Lines out door, around corner for BlackBerry Storm
The day has come, the time is near, and RIM's BlackBerry Storm has arrived in a store near you. So what kind of reception are we looking at here -- a mile-long frenzy like that for the Apple iPhone 3G, or the collective sigh for the T-Mobile G1?
Somewhere in the middle, it seems.
I took a stroll around a couple of New York's hot spots to see what kind of turnout the first touchscreen BlackBerry would receive at local Verizon Wireless stores.
Here's what I saw:
First Stop: Upper East Side, 73rd St. and 3rd Ave.
This neighborhood is known for being home to New York's blue-blood establishment, but that didn't stop the nation's second-richest ZIP code from standing politely in line for the Storm at 10:30 a.m.
First Stop: Upper East Side, 73rd St. and 3rd Ave.
The line was moving at a pretty good clip, but it kept its length pretty consistent.
First Stop: Upper East Side, 73rd St. and 3rd Ave.
Sure is a cold day to stand outside in New York. Today's forecast? High of 36, with a 30% chance of snow flurries.
First Stop: Upper East Side, 73rd St. and 3rd Ave.
This store did a pretty good job of promoting the Storm, with a big poster facing the avenue.
Second Stop: East Village, 14th St. and 2nd Ave.
This store was pretty barren, but it didn't look like it was in on the Storm promotion.
Third Stop: Union Square, 17th St. and Broadway
Union Square sits atop several subway lines, so I expected to see a line out the door at this location. I was clearly correct in this assumption.
Third Stop: Union Square, 17th St. and Broadway
Any Verizon store with red and white balloons was a dead ringer for a Storm center. (No pun intended.)
Third Stop: Union Square, 17th St. and Broadway
People could be overheard discussing how they were waiting in line to get in the store...and wait in a different line.
Third Stop: Union Square, 17th St. and Broadway
By noon, this line was fairly sizeable. Perhaps a few customers wanted soup, sandwich and Storm?