The new BlackBerry Storm is probably RIM’s most important phone release since the first Pearl became available back in 2006. Why? Because like the Pearl, which introduced the business orientated BlackBerry brand to the consumer world, the Storm represents another first for RIM, the introduction of a touchscreen handset with a brand new interface ready to take on the current smartphone darling, Apple’s iPhone 3G.
Originally known as the BlackBerry Thunder prior to the official announcement, we received word of its imminent release on October 8th when the Storm 9500 was confirmed for Europe – incidentally, the Storm 9530 is the version to be sold in the USA – and word is the BlackBerry will be on sale from
Research in Motion realise how important the touchscreen interface is and have added their own unique style to the system as well as addressing the various feature omissions which frustrate both existing and potential iPhone users. The Storm has its fair share of impressive features and will appeal to a broad range of mobile phone fans, as it’s set to be as competent on the multimedia side as it’s sure to be on the business side. If you’ve held off purchasing another smartphone because you where intrigued to see what RIM were cooking up, then it looks like you’re about to be rewarded, as the Storm looks mightily impressive.
Blackberry Storm: The Smartphone For Everyone, All the Time.
It’s not the first time RIM have made a BlackBerry which will appeal to everyone, but it’s perhaps the first time they have packaged one inside such a stylish handset! Style is everything in consumer world and phones don’t come much better looking than when they are almost devoid of ugly buttons. It’s not just a pretty face either, as the Storm does everything the casual user demands.
Mobile Video on the Blackberry Storm – The Way You Want It.
The BlackBerry Storm is happy playing the majority of common video files, including MPEG4 and WMV formats, plus you have the option to stream clips from sites such as YouTube.com directly to your phone.
Music on the Blackberry Storm – the Way You Want it Too.
It’s not just video which can be streamed to your Storm either, as the phone accepts streaming audio too. Like several other recent BlackBerry’s, the music player will play MP3, WMA and AAC encoded files and can be synced with your PC via iTunes as well as the included BlackBerry Music Sync software. A 3.5mm jackplug socket has also been added so you can plug in your own headphones.
A Superb Camera.
The first of the features the Storm boasts which improves on the iPhone 3G’s spec. The Storm’s camera is a 3.2 megapixel item and has both a flash unit and autofocus to take the sharpest pictures possible. The Storm’s camera also shoots video.
An Array of Messaging Options.
Aside from the BlackBerry’s brilliance at email, you can also compose SMS and, again adding something the iPhone 3G lacks, MMS messages. Another standard feature is the BlackBerry Instant Messenger enabling you to chat to your friends in the same way you would with Yahoo or MSN instant messenger on your PC.
Social Networking on Your BlackBerry Storm.
If you’re a Facebook or MySpace addict and love to update them during the day but don’t always have access to a computer, then the Storm will make your life much simpler! Direct access to your accounts means it’s easy to change your status or add a blog post all from your mobile phone, wherever you are.
BlackBerry Maps and Built-in GPS.
The Storm features a built-in Assisted GPS receiver for the fastest location service possible, making sure you never get lost again. BlackBerry Maps is a very flexible software package which can not only plot a route, but highlight points of interest, bookmark favourite spots or suggest locations based on a search term too.
Enjoy Fantastic Business Tools on the BlackBerry Storm.
Once a business device, always a business device. The Blackberry Storm may include every cool multimedia function in order to attract those who don’t want to use the phone for work, but RIM made their name by providing just about the best mobile office handset on the market and the Storm is no exception.
The Original and Best Mobile Email.
Think BlackBerry, think email. The Storm offers few surprises in the email department, as their tried and tested system is already top-notch. Integrate your office email system via the BlackBerry Enterprise Server which works with Microsoft Enterprise, Lotus Domino and Novell Groupwise ensuring whichever system your work has chosen, the Storm will happily connect with it. The same applies to personal email systems too, either via syncing with your PC or in the case of Yahoo or Gmail, the entry of your username and password in order to set everything up in mere moments. Use it once and you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.
Data Connections Galore!
The Blackberry Storm 9500 is a 3G, quad band GSM handset with HSDPA support for the fastest mobile data access available. GPRS and EDGE are on hand to back the 3G connection up and v2.0 Bluetooth plus a USB socket complete the line-up.
Office and Calendar Features.
