After reading all I could, I got cold feet the night before Verizon rolled out the Storm 2. I'm on vacation and found a Verizon Store to try out the new model. All I can say is that the Storm 2 exceeds my wildest wants in a smart phone. No time was necessary to get used to the new screen, the camera is very fast, Wi Fi is fantastic, speaker is upgraded and fit and finish is awsome. I have always liked BlackBerry's and looked at the I-Phone. In the end all other phones were not BlackBerry's.

You plan on spending the rest of your vacation playing with it

Sounds great, How's the voice quality? Can you hear people well? I had to return my 9630 for that.

Absolutely....But not really.

Works fine.

One last thought, if you are upgrading from the original Storm, no learning curve.

I upgraded my software on my Storm 1 to 5.0 There is definitely a learning curve but not a large one.

I stopped by a Verizon store yesterday to take a gander at the Storm 2. The rep said they'd already sold 25 or 30 of them (it was noon, they opened at 10:00), but they didn't have a working demo unit on the floor. They were still waiting to "get permission" to put one out. WTF? They had the sign up in the window, they had the display card on the wall of phones, but they had the Storm 1 in the place where the Storm 2 should have been.

I also bought the Storm 2. I am coming from a Tour. I have a learning curve on the keyboard but I'm getting there. I have to say I really like this phone. I tried the Storm 1 and wasn't into it. But this phone I really like. I think RIM has nailed it. I actually like that you have to press the screen for the keys. I can't tell you how often I turn a page by mistake on my Kindle. And I too had an iPhone. Same thing. You have to be careful with them. This is like a regular phone except it's not. I think it's genius.

I sure wish Sprint would pick up the Storm 2. For whatever reason they show no interest in the Storm 2.

Accurate post.
On another point, I had to demo a new unit as the store did not have a display unit.

Day 1 received error msg when plugged into the USB, Day 2 tried to get contacts switched at two different stores and the 2nd one found my micro USB port has a short of some sort, since it works to charge but not to sync #'s. Customer service at the 800 # verified and a new Storm 2 should be here Monday.

First smart phone or BB so there a learning curve, but I'm sure everything will work out.

The nearby store said they hadn't really sold to many of the Storm 2's.

I typed on one the other day at a store that had a working unit. Types better/easier than I remember the Storm 1 that I passed on. Here's my question to the new owners: how's the browser for you? And how easy is it to highlight stuff accurately with the cursor on a page? I had trouble with that on S1. I've read all about this phone and my wife is interested in it. How are the pix looking (she's big into pix)? Thanks, I know I can count on people in this forum. the other forum is way full of either fanboys or kids that just wanna post.

It has worked great for me. I switched over from the Bold, and won't be switching back.

The browser works very similar to the Storm 1 running on OS 5.328, easy to highlight text accurately. Picture taking is quicker by a large amount on the Storm 2. As far as the selling rate, the store I tested a unit only had 6 left at 10AM. I could not find out how many they started with.

On E-Bay bids on Storm 2 are in the $500-$600 range. What Verizon Store?

Canton, Michigan with a Ford Rd address, 48187.

I you are in the military or have some kind of discount due to where you work then call VZW and ask them if you can get the VIP discount.

I currently have a storm and am thinking about getting a strom 2, is it that much better or is it a have to see for yourself type thing.

I ran into someone yesterday whom owns a Storm 1 and really hates it. He saw my Storm 2 and asked if it was a one or a two. I replied, "It's a two." He asked me if I liked it and told me he really disliked his S1. I am somewhat familiar with the s1 screen and why many dislike it. So I opened up memo and handed him my phone to type on. He tilted landscape and started typing away. Between the first few keystrokes and the end of the sentence this guy was smiling. Very pleased I could tell, he just said, "they fixed it." and handed it back.

I think many S1 owners bought the phone with a certain expectation that was never realized. I think S2 will fulfill that expectation and more. I came from the Tour and I like the keyboard so much on the S2 I doubt I ever go back to physical keys. This SurePress or SureWhatever it is called is fantastic. But only because of what RIM changed. By going to 4 sensors on all corners rather than a single in the center. There is very little learning curve. It's responsive. It's easy. It works.

I think you should try it.

Most people that post and favor S2 like it better because of the typing thing. And typing is what most touchscreen users complain about right away, the iPhone included. Sounds to me like BB built a better mousetrap this time. Typing is a big feature of smartphones. The OS is the other big one.

They've solved the biggest annoyance with typing on the Storm 1 namely that most BlackBerry users are used to not completely removing their finger before pressing the next key. On the Storm 1, this was annoying because it would just skip your click but with proper multi-touch on the Storm 2 typing works the way typing on a BlackBerry should.

OK, I have always been leary about the Storm because I thought it was a poor attempt at trying to get close to the iPhone. Once I got over that its NOT and iPhone, that it was a BB, I took the plunge and ordered one. It got here yesterday. I love it. Its responsive, it actually has some memory for apps, its sleek, it looks cool, and it performs. I'm still testing it, but I think this is a definate keeper and I'm sorry all those that bought the first gen, may be stuck with an inferior model. But, I always say, never buy the first generation of anything. Stay tuned...

I think that is the mistake most people make. They try to compare it to that abomination known as the iPhone. You can't do that, otherwise you will never get any where. Every device is different and each device has strenghts and weaknesses. I got a Storm2 (my first Storm experience) and I love it. I do not know what the whole learning curve thing is, because I immediately knew what I was doing. I have never touched one before, not even in the VZW store. I guess I'm just a genius, or ascended or something. Any who. I love it!

You just can't go around comparing phones like that and you can't go by reviews either. You need to make your own determination.