BlackBerry Storm: Stephen Fry was right

Confirmation in WSJ.com, that the BlackBerry Storm wasn’t ready for prime-time when it was launched.

Verizon and RIM, determined to release the Storm in time for the holidays, rushed the device to market despite glitches in the stability of the phone’s operating system, according to people close to the launch.

RIM co-Chief Executive Jim Balsillie said the companies made the crucial Black Friday deadline “by the skin of their teeth”, after missing a planned October debut. Mr. Balsillie said such scrambles — and the subsequent software glitches that need to be fixed — are part of the “new reality” of making complex cellphones in large volumes.

I like that bit about the “new reality” of releasing products you know aren’t working properly.