After dodging dirty looks from Verizon reps at the BlackBerry Developer Conference, I finally managed to get some time with the upcoming BlackBerry Storm. This here is actually the Vodafone version, which, although had less of a presence here at the show in California, will have a much more widespread launch through European channels and abroad.
I did a lot of size comparing with my BlackBerry Bold, and the Storm seems a notch smaller on all sides, but not by much. Check the SizeEasy to get a more precise idea. The Storm of course has the microUSB slot first introduced to the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, which I also got to fool around for with a bit for the first time (not bad, little different, not a lot of horsepower). That new USB slot saves a lot of space on the thickness front. As mentioned, the OS is still fairly beta, but I managed to see a few more recent versions, and it’s clear that RIM is working hard on the bumps and will have something good and stable in time for the rumored November release.
Official specs, for the curious…
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