BlackBerry Storm Reviews

Who would not like a BlackBerry Storm? This business touch screen headset is packed with the everyday essentials you need: dual-mode functionality, support for EV-DO Rev, GPS and a 3.2 megapixels camera. But the screen has something different when you use it, because when you press something, it feels like you actually are holding down a key. It is a technology you need to get used to and of course, as many used QWERTY keyboards, this is surely something new. But even so, messaging and outstanding e-mail support has been kept along the time, so this is without question one of the best business touch screen phone.

As for design, it looks similar to competitors’ headsets, packed in a black casing with silver accents, but it is wide when you hold it and it weighs 5.6 ounces. It feels solid constructed and at the edges there is a soft-touch finish for a better grip. The VGA glass screen has 3.25”, it is sharp and bright, supports 65.000 colors and a pixel resolution of 480x360. Being equipped with an accelerometer, the orientation of the screen turns from landscape to portrait and the other way around. This will suit very well when you use the keyboard in landscape mode, when viewing web pages, playing games and so on. And talking about that unusual technology of the touch screen, SurePress, actually pushes the screen down when you select an app or type. You can even see a gap at the top and bottom of the screen. For entering text you can use the SurePress keyboard or the QWERTY one. But actions can also be made when you double tap the screen (for zooming on pages), you can copy/paste text and you can adjust the type sensitivity. It is just a matter of getting used to it all.

And it is not all about touch, because BlackBerry Storm comes with a set of tactile buttons below the screen, but no trackball navigator. Moreover, the phone runs on BlackBerry OS 7 and brings an updated user interface and DataViz Documents To Go Standard Edition. It means you can now edit popular files like Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and in case you want to create new documents, you have to upgrade to Premium Edition. Some minor changes in the documents can be made, but don’t imagine you can change the whole aspect or anything; it is still a mobile phone and not a laptop. You have access to BlackBerry App World directly from the web browser, so you have the freedom to download and install applications and games in order to increase productivity. Dual-mode functionality enables you to switch among networks and keep the same phone number while you are travelling abroad. But be sure to check the rates of each country for data and voice, so you don’t come across any surprises.

In what e-mail is concerned, you can still synchronize your phone with BlackBerry Enterprise server and deliver corporate e-mail in real time. You can also access personal accounts, up to 10. Using GPS, you can turn your phone into a navigator and install BlackBerry Maps or Google Maps and download maps, get traffic updates, satellite views and make your way easier through the crowd. Finally, the 3.2 megapixels camera has video recording capabilities, auto-focus and flash, but the quality is not out of the ordinary.