Hey Chad, I just bought the Storm and really love it. I’m a first-time BB user so I don’t have the it’s-different-from-my-old-BlackBerry-and-therefore-evil woes of others. I wanted a phone that could handle my email, replace my MP3 player in my car, and eventually use Slacker Radio. Texting on the interface took a little getting used to, but if you’re willing to adapt you won’t have any problems.

I’ve been back and forth on the whole phone issue for a couple months now. My “New Every Two” was up Dec 24, and I’ve been doing my best to research my options. For a while, it was looking like the LG Dare was the way to go. With a 3.2 megapixel camera (ridiculous) and full html internet (my deal breaker this time around), i was sold on the Dare as soon as I looked into it. I still remember that day, because moments later, a teaser commercial came on my television, hinting at a new touch screen Blackberry cell phone called the Storm. I was enticed. I looked into it, and it seemed pretty legit. My only concern was the price. When I saw it was only going to be $199, so as to compete with the iPhone, my dedication to the Dare was put into question.

I messed around with the Dare at a store shortly thereafter and was not too impressed. It seemed flimsy, and one of its talking points, the “top friends” screen — where you can drag your scattered friends’ pictures to the “message” or “call” icon and skip a few steps — seemed pretty tacky (the friends’ pictures are unnecessarily tilted in random directions and do not lock into any sort of position on the screen). Furthermore, the applications page mimicked this layout, which irked any ounce of OCD that may have been subliminally hidden in my subconscious. My anticipation for the Storm grew, and I patiently awaited its release.

Upon the release of the Storm, I rushed to my nearest Verizon Wireless store and tried it out. It must have been broken, or someone must have messed with the calibration, because the cursor was in no way following the movements of my finger. The “clicking button” feature they’re pushing as the major selling point seemed overzealous (the whole touch panel pushes down), and possibly worst of all, the scrolling on the browser goes opposite the iPhone, which I feel has set the standard — rather than taking the area you’re touching and throwing it the direction you move your finger, it acts as though your finger is the scroll bar. My interest in the Storm had officially dwindled.

Finally, I was out to eat with my friend Quinn the other week, who coincidentally had settled on the Dare. I got a chance to try it out and was pleasantly surprised. It was much better than my first impression had led me to believe. First of all, the friends page isn’t as bad as I remembered. To be honest, it’s not a bad concept (the dragging and dropping). Plus, you have the option of avoiding it anyway (just use the contacts page as you would with any other phone). Also, if you invert the phone’s display colors so that black is primary (which would be my aesthetic preference, anyway) it causes the icons on the applications page to be set evenly, rather than strewn about.

Yes. This is how I rate my phones. Basically, the two are very similar. Both have HTML internet, 3.2mp cameras, etc. Blackberries are more for the business folk, as far as I can tell. Made to give you constant access to internet and email, etc. When I was searching for a phone last time around, mp3 players were all the rage, and as much as I liked the look of the Chocolate, I avoided it because I felt that a large portion of what I’d be paying would be going toward a feature I’d never use (my phone is always on vibrate, and I have an iPod). Likewise, the strengths of the Blackberry are over my head.

Thus, my decision has seemingly become clear. I believe that when all is said and done, I’ll be purchasing the LG Dare this time around.