The BlackBerry Storm features DataViz’s Documents To Go viewer and editor to allow simple manipulation of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files – which can be sent and received by email – plus the comprehensive RIM calender and address book, which are integrated so well into the operating system they can be accessed quickly and easily even when on a call.
Browse the Internet On the Move.
The Storm’s web browser is rumoured to be based around the same software as the one found on the iPhone 3G, but its operation is still something of a secret. What is known is that it will feature copy/paste, something the iPhone 3G doesn’t, and will make use of the multi-touch technology and special feedback given by the Storm’s brand new touchscreen.
Inside the Eye of the Storm.
It’s the Blackberry Storm’s biggest attraction and will likely be the talking point all over the mobile phone world upon its release, we’re of course, talking about the beautiful new touchscreen. But the screen is not the only impressive technology found on the Storm…
All New Touchscreen Experience.
Research in Motion was unlikely to follow the herd and just add a regular touchscreen to their first ever device to feature such an item, but we didn’t expect something as unique as this! Touted as a ‘clickable’ touchscreen, it’s supposed to feel like you’re actually pressing a physical button rather than an unresponsive glass screen when using the Storm, which RIM claim makes the experience far more interactive and user-friendly than expected. Will the Storm be the first re-invention of the touchscreen? We can’t wait to find out!
Two Keyboard Options.
Unlike the iPhone 3G’s portrait keyboard, the Storm offers two different ways of typing your emails, SMS’s or chat sessions. If the Storm is held upright as normal, then a SureType keypad is displayed, just like the one found on the Pearl, but if you rotate the phone into landscape orientation then a full QWERTY keyboard appears for faster and even more accurate typing! This is surely the biggest advantage the Storm has over its competitors.
Auto Screen Rotation.
This transfer between SureType keypad and full keyboard when the phone is rotated is fully automatic thanks to the accelerometer inside the Storm. It works well for web browsing and videos too.
A Fast Processor and Upgradeable Memory.
A 624Mhz processor should keeps things moving swiftly along, as will the 128MB of RAM. Internal storage is 1GB out of the box, however there is also a slot for a MicroSD card up to a huge 32GB in size!
Large Screen Size and Plenty of Battery Power.
The Storm’s touchscreen is 3.25 inches and displays a resolution of 360×480 and 65,000 colours. The battery, which will be removable and therefore user-replaceable, offers a quoted 360 hours standby and over 5 hours talktime.
Look out for the Storm to hit the UK at the beginning of November, as this is going to be a big one!
4 Trackbacks
[...] post by Andrew Boxall and software by Elliott Back [...]
[...] Posted by sooks follow this link …. Blackberry Storm – The Ultimate Review looks good .. cross ur fingers .. didnt have time to read all .. in class Spoke with a VZW [...]
[...] storm released on OCT 22 ? follow this link …. Blackberry Storm – The Ultimate Review looks good .. cross ur fingers .. didnt have time to read all .. in class __________________ – [...]
[...] to be sold in the USA – and word is the BlackBerry will be on sale from October 22nd. read more here (thank you dialaphone!) __________________ CrackBerryADDICTED.com – spread the word! [...]
54 Comments
Black Berry storm is very bad.I bought one today it not even functioning very and it very slow.
*WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING*
Do not get this phone, I have a 2 year contract with this lame excuse for an “awesome” moble… Its limited on power as it can freeze alot, oh theres not wifi like the iphone so be ready for a massive bill for checking out facebook or the likes. The only good thing about this phone is the BlackBerry messenger but still… iphone supposedly has an app messenger to comunicate with all types of messengers.
Overly priced for something that was bigged up and turned out to be the worst mobile I have ever used, I recommend you think about lookin for another phone as this one is an investment into hours of frustration on trying to type and edit text….
*WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING**WARNING*
Pls help me,my blackberry storm use to seize, the screen take much time to load and use to hang
The blackberry Storm is a good phone. it takes a while to get used to the screen and the camera is super. But the reaction is little bit slow but in addition i would recommend this phone. Just got it and I am loving it.
can any one tell me if you can use facebook chat on the blackberry storm please
Im in two minds at the moment. Im thinking about getting the Storm or the iPod touch.
Its a hard decision, people seem to have mixed reviews about both phones.
HELP?
Pls I jst need to knw nw if to buy storm1 or any other BB before nxt week pls. Let sombody jst tell if its a good Phone, i mean the battery.
