BlackBerry Storm 9500 hands-on

RIM's a little late to the touchscreen party, but comes bearing goodies. The BlackBerry Storm is a beast of a phone in more ways than one. Fronted by a meaty, high-resolution touchscreen with an innovative clicking mechanism, the phone is easily the prettiest by RIM to date. There's a brushed metal back, a beautiful new OS interface, and enough radios to give your grandkids cancer (EV-DO Rev. A, quad-band GSM, Europe-friendly HSPA, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, though sadly no WiFi). But the real test of a phone is usability, not flash. Check out our impressions after the break.

BlackBerry Storm hands-on

Hardware

RIM's going back to its roots here, and once again reminding us why corporate users tend to holster their phones instead of pocket them -- the Storm is a large one. It's not that you can't slide it into a jeans pocket (it's 0.55-inches thick), and in fact, there's no particular dimension that the Storm exaggerates beyond reason in comparison to, say, an iPhone, but folks who felt that Apple was already pushing boundaries there won't take kindly to this beefy phone. The traditional BlackBerry weight advantage is gone as well -- the Storm's large glassy touchscreen and related clicking mechanism, in addition to a very solid build means the weight certainly matches the size.

So, about that touchscreen. We were skeptical, since we've seen so many touchscreen phones done badly, but the Storm is a real charmer. First off, you have to understand the approach RIM took, which was to interpret the existing navigation method (scroll ball) into a touchscreen environment without pissing off existing users who were just getting over their jog dials. That method boils down to two categories: navigation and execution. As in, with previous BlackBerrys you scroll the wheel to select the email / link / application, and then click the scroll wheel to open / click / launch the object. Now you flick the screen to scroll, tap to select, and click to activate. That means when you tap the screen to select a soft key or an email or an application on the Storm, the object is highlighted, but nothing actually happens. You have to click down to execute, and we really mean click. The entire screen is floating on a clicking mechanism, and clicks down evenly, which provides just the right amount of resistance and tactile feedback, while still allowing for rapid operations like typing. The capacitive touch on top is perfectly sensitive and accurate. We'll get more into how well this works for actual usage (hint: pretty darn well) in the software section.

The 3.25-inch screen itself is bright, colorful and high-resolution (480 x 360). Video playback is sharp and smooth, and the extra pixels on the large screen means eye fatigue won't be much of an issue. Unfortunately, as far we can tell there's no hardware video acceleration, which shouldn't be a problem for correctly-compressed video, but there aren't any Apple or Nokia-style swooping transitions in, we don't have high hopes for gaming, and stuff like browsing through photos and and panning around web pages is fairly choppy. The lack of hardware acceleration could also cut down on battery life, which RIM is pegging at 15 days of standby and 5.5 hours of talk, but hasn't fleshed out with media playback figures.

In addition to the touchscreen, there's a full complement of standard buttons for getting things done: rocker switch and camera button on one side of the device; another function button on the other side; call, end, back and BlackBerry buttons on the face; invisible mute and lock buttons up top.

There's an internal accelerometer, and the screen (speedily) rotates accordingly, even allowing full rotation for left-handed use. There's a micro-USB plug on one side, and a 3.5mm jack on the top right side of the handset. Unfortunately, that sideways jack pretty much means you'll need to go A2DP or rock the phone holster-style to listen to music on the go, it's going to be quite uncomfortable in your pocket with a headphone plug sticking out the side. There's a very, very loud built-in speaker for pushing out your tunes old school, and an included dock for enjoying movies in such a fashion -- when docked the phone also doubles as an alarm clock, and is plenty loud enough to pull it off.

Software

Like we said before, RIM didn't want to reinvent the wheel here, and didn't. In fact, almost the entire interface -- besides the recent aesthetic overhaul enjoyed by both the Bold and the Storm, which brought much needed perks like readable fonts and a modicum of glamor -- is standard BlackBerry. That means the standard, business-friendly strengths of RIM remain intact, while some of the long-standing interface annoyances (like incessant scrolling) can be overcome with a simple tap or click of the touchscreen.

But the true test of any touch-based phone is typing, and we won't hold any punches here: we're in love. In fact, we like it enough to pit it against regular button-based keyboards, since it easily leaves traditional touchscreen typing (even that hokey haptics stuff, Nokia, LG) in the dust. In landscape mode, the QWERTY keyboard is simply gargantuan, which means the keys are hard to miss. Tap a key and it glows, letting you know you're on the right one, click the "key" (the entire screen, really, but it feels like you're just clicking that one key) and you type the letter. We're guessing we could type out a few words without looking in a pinch, and for people just starting out on a mini-QWERTY keyboard, they're going to have a much easier time finding the letters than on those relatively teensy QWERTY keyboards on existing HTC, Palm and RIM phones. We're even bigger fans of typing in SureType mode (two letters per virtual key), with the phone in portrait. The buttons are the largest of any SureType keyboard out there, you can type with one hand, and the touchability of the screen means it's easy to select the right word when there are multiple options. Both options blow away the touchscreen alternatives thanks to the screen click, though SureType is an acquired taste.

