The press release for the BlackBerry Storm launch slipped embargo just before things got good and official last night, but official they did get, with lots of hands-on impressions and pictures. U.S., Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand will be getting the BlackBerry Storm “next month” through Verizon and Vodafone. Telus and Bell took the opportunity to announce the BlackBerry 9530 for Canada, available before the end of the year. So much for that supposed bidding war, eh?
Gizmodo, Engadget and PhoneScoop have all had a hands-on run with the Storm, and the general feedback on RIM’s surprisingly innovative touchscreen design has been good. Basically, the screen will let you navigate with light tough (as most touchscreen-users are familiar with) but will only confirm choices after pressing down – the whole screen acts as one big button. The system is called SurePress, and will definitely take some getting used to. It’s an interesting twist on an old interface, and will do a lot to differentiate the Storm from the many other touchscreen handsets out there.
There are still plenty of things that need tweaking, though. Multitouch is a go for the Storm, but RIM was iffy about showing it off in their copy and pasting functionality. The lack of Wi-Fi stings, even though it’s a dual-mode smartphone running on both GSM and CDMA networks. The steel battery door is a new touch and adds a bit of much-needed toughness, but still makes it a tad heavier.
On the whole the BlackBerry Storm impresses pretty much everyone who tries it. It’s a risky move for RIM to meet Apple’s iPhone head-on, especially with a new touch interface, but hopefully the gamble will pay off.
BlackBerry Storm Specifications
Features Available
- Wireless email
- Organizer
- Browser
- Phone
- Camera (3.2 MP)
- Video Recording
- BlackBerry® Maps
- Media Player
- Built-in GPS
- Corporate data access
- SMS
- MMS
Size and Weight
- 4.43″/112.5mm (Length)
- 2.45″/62.2mm (Width)
- 0.55″/13.95mm (Depth)
- 5.5 oz/155g (Weight)
Data Input/Navigation
- Touch Screen Navigation, with ClickThrough for user selection
- On screen keyboard: portrait SureType® and Multi-tap, QWERTY landscape
Voice Input/Output
- 3.5mm stereo headset capable
- Integrated earpiece/ microphone
- Built-in speakerphone
- Mono/stereo headset, hands-free, phone book access profile and serial port profile supported (Bluetooth® technology)
Media Player
- Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
- Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus
Display
- High resolution 480 x 360 pixel color display
- Transmissive TFT LCD
- Font size (user selectable)
- Light sensing screen
Notification
- Polyphonic/MIDI ringtones
- MP3 ringtones
- Vibrate mode
- LED indicator
Approximate Battery Life
- 15 days (Standby time)
- 5.5 hours (Talk time)
Memory
- Expandable memory – support for microSD™ card
- 1GB onboard memory
- 128 MB Flash (flash memory)
Modem
- RIM® wireless modem
- Tethered modem capability
Email Integrations
- Works with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server for Microsoft® Exchange
- Works with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server for IBM® Lotus® Domino®
- Works with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server for Novell® GroupWise®
- Integrates with an existing enterprise email account
- Integrates with existing personal email account
- Integrates with optional new device account
Device Security
- Password protection and screen lock
- Sleep mode
- Support for AES or Triple DES encryption when integrated with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server
- Optional support for S/MIME
Wireless Network
- UMTS/HSPA: 2100 MHz
- North America: 850 MHz GSM®/GPRS networks
- North America: 1900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
- Europe/Asia Pacific: 1800MHz GSM/GPRS networks
- Europe/Asia Pacific: 900MHz GSM/GPRS networks
- Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/Ev-DO networks
Pictures on page 2!