BlackBerry Storm2 9550 Review

The BlackBerry 9550 Storm2 finally the original Storm 9530 promise. It is then a powerful device with an innovative screen that really works, and it feels rather like an engineering prototype ready. Aside from the Storm 9550 is now a proper version of last year’s groundbreaking smartphone. Is that good enough for a given Editors’ Choice Award, all that has happened in the wireless industry in the past year? It is a difficult, but we do not have because of his unassuming Web browsing and say underpowered camera.

Design and touch screen

The Storm2 looks a little thinner and finer. In essence, it consists of fewer moving parts. The 4.4 is replaced Storm2 measures 2.4 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.6 ounces. It is heavier than the HTC Imagio, our current Editors’ Choice, although the Storm2 has a smaller screen and no mobile TV tuner or side stand. Touch-buttons at the top of grip force, dumb bell and screen lock features. Other links and volume buttons are now gummed. The Storm2 is usually black, although the RIM darkened chrome accents. The brushed aluminum back feels noble and remains as before with the exception of the speaker (more on that in a moment).

The click-screen, the source of so much controversy about the original Storm-is completely new. It is a 3.3-inch, 360 x 480 pixels SurePress glass touchscreen, 65K colors supported. The four front panel buttons are now touch-based and integrated with the rest of the glass. Colors seemed a little warmer and more natural, with less a blue cast.

The screen presses still like the original Storm. But instead of a giant, hidden physical button offers Storm2 four actuators, one under each corner. Touch the screen and the actuators act electric charge on the glass. It is suitable for the registration of two presses at the same time, such as when you hold the Shift key while pressing a letter key. The end result: localized haptic feedback that feels natural. The screen does not jiggle around more in his rod. Back and forth between the two towers, I could type more accurately and quickly to the new screen-based first of the sentence. You get real physical feedback. It’s still a little stiff, so for the cramped fingers after a long preparation typing.

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The Storm2 also supports multi-touch, but only in certain cases. You can copy and paste text by using two fingers on both ends, double-tap to appear on a word and handles. It is bad when they jump around, which handles graphics and sometimes leave “ghosts” of themselves in spots. Double-tap also zooms in, which is not as obvious as the iPhone zoom with two fingers or the Imagio’s Touch zoom slider, but it works in a pinch. The scrolling is too slow, you can swipe the screen let go and watch it roll to a stop. As before, turn the Storm2 on his side and the accelerometer calls the landscape QWERTY keyboard, stand on it and can choose portrait or SureType QWERTY arrangement.

Voice Quality, messaging and web browsing

As a dual-band EV-DO Rev A (850/1900 MHz), Quad-Band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and single-band HSDPA (2100 MHz) device, a true world phone hits Storm2 that high-speed data networks here and overseas. It also works as a data modem with the appropriate BroadbandAccess Connect plan. The Storm2 eventually include Wi-Fi, I do not think that was a big deal given Verizon pervasive 3G coverage, but many people asked for it, so there it is. Voice calls sounded excellent, with a bright, edgy tone that accentuates every syllable clearly. There was no noise, static or other unwanted background noise in both directions. Reception was questionable; a nearby BlackBerry Curve 8330 on Verizon’s EV-DO posted on mode tougher in rural areas. This gross data transfer speeds not affect the quality of the connection. The new lower edge mounted speakerphone is loud and clear, you can plop down on a table Storm2 face without loss of sound. Calls through a Bluetooth headset Plantronics Voyager Pro sounded fine, and the Storm2 includes Visual Voicemail and Nuance Voice Control. Battery life was good on 5 hours and 44 minutes of talk time, but that’s an hour and a half, the tempo from the original Storm. (And that was off with the new Wi-Fi radio.)

Web browsing is not one of the Storm2 strong suits. The HTML browser makes websites Desktop good, but slow (in 3G). Also audio and video streams, but lacks flash and two-finger zoom. Scrolling of web sites around felt jerky. Plus, was the symbol on the bottom bar fussy, it does not always appear on cue. Safari on iPhone, Android, Opera Mobile, and all offer a better mobile browsing experience.

On the other hand, messaging, rule-like at all BlackBerrys. The Storm hook in ten e-mail accounts and pushes full HTML messages. Text messages are now threaded and color coded. For instant messaging, Blackberry RIM pre-loads Messenger, but also throws in Relation to clients for Yahoo, MSN, ICQ, AIM and download it, and Google Talk that date. DataViz DocumentsToGo is on board to view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. The A-GPS radio works with VZ Navigator for voice-enabled, turn-by-turn directions (at $ 9.99 per month extra). The Storm2 features BlackBerry OS 5.0, with the same 528 MHz CPU as before. You can buy third-party applications through the BlackBerry App World, there are about 2,000 currently in the catalog.

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Multimedia, camera and conclusions

The Storm2 includes 2 GB on-board memory and a 16GB SanDisk microSD card in the box, the card slot is located under the battery lid that opens smoothly. A proper 3.5mm headphone jack on the right side near the top. The Roxio Media Manager is based desktop for the trip, and RIM finally unveiled a proper Mac Sync App. AAC and MP3 sound-light and a little hazy on Motorola S9-HD Bluetooth headphones. The Storm2 synchronizes iTunes and Windows Media Player music files, but also large displays thumbnails of beautiful album art, if available. Verizon offers its Rhapsody subscription-based service. Standalone video playback was great. While the Storm2 was unexpected on my HD and WMV-files of the former, because the original Storm, she played stifling played it 3gp and mp4 videos very smooth, with bright colors and clear stereo sound through the headphones.

The 3.2-megapixel camera has autofocus, image stabilizer and an LED flashlight. The operative word “dark.” Instead of collapsing in excessive noise, the camera simply refuses Storm2 not reproduce without enough light, you will get is black. sufficiently in a bright environment, photos looked OK with no glaring deficiencies in total. Shutter speed was only about a second, I did not see much movement with or without image stabilization blur. The photos with geotagged geotagged Storm2 also provided maps showing only images, photos and communicate with Flickr and other services. Recorded video, now at 480-by-352 resolution were very smooth at 26 frames per second. But there was the same problem, crank the lights or forget something to see in the photographs.

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In short, the smart update is recommended Storm2 easier than the first model. Only a few weeks ago, we awarded the HTC Imagio with our Editors’ Choice, as it was the best of an otherwise unremarkable set of Verizon’s smartphones. The Imagio includes real broadcast mobile TV (in appropriate service areas), a larger screen with much higher resolution, better web browser and camera, an attractive and respond UI (at least to take before all the terrible dialogues Windows Mobile) and it weighs a little less. Even if you think that Windows Mobile 6.5 is a five-year-old OS with a fresh coat of paint and you’d be right that a lot has to be overcome for the Storm2. Storm2 The screen is much better than before, but the UI still need the intuitive reaction to a device designed with touch from the start.

If you are iffy on the touchscreen, then the BlackBerry 9630 tour your model. It is still an excellent smartphone and packs a stellar QWERTY keyboard, even when the screen is smaller (albeit with the same resolution as the Storm2). Verizon really needs at least one other smartphone OS, it was the iPhone, Android or webOS. Until then, the Storm2, tour, and Imagio any solid decisions.

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