Geoview - BlackBerry Storm 2 9550: Lightning strikes twice...

G'day folks, today I will be conducting a quick review on the BlackBerry Storm 2 that has landed on Melbourne shores and into my hot hands (in this undying heat). Full review and prices after the break.

For those who were familiar with the BlackBerry Storm development, the first generation were indeed brought into Australia by our local telcos. Public responses weren't good and RIM has gone back into the drawing board ever since. RIM was treading dangerous waters when they tried tapping into the touchscreen market, or we could just call it, the iPhone market. Where RIM has failed on the first attempt, let's see what they have cooked up in their latest arsenal of BB devices.

Packaging

As there are no offerings yet from local carriers, I have not been able to see what sort of specifications and outright prices they have set for this model. So here I have instead, brought into direct from Verizon wireless, fully packaged and waiting for me fingers to pry.







Package looks to be comforming RIM standards as the handset reveals itself first, followed by the accessories underneath the box. Contents are as follows,

- BlackBerry Storm 2 handset with battery
- 16GB MicroSD
- Handsfree kit
- USB cable
- Manuals & software
- Travel charger with global adapters

Speaking of adapters, this shows how much recognition we have attained in the global markets and how compatibility issues will no longer be a problem,



*For full detailed specifications please refer here.

Handset cosmetics

Moving on to aesthetics, these were the listed measurements,

Width 2.4 in
Depth 0.5 in
Height 12.5 in
Weight 0.4 lbs

and the following images will give you a rough guide,



It looks rather sleek, with full glossy screen and gun metal finish on the battery cover. A BB device with no physical QWERTY keyboard only means more BB viewing space! I have also done comparisons with the traditional BB style Bold 9000 and iphone 3G,







The most wonderful aspect is Verizon being kind enough to brand itself behind rather than the front of the mobile, and anyone in particular about carrier branding won't get annoyed as much.

Handset network compatibility

Looking at the network specifications, Verizon model indicates,

GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) / CDMA 800/1900 (Dual Band) / HSDPA 2100

Many peeps still get confused on what band works on which Telco. Basically, if you are interested on a 3G phone, you need the most common band which is HSDPA 2100. There are additional bands in Australia which are targeted towards rural areas such as Optus YesG 900 band and the infamous Telstra NextG 850. Telstra postpaid subscribers will be roaming on Three with this phone and Telstra prepaid subscribers won't be able to use this mobile at all. Optus subscribers won't have access to YesG rural coverage as well. So it looks like this will be a metro kind of 3G handset. I have tested both Three and JUST Prepaid on the Vodafone network,







Looks like vodafone 3G is giving the best reception in my area (Southland), while Three needs to do a better job.

*I am aware people are still spamming me with questions about compatibility in Australia. The handset is FULLY UNLOCKED for any SIM card but please read up on the limitations above.

SurePress and virtual keyboard

Most of us will have the impression that on a touchscreen phone, you only need to touch it to access menus etc. But this is indeed, a more intriguing device as RIM pioneers a different approach to provide a sort of haptic-feedback implementation. At four corners of the screen there would be electrical sensors that would let you press on the screen to create the 'click' sound. I myself have already experienced this type of design from iRiver's Clix 2 mp3 player where the whole screen is clickable.






The best part about SurePress is that I have more control to what I press. This issue usually happens on the iPhone when I slip my fingers and touch the wrong icon (and loading the wrong app, waiting to quit, no multitask etc)
If you are migrating from another touchscreen mobile, it will definitely take awhile to get used to, as you need to click on the screen to make a selection. Browsing the menu system is much faster on a touchscreen BB, once you get used to clicking it, everything moves a lot quicker. Texting on a storm 2 will be a different experience for the usual BB user. The virtual keyboard is nice to use but initial experiences proved that I have an undying habit from the iPhone, and theres a bit more effort involved when texting on the Storm 2. I reckon after a couple of weeks and off you go to become a text master on this handset.

Media, camera and battery

Playing music and videos proved to be similar experiences to other BB devices, but with the addition of a big screen, it is a bonus for videos. I have played with the 3.2 mp camera too and would say it is good enough for average photos, nothing to scream about.







The battery is a miniature 1400mah, and has about 4-5 hours talk time and 11 days stand by time. I have not fully tested but BB users had reported at least 14 hours on a heavy day with wifi and 3G switched on.

Conclusion

I have to say, it is indeed a very interesting device, but definitely not the one to take over the crown from Bold 9700 (which is the king of blackberries). I have not mentioned about web browsing because by now, everyone should know RIM isn't famous for their browsers and the only way is to grab Opera Mini 5 asap to your BB device. SurePress is a lovely addition to touchscreen but some people might be put off by the clicking. RIM including a 16GB microSD was a fantastic choice as it will satisfy the media-centric folks. For BIS subscribers wanting a bigger screen and a bit of touch screen fun, this is a no-brainer choice as other reviews would tell you to stay away from first gen and go for Storm 2. For those who love the latest tech, this would be a fine addition to your BB collection.

Good ones - big viewing area, innovative SurePress and touchscreen, 16GB microSD, fantastic speakers, solid OS with many customisations

Lousy ones - weaker battery life due to large screen, dodgy battery cover suggesting extra care needed, no physical keyboard, no NextG and YesG

Proceed to Shop