The BlackBerry Storm is a part of RIM’s (Research In Motion) BlackBerry 9500 mobile phone series. The phone’s CDMA version is known as the BlackBerry Storm 9530. It is the first touchscreen device marketed by the corporation. The Storm is also the first phone launched by RIM that does not have a physical keyboard. Although this handset is loved by the majority of the users, at times the critics’ BlackBerry Storm review has opposed the notion of the users. According to some reviews, its touchscreen is quite complex whereas some found the smartphone’s business oriented features and software really impressive.
BlackBerry Storm and Its Exotic Industrial Design
This phone’s outer shell is truly awe-inspiring. There’s no denying the fact that the designers have invested a lot of time and effort while crafting this mobile phone model. The Storm has a 3.25 inch touchscreen (with screen resolution of 480×360) that covers the largest part of its front panel. The phone is outlined by a sleek silver bezel, which further enhances the device’s vigor.
Just beneath the screen, you will find the customary BlackBerry keys (end/power, back, menu and phone keys). On the phone’s left, there is the micro USB Port. The manufacturer has incorporated two convenience keys, one on the phone’s left and the other on its right. Besides the convenience key, the Storm also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a volume rocker on its right.
Like its front, the BlackBerry Storm also has an exciting back primarily due to the glossy plastic cover. Its aluminum battery cover ensures that the phone looks majestic even when flipped. The other major components on the phone’s back are the camera and the flash. On the device’s top, there’s a LED and the mute and lock keys. According to experts, the components and hardware used in this device are of much better quality than the majority of the company’s previous launches. For instance the buttons on this phone are more robust compared to most other BlackBerry models.
Touchscreen
The Storm is BlackBerry’s first touchscreen device. Mobile users from different corners of the globe are attracted to this phone primarily due to its exquisite touchscreen. Unlike its competitors, the Storm does not only feature a capacitive touchscreen. This BlackBerry creation boasts a unique technology called the ‘SurePress’. With SurePress, you will be allowed to click the phone’s screen exactly in the same way you click the mouse button. Many users have found SurePress to be a more convenient option while typing on the phone’s virtual QWERTY keypad as well as while navigating. However, some expert reviewers believe that this feature does not make the phone more user-friendly.
Software
BlackBerry Storm’s operating system 4.7 has almost the same attributes as the 4.6 OS, the operating system used by another winning device, the BlackBerry Bold. However, it definitely carries a handful of noteworthy improvements. The OS’s home screen and navigation is very much similar to what you have experienced on the preceding BlackBerry devices. The phone’s application screen has two levels. The first level i.e. its landing screen has 8 BlackBerry Storm apps icons. The deeper level application screen, on the other hand, displays all the programs and folders.
Other Features of the Storm
Apps: The BlackBerry Storm apps include Facebook, games, Maps etc. Consumer reviews however suggest that the apps available on the Storm are not as impressive as the ones available on the iPhone Apps Store.
Keyboard: You will get to access a number of virtual keyboard types on the Storm, which include SureType and standard QWERTY keyboards in portrait and landscape modes respectively.
Camera: The Storm is equipped with a 3.2 MP camera. You will need only around 3 seconds to launch the camera via the phone’s menu or by clicking the dedicated button. The phone’s flash is extremely bright, which will allow you take distinct images even in complete darkness. Pictures can be taken both in portrait and landscape modes. Storm’s other notable camera features include: 2x digital zoom, image stabilization and autofocus. Storm’s camera can also be used for high quality video recording.
Storage: This phone has Flash memory and internal memory of 128 MB and 1 GB respectively. It also comes with a microSD card slot that can be used for increasing the phone’s memory by up to 16 GB.
Media Player: BlackBerry Storm’s media player supports multiple file formats. The audio file formats supported are WMA and MP3. The supported video file formats are WMV and MPEG4.
Connectivity: The connectivity options supported by the Storm include A-GPS, Micro-USB, Quad Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900, Uni Band UMTS / HSDPA 2100 Megahertz and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR. The phone’s CDMA version i.e. the BlackBerry Storm 9530 features Dual Band CDMA EV-DO 800/1900 as an additional option.
RIM tasted reasonable success with its Storm. The launch of the Storm was followed by the launch of BlackBerry Storm 2. The Storm 2 is also the only touchscreen smartphone marketed to date that has piezoelectric sensors beneath its screen. The features that separate the Storm 2 from the original Storm include the phone’s redesigned exterior and Wi-Fi. The model number of Storm 2 and its CDMA version are respectively 9520 and 9550. Storm 2’s storage capacity is double (2GB) compared to that of the original Storm. Like the Storm, you can also upgrade your Storm 2 with16 GB additional memory.
BlackBerry Storm 2 has experienced moderate commercial success. Expert reviews suggest that the Storm 2 is a more user friendly device than BlackBerry’s original Storm. Many said that the new phone’s screen allowed them to type at a greater pace and more conveniently. Moreover, Storm 2’s screen also possesses multi-touch technology, a feature that is also found in industry leaders like the iPhone and the Android-based mobile phones.
To conclude, it can be said that the BlackBerry Storm is by no means a lesser device. It has every attribute that you expect to have in your smartphone, especially if you consider its reasonable price.