Thanks
i just recently got an upgrade and chose the blackberry storm 9500 on vodafone i love the phone but wtf i charged it for 17hrs lastnight and took of charge at 1pm – 1:30pm and its 85% and i havnt even used it i have no gps its off backlight is 10% and no apps running. also i work nights so dont use phone it just sits there in sleep and within say 4hrs battery is dead. im currently waiting for a replacement handset.phone is currently at 45% while im waiting ive wiped clean the phones memory no apps etc made a call messed around with phone 2hrs down the line the phone has jumped to 30% help this phones battery is turd.
Blackberry Storm has very good text messaging.
alot complains about typing on keyboard is hard to edit,
but if you discover how, its the easiest touchscreen keyboard evermade.
it has something that not everyone knows when typing an sms when want to edit wrong typing text.. very easy..
this phone is the best today.
This phone is pretty much garbage. I’ve had my BlackBerry Storm for just over three months and im on my third one thanks to warrenty. The click screen stops working right and on two of mine the bottom left hand corner of the click screen stopped working. Then on the other one i had the screen froze black and i couldnt do anything. The phone has some pretty great features and is real fast and handy (especially for the facebookers, and messenger fanatics) but this phone doesnt last. I didnt even drop mine to screw it up. I live in Canada so maybe its just the Canadian ones from Telus but from my experiance this phone is nothing but trash get someone you know in person to demonstrate it to you first AFTER they have had for two months. I do NOT recomend this phone.
okok the Storm is not the iPhone killer but is a good phone. it takes a while to get used to the screen and the camera is super-sucky. the reaction is a lil late but in addition i would recommend this phone. Jus got it and im loving it.
Well let me just tell you here in the US we have the 9530 version and the battery is great and if you want good 3g move here because Verizon has the best of the best of the bests kids. Like foreal its a good phone now that there has been some recent firmware upgrades stop complaining its just a f&(@ing phone!! and its kills the iphone cause the iphone isnt really cool, like at all i have a mac and the last thing i want it the same thing with a non hactic feedback touch screen and shit.
I was hoping I was the only person who was suffering with poor blackberry storm battery life (8 hours max) so much for technology, after reading so many other users comments I guess there is no point trying to contact Vodafones less than useless customer service desk. apart from £0.99 ebay car chargers. anyone got any better ideas?
i think i will stick to a samsung j700 pink (its a great phone!) or an i phone ( would be nice if i could afford it!)
im gettin either a storm or a lg dare there both pretty awsome
I’ve been having the same problems everyone has stated above, but was somthing a little special to say the least. I charged my phone over night with the device turned off and between waking up and turning it on to getting to work (about an hour) it drained itself and died completely with no use what so ever. This is the second battery I’ve had, the first one was rubbish too.
Blackberry Storm is really nice. Ive been in two minds whether to get that or the iphone. But from past experiences, i wouldnt buy a phone on Vodaphone!
Im sure the Storm will come to O2 soon. Patience is the key
i am wanting to get the blackberry sorm this week…
do you think that it is beter than the iphone?? the iphone is useless!! i just wanted to know if it is worth buying it as i have never had a blackberry phone before.
I LIKE THE ABOVE HAVE HAD THE STORM FOR 2 DAYS AND AGAIN I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH BATTERY LIFE, ITS VERY POOR, THE WEB BROWSING IS ALSO VERY VERY SLOW, I PHONED VODA TWICE AND AFTER BEING ON HOLD FOR 15 MINS THE GUYS ASKED ME TO ADJUST A FEW THINGS ON THE PHONE, BUT STILL IT IS TAKING A GOOD 30 SECONDS TO LOAD A PAGE. FIRST THING FRIDAY ITS GOING BACK.
Hi, ive currently got the Iphone and was thinkin of selling it a buying the blackberry storm but with mixed reviews Im in two minds what would u people do keep the iphone or the blackberry. My iphones battery is the same as the blackberry it lasts about 8hours on full charge and I have to charge it whilst im at work.
PLEASE PLEASE EVERYONE – Go to the Vodafone Website and raise the roof. This phone is a good one BUT!!! It has massive problems and Vodafone/RIM need to sort it out soon. However they will do nothing until they are forced!
There are a few people who are contacting Watchdog as this is now a massive problem!
Lets kick up a fuss and hopefully they will do something to sort this out.
