Reports of the Storm's problems may have been greatly exaggerated, says Simona Jankowski, an analyst with Goldman Sachs, in a research note.

"Our retail checks suggest that the Storm is Verizon’s best-selling smartphone, and the rate of returns is relatively low, contrary to recent market concerns and internet blogs."

Some Storm users say their initial negative reaction to the phone turned into a more positive experience after using the device for a few weeks.

The bad reviews for the Storm did make longtime BlackBerry user Evan Bartlett nervous initially, he says. Bartlett, who is a senior account executive for Angelsoft, a company that makes a deal flow management platform for venture capitalists and angel networks, says he was a T-Mobile subscriber using the BlackBerry Curve before switching to the Storm on Verizon.

Now there's no looking back for him."The true push e-mail, the ability to search through your e-mail, copy and paste were all features that I use very heavily," says Bartlett, "which is also the reason why the iPhone doesn't work for me."

The Storm's web browser has also attracted fans. "The two things I do most are e-mail and browsing," says VanRysdam. "And the browsing experience on the Storm is unlike any other BlackBerry device and as good as the iPhone."

Ultimately the Storm's success can be attributed to the power of Verizon and BlackBerry's marketing efforts.

"The Storm has been the subject of a tremendous ad campaign by Verizon," says Avi Greengart, an analyst with research firm Current Analysis. "So if you are a user at Verizon it is one of the most exciting devices to have."

Could the BlackBerry brand also been enough to draw in users? "Absolutely," says Greengart.

Meanwhile, even die-hard Storm users agree that the device is still fairly buggy. The shutter delay on the camera can be frustrating as is the lack of Wi-Fi and the third party applications for the phone.

They are, however, willing to be patient for more updates from RIM to fix those problems. Their Storm, they say, is worth the wait.