So, I am going to make the plunge and switch from the Blackberry Storm to the iphone 3G. I've owned the Blackberry Storm since mid-December and have learned over the last 4 months why the iphone is superior.
First of all, I have never had much problem with the Verizon-supported 4.7.75 software. I have also installed 4.7.114 v3 hybrid; no problems with that either. The phone is not "super fast" like the iphone, but I don't find it incredibly "laggy" like some have complained, either. Now, I have to qualify that: The memory management on the Blackberry Storm is horrible. Out of all of the memory on the device (1 gig internal flash and 8 gig micro-SD card) you only get 128 megs for ALL of the following: O/S, 3rd-party apps, e-mails, themes, etc. On top of that, the thing leaks memory over time... unless you reset the device at least once a day, it *will* start the run low on memory and begin to slow down.
Anyway, here is my list of why the Blackberry Storm is not as good as iphone 3G:
1. Memory management (see above) - only 128 megs for O/S, apps, e-mails, themes. This runs out quickly!
2. Blackberry App World - slow, takes up too much memory; the apps suck and are just simple things like "ring with vibe", etc. Not too many good apps, either. The ones that are good are also available for iphone.
3. The Storm interface *does* lag when the device is transmitting/receiving data.
4. The Blackberry browser sucks; javascript on it kills it - Opera Mini is good but they fail to put out a Storm-specific version... it doesn't load all of the images and zoom-in is limited. There is a 3rd-party "Bolt" browser, but they don't really seem to care about the Storm. Instead, it is more optimized for trackball (yuck!)
5. The Blackberry Storm O/S (4.7) is just old-clunky Blackberry O/S with some slapped-on touchscreen changes. Not innovative or optimized for touch-screens at all.
6. I can't view my HTML e-mails without them being all chopped-up strange.
I bought an ipod touch to test drive the waters and I am absolutely in love with it - I can't wait to switch to the iphone. I'll have to pay the Verizon ETF, but I think it is worth it. I am paying ~ $70.00 a month for a smartphone, at that price I want it to be the best. To be stuck with the Storm for another year and a half is just false economy. The ETF, though a pain, is money well spent.