All the best……a miffed storm user x
it is reassuring to hear that i am not the only one who is suffering from appalling battery life. I am barely getting 6 hours off a full charge and this is without my usual medium use. I have requested a replacement and if that doesnt work then i will send it back.
sorry my english is bad.. but you can have like a pen or something like that x.tra for touchscreen right??
But you can have like ..a pen or something like that x-tra for a touchscreen????
I have had a storm for 2 weeks. The battery life is dreadful and it can’t get through the day on moderate use. The software is slow to switch between applications and there is even a pause of a few second in bringing up the phone dialling pad. Worst of all there is a glitch which means that calls aren’t always picked up when pressing the answer key. I have lost loads of calls because of this.
I just met a colleague who has returned his storm for all the above reasons.
The storm is simply not fast or reliable enough for a busy business user.
I have used Blackberrys for several years and took the free upgrade to the Storm from Vodafone. I do a lot of emailing on the Blackberry, and after 2 weeks, I am still struggling to type accurately and quickly.
The switch from landscape to portrait also is very slow, sometimes not happening at all.
To have any chance of typing quickly, it needs to be in landscape mode, so you get the full QWERTY key pad, but then it feels cumbersome to hold, and I have dropped it several times. It just is not as easy to use as the previous Blackberry phones.
The final gripe, as already mentioned in detail on here, is the battery life. It will last a day with light usage. But add in a few lengthy calls and it drops off a cliff.
I for one, wont be sending it back as it was a free upgrade, and I will give it another week to see if I can get used to it. If not, I will be digging out my old one again.
If you are a serious emailer – AVOID!
I recieved the Storm a few days ago. I charged it up over night . I starrted using it at about 7 Am the next day after charging it about 10 hours.I played around with the phone ,just trying to get to know it. A fully charged battery ( so the indicator told me) lasted until 2 PM that same day.7 hours,and the usage included only two relatively brief calls.Charged the battery again ,and again it was flat in no time. I went to the Vodafone shop and bought a new battery hoping that the one included in the box was just a bad one .Again I charged the thing overnight,and again the battery didn’t last very long.Total of about 6 hours.By 2 Pm or so it was flat after only light usage.
Ther returns dept tried telling me to switch off my 3g when I didn’t need it but thats rubbish. Whats the point of having a smartphone and you have to switch off 3G?
I just wondered what people thought.Whether I just got a duff handset or whether this battery problem is common with the Strorm. I don’t expect the thing to last several days on a single charge ,but it din’t even make it until early afternoon from about a 7 Am start. If I could give it good usage during the day and have to charge it overnight each time,that would be fine ,but lasting far less than a day is not on.I love the phone and really don’t want to get rid of it ,but Ifd I can’t use it then there is no point in having it.Any thoughts regarding the battery situation are welcome.
I have owned the blackberry curve which has does not have wifi on it either. I have never used it and do not see the point of it really. Mobile phones are for being mobile. Wifi is not mobile! I think they were right to leave it out. So all you people moaning about not being able to sit in wifi spots, go get a decent data plan and go jogging.
Very disappointed about lack of WiFi. What happens in countries without 3G service? So free web ets is of no benefit. Email etc is then next to useless. I will look for another phone.
I have been a Blackberry user for several years, so was attracted to the Storm upgrade. I wish I hadn’t bothered! It is very hard to type messages, and the portrait to landscape feature just doesn’t work. What’s more, the battery life is utterly useless. Ignore the hype – the Storm is a lemon. Stick to the original Blackberry or buy an iPhone
I have sent mine back……..Its fine if you want a gimmick box but as a serious business user forget it for all of ipforks reasons.
Its heavy inefficient and slow.
Back to my Pearl thank you!
Also Vodafone has screwed up the Storm launch by not testing it properly with BES. Their official line is now that the Storm does not support BES!!! I have managed to get 3-4 of them activated but it took almost two days and it still seems to be hit and miss.
for the one’s out there upset about lack of wi-fi. Every notice how it sucks your battery dry?
Think it’s bad on a laptop, try much less a p.d.a.? Sorry, it ain’t all that. Luckily the vzw broadband network isn’t one to sneeze at? That shouldn’t be your dealbreaker when considering what the real merits of a blackberry are. I’ll take a day talk time instead of four or five hours. Get real.
I am a blackberry lover I have had them for the past three years. I just got the storm today and I like some parts of it but hate others. I have plenty of touch screen phones in the past and it is a bit annoying. The so called clickable screen is very difficult to get used to and I have found that I keep on typing in the wrong thing as the touch screen buttons are too close together.
