BlackBerry Storm2 - how the 'net has responded

Posted: 20 October 2009

The recent announcement that Research In Motion (RIM) would follow up its first-ever full touchscreen phone with a new model has sparked much excitement in a number of online sectors.

Unveiled on October 15th, it is expected the BlackBerry Storm2 will be available to shoppers on the 26th of the month - and is initially being launched on the Vodafone network across seven European nations and South Africa.

RIM explained it would endeavour to equip the revised model with many of the same attributes as its predecessor, pointing out it was this that had won the original model a number of plaudits. However, it also advised the touch-enabled smartphone "significantly improves" on that which has gone before - building on the user interface to provide a more connective experience.

As the multimedia gadget is being launched ahead of the Christmas period, it is hoped it will be an ideal festive treat for users across the UK and the manufacturer pointed out recipients may also appreciate the inclusion of a revised fifth-generation operating system (OS). This, it noted, would come "with hundreds of hardware and software enhancements" that include changes to its integrated SurePress Technology that make it a more tactile interactive facility.

"The new system responds equally to gentle pressure applied anywhere on the surface of the screen and makes clicking the display practically effortless. Typing on the smartphone's virtual keyboards is easier, more comfortable and more accurate," RIM explained. In addition, it was noted the technology allows letter buttons to be pressed with one while the other rests elsewhere on the screen - which it noted could be useful in making emails and text messages faster, as well as keying combinations more diverse.

BlackBerry's Storm2 has also had something of a redesign, with RIM promising a "smooth design and premium finish with sloped edges, chrome accents, glass lens and stainless steel backplate", while the 3.25-inch screen itself boasts a 360 x 480 pixel resolution. UMTS and HSDPA connectivity of up to 2100 Mhz is onboard and quad-band support for EDGE, GPRS, GSM and Wi-Fi is an option at 802.11 b/g on enabled networks. In terms of multimedia, the device boasts a 3.2-megapixel camera capable of video recording, the usual integrated player with BlackBerry Media Sync and a memory capacity of up to 32 GB when using a microSD card.

But the question remains - how have BlackBerry users taken to the revised version of the Storm? One of the first hands-on reviews to emerge regarding the device was featured on the Crave website and was put together by Flora Graham. In the piece, she noted RIM has delivered a front panel that displays a menu with "huge, finger-friendly icons that we had no trouble pressing", while the touch aspect of the phone was praised for an interface that is "more intuitive than traditional qwerty BlackBerries".

"For example, you can tap the signal-strength icon on the home screen to open a connection menu, without having to navigate through the phone's menu," Ms Graham added. Other areas of change which were welcomed was the revised shape. "BlackBerry has tweaked the [design] so it feels smaller … although it's the same size. The Storm looked oddly massive, but the Storm2 looks more like a normal, large smart phone, similar to the iPhone," the review concluded.

Elsewhere, comment has come from a number of other experts, with some making the inevitable Apple iPhone 3G comparisons and others putting the new device up against a number of its competitors - to see how the model fares overall in today's touch-based smartphone market.

The Telegraph looked first at the Palm Pre - which went on sale exclusively via the O2 network last week - noting that although it is currently "make or break" for the manufacturer behind the device, there are a number of interesting features that make it a worthy adversary. "Its biggest selling point is its operating system, webOS, which … aims to make it much easier for users to draw together social networking sites, disparate contacts, email accounts and other communication tools in to a single, unified platform," the publication said. Moving on to the Apple smartphone, the article focused on the flexibility of the model and heaped praise on the App Store that has given the gadget a lease of life that makes it everything from a personal organiser to a gaming machine. However, when it came to the BlackBerry Storm2, the reporter was equally filled with good things to say, noting that Wi-Fi, better battery life, an improved user interface and a "seamless push-email experience" were all things that were welcomed. "The BlackBerry remains the best mobile email device on the market," it concluded, "and the Storm 2 looks to have satisfactorily married a touch-screen interface with that all-important productivity."

In a piece for ZDNet, Sandra Vogel called the second Storm a "vast improvement" in her headline, drawing attention to the changes RIM has made to the SurePress technology that make the overall experience of navigating the handset "more rewarding". Two separate online outlets where people can purchase their applications were noted as worthy of mentioning and with the initial 2 GB of internal memory available for storing this software and other data, the unit is ready straight out of the box. "I'll need a longer hands-on to get to grips with the many software tweaks, but first impressions are good," she said.

Phones Review was another site that decided the way forward was to pit the Storm2 against its fiercest rivals, but instead asked readers to offer their vote in a desirability poll. "There are now several smartphones available on the market, all hoping to be the best out there. Currently the leader of the pack is the iPhone, but barking at the iPhone’s door is the Palm Pre, the HTC Hero and now newcomer the BlackBerry Storm 2," it advised. At the time of writing, the results showed the new BlackBerry with 22 per cent of the vote behind the HTC Hero (31 per cent) and the Palm Pre (29 per cent). However, the fact that the Apple iPhone was at the bottom of the pile with 15 per cent shows that the newest of the smartphone challengers has people in anticipation of its arrival.

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