My Love-Hate Relationship with the BlackBerry Storm Touch Phone

I'm not ashamed to admit that I've had love-hate relationships with several inanimate objects over the years. From the needy 19-inch TV that I had back during the 80's (the one that would show a good, clear picture only if I held the antenna just right and wouldn't let go) to the demanding AM/FM radio that would only play my favorite songs if I positioned it on the far left side of my bedroom nightstand, I have managed to hook up with some of the most high maintenance electronics around. It was therefore quite liberating for me when the noncommittal era of wireless electronics emerged. Suddenly I could enjoy at least a few gadgets with no strings attached - no antennas, telephone cords or clunky cables to tie me down.

My Most Memorable Ex: The BlackBerry Curve Smartphone

The best relationship that I ever had (again, I'm limiting my focus to inanimate objects here) was with my BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphone. I took it for granted at the time, but as the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. My BlackBerry Curve and I had a basic understanding that our relationship was one of convenience - mine, of course! I delighted in taking full advantage of its many features, my favorite of which were the texting and e-mailing capabilities made effortless through the use of the phone's handy QWERTY keyboard. I literally couldn't keep my hands off this phone, as it allowed me full access any time I needed it. I vowed to be faithful and true, never suspecting that temptation would one day lure me toward a different model.

Enticed by the BlackBerry Storm Touch Phone

Unlike the tumultuous relationships that I have had with various other pieces of equipment, my BlackBerry Curve and I never had any real problems. In fact, those who knew us thought our relationship would last forever. Then along came the BlackBerry Storm. Introduced to this new touch phone by a family member, I tried not to focus on its many assets, including a larger, 3.25-inch screen, which was the first thing to catch my attention. Not only was the screen larger, but it was a "SurePress" touch screen that appeared far more sophisticated and intriguing than anything my BlackBerry Curve had to offer. Plus it had a high resolution, 480 x 360 pixel color display that seemed to turn quite a few heads.

Call me shallow, but over time I found myself fantasizing with increasing fervor over the many things that I could do with the BlackBerry Storm, from capturing the most amazing photos and videos with ease to reading and replying to e-mails and text messages without ever having to touch a bunch of tiny little keys. Eventually, I lost the passion for my BlackBerry Curve. The thrill was simply gone.

My New Beau...

As the saying goes, "when it rains, it pours," and when I dumped my BlackBerry Curve for the BlackBerry Storm, I came to understand just what that phrase means. It's been a couple of months since we first got together and my BlackBerry Storm already has an attitude.

My BlackBerry Storm freezes up on me at random times for no apparent reason. It is during these mind-boggling moments that I find myself having to turn the phone off, remove the battery, place the battery back in the phone and then turn the phone BACK on just to make sure that our relationship doesn't go completely down the tubes. I thought it was just my phone, but apparently there is an inherent problem in the phone's gene pool, as my husband hooked up with one of my BlackBerry Storm's family members (it's complicated - don't ask) and he is experiencing similar problems.

Another issue that I have with my BlackBerry Storm is that it is highly possessive and gets jealous sometimes when I try to type a text or e-mail message. Although the onscreen keyboard magically appears whenever I hit the "compose" button, my erratic "BB" - that's my pet name for it - decides to play mind games with me by displaying a key that is located above, below, to the left or right of the one that I am actually trying to type! That is particularly the case whenever I try to end a message with the words, I love you.

My BlackBerry Storm also doesn't like it when my phone calls to significant others last for longer than a few seconds. When this occurs, my BB will enter the "mute" mode, making it impossible for the person on the other end of the phone to hear anything that I am saying. At one point I took the blame, surmising that perhaps my cheeks were just too fat and would cut the mute button on whenever I had the phone pressed too hard against my face. Then however, I learned that other BlackBerry Storms behave in this manner as well.

Do We Really Have a Future?

At this time, I am just not certain that there is a real future for me and my BB. Admittedly, I have been "shopping around" for something better, even though I'm not ready to call it quits just yet. If my BlackBerry Storm could stop being so evil and just allow me the freedom to type whenever I want without any hassle, talk to whomever I please for as long as I so desire and stop throwing these temper tantrums, we just might have a future together...