In standard RIM fashion, one-handed navigation is a priority and totally doable, but now there's actually room for two hands, which could speed all sorts of actions -- click the app switcher button with one thumb, tap your desired app with the other, not mind-blowing, but helpful. There are other perks brought on by touch that will take a bit of exploration to discover. For instance, if you tap and hold the screen (without clicking) on an email address or an email subject for a couple seconds, the phone will search for related emails. Multitouch makes a reluctant appearance in the form of two-fingered selection. Hold one finger above and another finger below a block of text to select it, then tap and drag to fine-tune the selection. Unfortunately, stuff like two-fingered zooming and rotation isn't happening here, but RIM promises to work on other helpful uses for touching -- it feels a tad underutilized in its present form.

Wait, wait, rewind. Did we just say text selection? Yes, RIM (and other sane, mature smartphone OSes) has been doing text selection and copy / paste for a good long while, and didn't think the Storm was any time to stop. You can select, copy and paste anything, anywhere, including random blocks of text from the browser (just switch from "pan" to "cursor" mode).

Speaking of the browser, RIM has made great strides in the past year or so, but its homebrewed Java-based app still doesn't quite match the Nokia / Apple / Google-favored WebKit in terms of rendering speed and accuracy. We also didn't see the sort of smooth and effortless scrolling the iPhone provides, that no other touch phone has managed to replicate so far.

RIM's core apps are obviously just as solid as ever when it comes to email, calendaring and contacts, and are increasingly being integrated with the browser and outside apps like Facebook. What's still lacking is a truly powerful and cohesive media player -- it still seems tacked-on, though the search feature in the music app is a nice touch. RIM's clearly working on this, but there's more to be done. At the time this post goes live we're still not sure if those leaked App Center screenshots are legit, but it'd certainly be a nice shot at Apple and Google, and a chance to bring RIM's existing developer community to the forefront.

Wrap-up

Carrier (Verizon) and budget (unknown) constraints aside, what it's probably going to boil down to is whether or not the BlackBerry OS is your style. RIM hasn't done an overhaul to make touchscreen viable, instead banking on its navigation / execution paradigm to make the transition to touch -- which for the most part it does brilliantly. RIM hasn't in any way made the phone unattractive to its traditional corporate loyalists, and might just manage to snag other users looking for a flashy phone with decent email, but when it comes to browsing, media playback and other forms of consumer-friendliness, RIM still has a ways to go.

[deedelvis Posted Nov 15th 2008 2:42AM]

WHAT!! NO WIFI!! I'm wanting to upgrade from an HTC Kaiser/TYTNII, up to this point I was really contemplating either an HTC touch pro, or a Sony Experia X1. This could have trumped both those for me. however, there is NO WIFI. I find myself travelling lots at short notice for work, and a portable device with wifi is something that I really like using. That way I won't be stung for 3g data roaming rates or have to use HSDPA. And use wifi at hotels and airports Sorry rim, you've lost a guaranteed sale :(

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 16th 2008 8:57AM]

i cant wait! to get the new blackberry!



[img]http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/6204/blackberrystorm1hs1.th.jpg[/img]

[TomClancy Posted Nov 17th 2008 3:51AM]

I thought G1 has more preorders than the iPhone has sold in 24 hours. Hahaha

[TomClancy Posted Nov 17th 2008 3:57AM]

This goes to the Verizon dumbfucks!

Not everybody wants or uses shitty CDMA Verizon or lives in the USA. The world doesn't revolve around the USA!

There these people that buy unlocked GSM phones, that don't want to pay an arm and a leg for something that we won't use more than once a day. There is a life beyond being online 24/7 and checking your myspace every fucking 5min for your non-exiting hot girlfriends/friends.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 17th 2008 12:53PM]

Does anyone know if the Blackberry Storm 9530 is available for purchase in Egypt ?
Thanks in advance.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 20th 2008 10:14PM]

is this pone any good when it comes to texting? and does it have a query keyboard when u turn it to text?

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 18th 2008 3:14AM]

Personally, what's the point in having Wi-Fi on a phone when Wi-Fi is not offered everywhere...for example, why NOT get a phone w/o Wi-Fi when going into Wal-Mart or a Mall w/o Wi-Fi, there is no signal anyway...

