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The BlackBerry Storm touches down Video

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The BlackBerry Storm touches down
Created: 11/21/2008
Video description: The BlackBerry Storm has been one of the most hotly anticipated cell phones of the year. On Friday, November 21, it hit store shelves for $200 with a two-year service agreement through Verizon. But the question is, does it live up to the hype? CNET Reporter Kara Tsuboi finds out.

The BlackBerry Storm touches down Video Transcript

[ Music ] ^M00:00:02

>> The Blackberry Storm is one-of-a-kind. It's the first smart phone with a touch-screen that feels like you're pushing real buttons when you type.

>> Part of the reason they did that is to kind of differentiate themselves from the competition. But also one of the complaints about touch-screen smart phones is you don't have that feeling of pressing down a button. So I think they kind of wanted to give that feeling with the sure press technology.

>> I've had a few issues with it. So far the actual click screen seems really cool, and pretty intuitive.

>> But the question is will the traditional Blackberry user, the business men and women, make the switch.

>> They'll find it very difficult to really compose e-mails easily. Probably go back to their old one, their traditional Blackberry.

>> But that wasn't necessarily what we found on the streets of San Francisco.

>> [Inaudible] see it on TV, it looks pretty cool. And I like the user interface and the fact that it's more Apple-like.

>> I just like the type screen. I think it's fast and fun. The one thing that would be harder would be for working.

>> This phone made by Research and Motion has also been touted as the iPhone killer. Let's not forget, though, that those Apple fans, pretty darn loyal.

>> It's really kind of slow, and also the web browsing is not as good as the iPhone.

>> There's a little bit of a learning curve. It's not as easy to use as the iPhone, right out of the box.

>> Blackberries are always so business-oriented and iPhones are just, more, gadgety, fun. They just seem to be targeted towards two different kinds of people.

>> The Apple owns interface. They just make the best interface around for whatever the device is.

>> Verizon did not take preorders for the Storm, so despite mixed reviews, several Verizon stores across the country have reportedly sold out of it. In San Francisco, I'm Carla DuBois [Assumed spelling], cnet.com. ^M00:01:40 [ Music ]

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