It has good voice clarity an great camera and e mail checking is quick and easy. I also found the internet very slow.
just took delivery of a storm 48 hours ago, it it getting sent back tomorrow!!!!!
Not easy to use
Poor quality (screen apears to be on a flowting fitting)
Screen too sensative
Keys too close no good for adult fingers!!!
Strongly addvise any one looking at a Storm forget it!!!!
just bought this phone and just to say i have an ipod touch also to compare and i have one thing to say…apple be scared, be very scared!!!…this phone is the best phone i have ever had, i cancelled my o2 contract, the people who give us the iphone to go to vodaphone just so i could get my hands on this phone and i am so happy with it…camera excellent…touch screen is a button to be used to confirm your descision when typing etc and the gps is amazing…like i said apple be scared for there is a storm coming
i cant wait for the blackberry storm!
Does this phone have a capabillity of 2 phone number, i.e. business & personal?
I agree with James. I’m not a massive phone / tech buff but have been watching this phone for a while. Not sure what packages there are overseas but surely free browsing makes it better than wifi anyway. I’ll keep reading reviews and look at it for xmas.
Personally I think Wi-Fi could be a deal breaker for the simple reason that the Vodafone network has the poorest HSDPA coverage of any of the 5 major providers.
What is the point of having unlimited email and internet if the network is not guaranteed to support it?
The usual WiFi wankers who also start wanking and crying foul when security issues appear.
RIM forerunner in protecting your data…a feature wankers are not aware of.
Can’t wait to get my hands on one!
I dont understand why people are crying over Wifi, Vodafone are offering free email, free internet browsing unlimited texts, 600 anytime mins for like £35. Why do you want wifi if your not paying for browsing anyway. Whinge whinge whinge.
I agree with Niels.. its a real bummer that it hasnt got WiFi.. what idiots!! They knew that people were going to compare it to Apple so why not put it in the damn thing..simple! I was just going to order the Storm BUT no Wifi put me off and I went for the “Bold” ..fingers crossed I like it. Iphone is annoying cause you can only get it here on O2 network and their dicks.
I would dump my iPhone for this BB in a flash if it had Wifi!!!
RIM does not have any idea what the cost for mobile data is here in Belgium.
According to some surveys mobile data are the most expensive, worldwide, in Canada and Belgium….
So PLEASE add WiFi to the European model of the Storm (9500) RIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
well seeing as today is October 23rd and the phone is not released I would say somebody has no clue what they are talking about!
You know it’s enough already. Just bring the phone to market or keep quiet.
Is this a review or a regurgitation of the box marketing? Pathetic. I want my 30 seconds back.
RIM has crippled the phone’s Wi-Fi at the insistence of the wireless carriers, who are desperately trying to force customers to pay for access.
“Data Connections Galore!” – this is one of the most biased and worst writted reviews I have ever seen. I am excited about the phone, but failure to mention the lack of wifi when going on about the great connectivity is just ridiculous. Do you get a free Storm for writing this review?
Additionally – “it’s supposed to feel like you’re actually pressing a physical button” so you haven’t actually used it? Isn’t that a preview rather than a review. A list of specs would be better than this tripe.
Great review. Are you sure about that October 22nd release date? That would be really nice.
Thanks!
where did u get to info for this blog.
is oct 22 a TRUE release date for the Storm here in the USA.
PLEASE help me on this
This is a WEAK review….
Ugg
This is a great phone but it does not have wifi which the iphone does! How can a company such as Research In Motion be so blind to the fact this will cost them millions of potential customers. I would love to have this phone but no wifi no sale!!
Just viewed the video of the Storm.
I hate to say this…. but it just REEKS of a ME TOO! device.
Even the video oozes of an Apple type of teaser, BUT it just does not seem to pull it off very well.
http://www.storm-reviews.co.uk/storm-features/video-of-the-blackberry-storm-9500-mobile-phone-in-action/
I mean there are so many cuts to the video from transition to transition.
I say, RIM must be shaking in their collective boots. People please keep in mind that no matter how much BETTER the hardware may seem…. in the end it all comes down to what is under the hood… ie Software…. & it just seems Apple is so many years ahead with iPhone. The killer too is that Storm lacks WiFi just plain crazy to me.
iJah420 says Storm is not an iPhone Killer, its even having problems being an iPhone WannaBe. Just look @ how archaic the software looks on the Storm.