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 19th 2008 3:10AM]

Really sounds like you all are busting a nut while talking about these phones. Get a girlfriend/boyfriend and a life.
BTW- why use wi-fi when your paying for data plan?? Just remember that we lived 10 years ago without it and you can live without internet access 24/7. Still cant wait to get the Storm.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 19th 2008 1:34PM]

Alright so i am not cellphone technology freak and don't understand a lot of the specifications of cellphones.

I need a cellphone that is good for browsing the internet and answering emails while i am in school..
Is this cellphone going to be able to connect to the internet while i am in school?

When would i have trouble connecting to the internet with this phone?

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 23rd 2008 9:37AM]

i live in nyc and got the storm yesterday. i did have a few concerns before i got it. after spending the whole day with it, i love it. the internet is super fast and the interface is great. once you get used to the clickable screen it is easy to use. it did take about the whole day to get used to it. however now i feel like i really navigate around the phone quickly and don't make many mistakes. also i heard they're going to give developers opportunities to make apps for the phone, like apple in the near future...so who cares about living without a few widgets for a while?

i was considering getting the iphone but i am have been with verizon for about 6 years and have never ever had a problem with reception or customer service. their service speaks for itself. why get a fancy phone with at&t when it sucks to use it?

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 23rd 2008 9:44PM]

I was 2nd in line at 5:30am 11/21/08 to get my new storm.
I was 1st in line at 11:00 am 11/23/08 to return it.

the touch screen is actually one BIG button. in other words,the touch screen is just a big button suspended on a spring like bottom. you will not type emails or text messages faster. the keyboard feels very uncertain, and the finger swipe response is sorely lacking (even though there are sensitivy settings, I did not see any improvement). the verizon salesman said,"i told you you'd need a week to get comfortable with the touch screen".
It also looks like some of the business features like word, excel, and power point will cost you some extra money to get.
I could never participate in a shoot out with my Iphone friends with this thing!
Good luck if you buy one.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 24th 2008 2:24PM]

Personally, I tried the Storm out, and thought the key clicking mechanism was totally cheesy. It was not fast enough to make near simultaneous key clicks. The blackberry is quickly becoming the DELL of the computer world. Nothing new, nothing great, just another phone. Excellent for fuddy-duddy placation perhaps, but ultimately, a tire device especially when coupled with the rigid software.

Slow browser, clunky media operations, and the whole screen feels like it's going to pop off like a cuckoo in a cuckoo clock.

Let me reiterate, the screen is like a jack-in-the-box waiting to burst out of the box. LOL.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 29th 2008 9:33PM]

I just got one of these 3 days ago and I abso-friggin-leutely love it and have had all the Palm Platforms(PALM AND WINDOWS),LG Dare,LG Voyager,Moto Q,and this one is not only better designed but much easier to use and navigate as well as higher functionality.
I swore I would never own a Blackberry but this ones got me hooked!

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 1st 2008 11:53PM]

I purchased the BlackBerry storm on release day 11/21. I have to say I'm not impressed too much. The screen flipping responds very slow. The letters do not highlight when you push them. Meaning the letter lights up above when you push it. The browser speed is nominal at best. I'm a Mac user and I cannot get the unit to sync with my computer. The provided software for it is not supported on a Mac. So all in all my gut feeling was to switch and get an iPhone and AT&T. Now I wish I had. Save yourself some aggravation and ditch your idea for this device and get an iPhone.

Happy Holidays To All,

Dan

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 6th 2008 7:44PM]

I just ordered a storm yesterday. Gotta wait about 3-4 days for it to get here, but I spent some good time with it from a kid in my Bis Law class and loved it. I was NOT going to buy it till I saw the firmware update sped everything up, I LOVE LOVE LOVE my curve and its killing me to wait for my new phone :) Give RIM some time people to work out the kinks and such this is a first gen phone, and when compared to a first gen Iphone the features and what is can do is leaps and bounds further ahead then the Iphone was.

I will also say, it only cost me 200 bucks for the storm, and I get a nice discount for being a student so I pay less than I'm paying now for my curve on Cincinnati bell. Glade I went with Verizon. The no Wifi thing doesn't really effect me I have had my curve for about 2 years and this model doesn't have Wifi and I got good reception everywhere I went. With a better and faster network I'm looking forward to browsing the net that much more when I'm at school.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 26th 2008 3:49PM]

Helpful information, thanks.
I also find a useful and cool software for Blackberry Storm 9530, 9500, which can convert dvd or video to Blackberry storm, so you can watch dvd movie with your blackberry on the go.

I find it below:
http://www.dvd-ripper-copy.com/blackberry-converter-suite.html#116