Leaked Storm firmware fixes lag, battery woes

A leak from BGR on Monday reveals that Research in Motion is already close to releasing a firmware patch for the BlackBerry Storm that will address the numerous software flaws affecting the launch edition phone. The 4.7.0.76 update dramatically improves the response time for tasks such as rotating to landscape mode, browsing photos or playing music, all of which have suffered from delays as long as several seconds for certain tasks.

The touchscreen BlackBerry is also lasting about 25 percent longer on battery than when it uses the original firmware, and is said to be crashing less.

Testing shows the software isn't yet ready for release; new problems have been introduced with the camera interface and the back button, according to hands-on experience.

When the 76 update or a later build will be made available is unknown, though the company is believed in a rush to mend problems with the Storm, whose bugs have attracted criticism from early reviewers as hurting the phone's experience. RIM is known to have been pressed to ship the phone in time for the holidays at Verizon and Vodafone and soften the impact of the iPhone on Verizon's sales.

Filed under: gadgets, mobile phones
Other story tags: BlackBerry, Verizon, Research in Motion, Vodafone, Storm