Overview:
Despite the persistent problems with the original BlackBerry Storm, RIM has decided to carry on down the touchscreen road, releasing the BlackBerry Storm 2. On paper, the improvements are highly noteworthy, with more screen accuracy and included Wi-Fi. But should RIM stick to what it knows best with a physical keyboard? Let's find out.
Review:
The BlackBerry Storm 2 is RIM's second attempt at a full touchscreen smartphone, so BlackBerry faithfuls who like the feel of individual keys may need some getting used to this. However RIM has differentiated its touchscreen to all others by making the entire surface clickable, so that the SurePress screen is essentially one big clickable button.
The Storm 2's screen has been upgraded with four sensors instead of the single sensor in the original Storm, which allowed us input letters in noticeably quick succession.
One negative to the SurePress option is that the screen's constant clicking sound as you push down on it isn't the most subtle way to reply to an email while you're in a quiet place, like a movie cinema.
When turning on your BlackBerry Storm 2 for the first time, you'll find a clean homescreen with some initial apps on the bottom half when in portrait mode. To access other menus, you can either tilt the device into landscape mode, or click on the BlackBerry button under the screen.
The Storm 2 is highly responsive as you navigate through its different options, and at no time was there a lag as we waited for features to open.
Letter accuracy on the Storm 2's onscreen keyboard is ok for typing out emails and messages, but there is definitely still room for typing accuracy improvement.
Another gripe we have is that the predictive text function on the alpha-numeric portrait keyboard isn't the most intuitive, requiring you to select the correct spelling of suggested words as you type, so that you don't lose the option of the word you want, one mistaken letter down the track.
Luckily there is the full QWERTY keyboard in the Storm 2's landscape mode to atone for this, but this poses its own problem by just providing you with a full-stop as your sole punctuation choice.
Other punctuation has to be accessed via the numeric keyboard, which will automatically change back to the QWERTY keyboard once a selection is made, which is rather frustrating when you're trying to type in a mobile number.
The Storm 2 comes pre-loaded with apps to let you edit Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, while other apps can be downloaded through the BlackBerry App world, which itself needs to be downloaded to the handset.
Social networking apps such as Facebook and Twitter automatically load a small icon to the homescreen so you can keep tabs on the latest updates.
Another Storm 2 app worth mentioning is the password keeper, which lets you store your various passwords for different websites, applications etc. You can set a master password to access your details, and there is a handy one-click copy username or password key, so you can easily paste it into the website account you're trying to access.
Connectivity-wise, the BlackBerry Storm 2 has gone one-up on it predecessor by adding WiFi, and while there is GPS, there is no pre-installed maps application, which is a notable omission.
Overall though, the Storm 2 is a huge improvement on the original Storm and we think RIM has stepped up to the plate in packing extra features and new technology into this handset.
Available from £20.00 per month over at MobileShop.com, the Storm 2 will keep you in touch with the office while keeping you a bit stylish at the same time.
The Gaj-It Verdict:
Design: 8/10
Usability: 7/10
Features: 7/10
Value: 8/10
We Say:
We think RIM has finally made a device that's competitive in the touchscreen world, and the Storm 2 lets you access emails securely like all other BlackBerries do, but this handset has stepped into the 21st century.