’s storm crash at all today? Mine has crashed twice already.
I got mine today and am actually quite happy with it, and I’ve tried all the features. I also checked my box, no multiple stickers on mine, just one for .65
already switched back to my curve. hated this piece of crap.
I do not, have a second label, but I do have a yellow dot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dustinfinn/3048836591/
Not sure what that means, but I do wish I had the OS that the Sales Rep I saw on Thursday (11/20) had. I played with that phone for 90 seconds, and it was not like the phone I had waited inline for…
I purchased a Storm this morning, and as the Verizon Rep was setting everything up, I picked up the storm and noticed the accelerometer was not functioning properly. The Verizon rep told me that this is a fix they are working on… Red flags should have went up right then and there….
You’re dead on BG. I was under the impression that it was RIM that pulled in late to fix a security issue. The VZW tech at my local store was banging away at the store model and pulling in error codes and preparing for a two hour download to the device. Browser was missing, etc. Looks like we’re going to see a series of patches coming out for the next 6 months or so…
Well I personally LOVE my phone! I posted earlier today after I had played with the phone for about an hour. Sure I noticed a little glitch here and there, but nothing like what some of you guys are posting. In no way am i defending Verizon, but I have totally enjoyed my Storm. I also have an Iphone fyi. Um and just a note of REALITY I remember another great phone that launched a few months back with tons of problems, ummm why does this setback back make the storm a complete failure and Verizon the devil???? The GODLY iphone was crap when it launched, dropped calls, 3G basically useless and on and on. So where was all the hatred?… My Storm is acceptable and I look forward to the update to fix a few things, but ummm I have had the phone for 12 hours now and haven’t dropped a single call, the same can not be said for the first day I got my Iphone 3G! Lastly, I had to catch a short flight down to FLA this evening and the guy sitting next to me had a Iphone and he went crazy when he saw my Storm. I let him play with it for the hour long flight, when we landed he was grinning ear to ear and could not stop talking about his love for the phone and how he was on a mission to find one tomorrow and make the switch. Then of course I had to share the bad news of thats probably not going to happen do to shortage. But he was still going to try. The guy loved it. So before we get out of control here, remember there are many happy customers out there tonight, and I also agree there is a ton of pissed off customers, but I remember that same feeling back in mid-summer! My bad for the long post, but someone had to bring some sanity in here.
This is the exact reason ATT took so long to release the Bold. Look at how much bad PR Big Red is getting for trying to push the Storm out too fast. Should have built up stock and waited for more stable OS…then they would have been able to meet demand with a quality product. Oh well…when is the BGR iPhone app coming anyways?
i was in line for an hour then went inside store and played with storm! i walked out after using it! i rather use my old curve then switch. the storm was horrible, my fingers were exhausted from pushing the keys dow, its like 2 steps for each key, find letter and then try to push down. dont buy it, horrible
It is hilarious to see this banter. I wasn’t particularly hyped for the Storm release. I didn’t wait in line. I didn’t pre-order. I didn’t get my hopes up. I wasn’t disappointed. I got a rockin piece of hardware. It has its glitches, but I am quite confident that after an OS update or two, this thing will replace my Bold. I am surprised and pleased.
Picked my Storm up at Best Buy today. Had pre-ordered it earlier this month. They only received 3 phones and I was 2nd on the pre-order so I got the phone. Other than having to show the guy at Best Buy Mobile how to do his freakn’ job the activation went pretty smoothly. Even remembered they were offering a free bluetooth headset with instore purchase. It’s in last week’s misprinted Sunday add so if you got your Storm at Best Buy and didn’t get your free headset, head back tomorrow to pick it up.
Overall, I’m pleased so far. No OS issues, no freezes, no randomly launching applications. Movement between applications appears to be smooth although not as fast as using the trackball on my 8830. Although if you learn how to use the touch interface, it’s alot less frustrating. Acceler… is not that clean as it would switch between landscape and portrait with even the slightest of movements. I did see somewhere that you could turn it off in some applications but I can’t seem to find any info on it. Other than that, no major issues.
I’ve been doing side-by-side comparisons with my 8830 and I can see myself being able to transition from the full keypad to the touch screen. The sure type in portrait mode is actually easier to type on than the qwerty in landscape. You don’t have to be soft with it either and I was able to type pretty fast. Compare the touch pad to the clickable touch mouse pad on the new mac books. That’s the best comparison I can make.
Glad I got the phone. It’s an impressive unit. Definitely not as bad as some of the reviews and comments out there right now.
I picked one up today. I’m not sure what the hell everyone is talking about. Mine works great. I’ve had every blackberry dating back some years on both ATT and Big Red…Mine isn’t buggy at all. The screen rotates quite smoothly. Often times smoother than my iPhone 3G. The scrolling is much better than I anticipated from hearing the comments coming from some of the reviews. Yes, it doesn’t have inertia, but it’s smooth.
As for software updates…LOL…who cares if you get .65 or .8 or whatever…they will keep releasing updates anyway…and we’ll keep updating…I just downloaded 2.2 for my iPhone…it never ends…
At least I got mine and don’t have to whine about what could or is wrong with it just because I couldn’t get one today.
The Storm is right up there far as i’m concerned…
@ jc…So I am assuming you posted the same type of comments toward the OS when the iphone 3g launched? If you did then all good. Not trying to dis you in any way jc. But fair is fair…
No Second sticker under mine. It does sound plausable, though. I have noticed a few minor glitches, but nothing major. It did take me a couple hours to get used to the highlight & click. At first I wasn’t sure that I would be able to adjust to it, but once I got used to it, I can type almost as fast as a regular BB, and definately better than on the iphone (although I only used one for two days. Overall I really like it. It’s pretty much what I expected it would be. This will definately keep Verizon customers that like the iphone from leaving, well most of them anyway.
Got the Storm today. After reading this article, I checked the OS and seem to have the original 4.7.0.65, upgraded to 4.7.0.82. What I am trying to understand if there is a newer version about to come out?
It is true, the software has some glaring issues. But for a first release, this is a very very good phone.
Will there be a newer software platform? What issues will it address?
Would the OTA upgrades work in this situation at all…
If EVER?
Just checked VZW’s web site to see what device software they had for the 9530 and here’s what they have: 9530AMEA_PBr4_1.7.0_rel92_PL4.0.0.82_A4.7.0.65_Verizon_Wireless.exe
That’s the version that shipped on my phone.
Hope RIM follows Apple’s lead and gets a software update out in a couple of weeks.
The Storm has the ability to download and update the ROM over the air. When any updates are out there it should be very easy to update.
RE:: Dallas Boy
you show a lot of hatred towards fags… based on what you wrote… you based fags for no reason… its sad really, but i understand your situation… If my dad molested me like yours did to you… Id hate them too.
GROW UP you idiot.
Hmmm. Just peeled back my label and found…
a black box side. No previous label. The one and only label states OS version .65, which is what is loaded on my phone.