- Phone typeCandy bar
- Height112.5 mm
- Width62.2 mm
- Depth14 mm
- Weight155 grams
Overview
The BlackBerry Storm is Research in Motion's first full touchscreen mobile phone and on the surface, it's just another one to add to the ever growing list available. However, the Storm has gone in its own direction and features innovations not found anywhere else, plus the draw of the awesome email capabilities of a BlackBerry mobile cannot be underestimated. Read on to see why the Storm was one of the most anticipated mobile phone releases of the year!
Features at a Glance
- A 3.2" touchscreen with a 360x480 resolution and SurePress technology.
- Built-in Assisted GPS with BlackBerry Maps installed.
- A 3.2 megapixel camera.
- Music and video player.
- The Storm is 3G with HSDPA support.
- 1GB of internal memory and a MicroSD slot complete with 8GB card.
Why You Should Buy the Storm
The BlackBerry Storm is running version 4.7 of the BlackBerry OS, which has been enhanced to become more finger friendly. What is good however, is how little the experience has changed from other recent BlackBerry's, you have the regular shortcut keys on the home screen and either by pressing the screen or the handy BlackBerry button below it takes you to the full menu as usual. Alongside the BlackBerry menu key are the call and back keys, however, one could also call the entire screen a key all by itself! This is because of SurePress, a system which means you actually have to press the screen down to select a function, resulting in a soft click.
At first, this can be a little disconcerting and it will take a while to become fully acquainted with it, however once you are you'll appreciate the level of feedback this system provides. BlackBerry have also thought about the text input too, something which is so important to the overall BlackBerry experience. Holding the phone normally gives you the SureType style keypad familiar to anyone who has used a BlackBerry Pearl, but by turning the phone on its side - and letting the accelerometer adjust the screen automatically - a full QWERTY keyboard is displayed to make tapping out messages much more natural. DataViz is installed which allows you to edit most popular documents and then send them on too.
Like many other touchscreen phones, a swipe of your finger scrolls around pages or through your picture gallery and just as before, the BlackBerry key brings up the menu so anyone used to a BlackBerry OS will be at home here, while new users will be quick to adjust. The Storm is a 3G device and has support for HSDPA plus EDGE and GPRS, so web browsing on the move is as fast as currently possible, plus the BlackBerry browser has been given a tweak or two and is better than previous incarnations. Of course, this being a BlackBerry means it excels at anything email related and connects quickly and simply to just about any network you can think of.
Away from the business side of the Storm, you have the 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera with an LED flash, a very capable music and video player, a 3.5mm jack plug for your own headphones and the Assisted GPS receiver complete with BlackBerry Maps.
Summary of the BlackBerry Storm
It may have had a difficult birth, but the Storm is set to come into its own when the application store starts to fill up and everyone gets used to clicking the screen instead of just touching it. In addition to the new screen technology the Storm is still a brilliant email device, plus the improved browsing and media capabilities round out this great buy!