The original BlackBerry Storm, though a massive departure from RIM’s usual buttoned-up candybar smartphones, left many unhappy with the clicking touchscreen called SurePress. Well, after a lengthy batch of leaks, the BlackBerry Storm2 9550 (known as Odin, once upon a time) is on its way to Verizon, and presumably 02 and Vodafone across the pond. From what we’ve seen, the new and improved SurePress is based on a series of four sensors beneath the screen, as opposed to the single central pivot point on the original 9500. Being able to hit multiple keys on the virtual keyboard promises to improve typing speeds, and the inclusion of Wi-Fi is something that has been missing for a long time. Throw in a few stylistic changes, like rubberized buttons, and a new chrome trim, and you’ve got yourself an exciting sequel to a device that had previously failed to impress. So, does the Storm2 deliver? Hit the jump to find out for yourself…
[Update]
Parts 1 and 2 of the video now available!
[Update 2]
Sorry for the delay. Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the video are now available!
[wpvideo BjJqAmGO w=500] [videopress h68jYESQ]
BlackBerry Storm2 9550
By Research in Motion
- Size (L x W x D): 112.5 mm x 62 mm x 13.9 mm
- Weight: 160 g (battery included)
- Memory: 256 MB Flash memory, 2 GB eMMC; microSD located under battery door cover (up to 16 GB)
- Battery: 1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium cell; 11.2 days standby, 5.5 hours of talk time on CDMA; 12.7 days standby, 5 hours of talk time on GSM; 11.7 days standby, 6 hours of talk time on UMTS
- Display: 3.25″ 480 X 360 pixel transmissive TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen, with SurePress; over 65,000 colors, dynamic hardware brightness control
- Camera: 3.2 MP camera, flash, auto focus, image stabilization, 2X digital zoom
- Keyboard: On screen keyboard – portrait SureType, QWERTY, and multi-tap, landscape QWERTY, portrait QWERTY
- Voice Input/Output: Integrated speaker and microphone, hands-free headset capable, Bluetooth headset capable, integrated hands-free speakerphone rated for hearing aids: M3
- Ringtones: 32 polyphonic – MIDI, MP3
- GPS: Integrated GPS with A-GPS
- Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g enabled
- Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
- Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA ProPlus
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth v2.1+EDR (Mono/stereo headset, Hands-free (HSF), Phone book access profile (PBAP), Serial port profile, Bluetooth stereo audio (A2DP/AVCRP), Dial UP networking (DUN) )
- Headset: 3.5 mm stereo headset capable
- Ports: Micro USB port allows charging and data synchronization of the device with a USB “A” to Micro-USB “B” cable
- Power Adapter: +5V DC/500 mA AC power adapter, with interchangeable location-specific plugs
- Network:
- Quad-Band: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks
- Single-Band: 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks
- Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EVDO Rev A networks
Pros
Improved user interface (transitions, kinetic scrolling, overall smoothness)
More accurate SurePress (by way of multitouch typing)
Great connectivity (world roaming on both GSM and CDMA, Wi-Fi)
Cons
SurePress still takes getting used to
Some videos still having trouble decoding
Before getting started, let me say I have had the BlackBerry 9550 for a grand total of twelve hours – far too short of a time for most of my device reviews, but will amend my conclusions after another week or so of playing around with the phone.