BlackBerry Storm Version 5.0 Upgrade – Get it Now, You Won’t Be Sorry!

If you’re a BlackBerry Storm owner, I’m confident you’ll be quite pleased with the new BlackBerry Storm 5.0.0.328 version upgrade.  The enhancements are plentiful and highly recommended by BlackBerry and RIM. Download the device software update by accessing http://phones.verizonwireless.com/blackberry/storm/ from your desktop, clicking Software Download, then Check for Updates and follow the prompts.

I just finished installing the BlackBerry Storm version 5.0 upgrade and here’s my initial thoughts…

The device is amazingly faster in all aspects! The touch technology and page-to-page navigation is sexy smooth and extremely accurate.  I hate comparing the Storm to the iPhone, but the quality of the improvements are quite comparable.  RIM even threw in a few new cool features, such as the new Word Completion, which displays horizontal tabs of the closest words as you type. It’s a clean new feature that’s properly placed and an overall brilliant addition.  I haven’t had the upgrade long enough to discover any bugs, but The Storm 5.0 feel like a brand new phone. I was going to transition to either the Storm 2 or Tour until I downloaded this software upgrade. Now I’m very satisfied and RIM has answered all my previous complaints with this upgrade. Here’s a few screen caps to see a few of the modifications.

Main Menu Screen

Internet Browser View

Media View

Here’s a summary of the improvements, courtesy of the Storm Software Upgrade Benefits referenced PDF:

Typing Improvements

• Faster & more accurate text input
• Added feature of word completion
• Virtual QWERTY keyboard in portrait view
• Enhanced sensitivity when editing, copying and pasting
• Ability to enable Auto Correction, rather than Word Completion in landscape view
• Send e-mails quickly by pressing the SEND button
• Save contacts and calendar changes quickly by hitting the SEND button
• Access webpages quickly by hitting the GO button

SMS Enhancements

• SMS modified to emulate chat windows in popular IM clients
• New MESSAGES LIST interface displays incoming and outgoing SMS messages as a conversation history
• Support for emoticons and contact information (including pictures) from your address book

Touch User Interface Improvements

• Flick your finger to look through contacts, photos

Media Enhancements

• Camera launches faster
• Image capture is quicker
• Applications launch faster
• Quicker rotation between Landscape and Portrait view
• Improved web browsing speeds

BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0 Upgrades

• Forward calendar appointments
• Flag messages for follow-up
• View attachments in meeting requests and calendar entries
• Manage mail folders – add, remove, rename and delete

The install took approximately an hour to finish, but it was definitely worth it! The 5.0 version upgrade puts the Storm back in the running for top smartphone. Have you upgraded your BlackBerry Storm to 5.0? What do you think about the enhancements? Is there anything RIM may have missed that you’d like to see in the next upgrade?