BlackBerry Storm's clickable screen (and the rest of it) dissected, exposed

So you've read our extensive BlackBerry Storm review and, despite feeling disappointment about it not living up to the hype, can't help but wonder just what makes the thing tick click. While we were a bit too squeamish to rip one of ours apart and find out, phoneWreck felt no qualms about turning this week's hottest handset into a pile of bits, exposing (among numerous other things) the Qualcomm MSM7600 processor that's blamed for the phone's sluggish performance. As to how the clicky screen works, it's rather simple: just a plate behind the display (pictured above) with a dimple to push a button on a circuit board. Never dissect your heroes, kids; it just takes the mystery out of life.

[Paul @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:39PM]

I am really enjoying my Storm. It really does need software updates to improve the speed of the device as it lags badly sometimes. But I think most of the major problems can be easily fixed with software. Hopefully this includes the camera (which sucks).

I really like using this phone for open Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and PDF's that I get in email. It works so well. It is also really obvious the potential this phone has because Documents to Go is so fluid when going through large PDF's and Powerpoints. RIM just needs to fix its software.

[john @ Nov 23rd 2008 4:43AM]

your right... this phone's prossesor is clocked 100 MHz faster than the iphone so how is the prossesor to blame for lagging speeds?

[gad get @ Nov 23rd 2008 6:15AM]

Hear that, Engadget?

[iEye @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:39PM]

meh

[Samboini @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:52PM]

That's what your mum said when she looked down and saw what she had given birth to.

[KAIKAI @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:06PM]

no samboini your thinking "where is the shotgun"

[iEye @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:22PM]

Hey Sambonini and Kai Kai,

how's life in the Circus business?

[ubn2 @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:25PM]

OMG ITS LARRY THE CUCUMER!!! :D

[ubn2 @ Nov 22nd 2008 11:54PM]

do people hate Christianity that much?

[Tranada Day @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:41PM]

NO DISASSEMBLE! JOHNNY 5 IS ALIVE!

[pavlindrom @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:28PM]

For the clueless... who is Johnny 5?

[Jigen @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:33PM]

It's from the movie Short Circuit.

You, sir, get a + from me.

[trickards @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:58PM]

Brilliant! I lol'd

[scott @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:39PM]

INPUTTTT! MORE INPUTTT!!!!!!!!

[Ysleiro @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:42PM]

Really the processor is to blame for the phone's sluggishness?

I haven't heard that. Pray tell when this became public fact.

In other words there is nothing RIM can do (OS revisions) to make the phone faster since there is something wrong with the processor itself. Correct?

[Jeremy W @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:01PM]

No, the processor is not to blame. It's the fact that the phone is running pre-release software, due to a glitch discovered at the last minute in what was supposed to be the shipping software. You know, like Engadget reported a few hours ago. Sometimes I really can't stand to read the tripe that gets passed off as journalism here...

[Ted @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:12PM]

I don't know if that's an indisputable fact or not. There seems to be a lot of confusion out there over what CPU this phone is actually using. The datasheets say PXA930 which is definitely on par with the S5L8900 the iPhone uses but this teardown shows a MSM7600 which is almost hard to believe.

[melmac @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:03PM]

I think you meant like BGR reported YESTERDAY

[Dahk @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:55PM]

Technically, CDMA phones like the Storm exclusively use Qualcomm chipsets. So unless it being a world phone lets it use a different processor, then its probably not using the PXA930. The Bold uses that though.

... And seriously. Check the damned website. You can SEE Qualcomm MSM7600 -__-. Although a little fuzzy.

[AVG @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:49PM]

I wonder... if you were to use the same button on your keyboard for every single letter, how long before it wore out? Because that's sort of how this thing works, right?

Guess we'll find out in a few months.

[Paul @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:02PM]

Yeah it will definitely be interesting to see how that plays out.

[required @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:36PM]

If you think mouse click, you'll have a moment.

[telepheedian @ Nov 22nd 2008 10:20PM]

If you take apart your mouse and compare the construction of the switches vs this, you'll have a moment...

[AVG @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:49AM]

No way. I click my mouse often, but nowhere NEAR as many times as I hit a key on my keyboard. This reply alone is... well I don't feel like counting, but it's a whole shitload of "clicks" of the keys.

[Apple4ever @ Nov 22nd 2008 4:54PM]

Haha I like Paul saying -oh I love my little blackberry, it works so well! If only the processor didn't suck and they didn't try to copy apple, I still love it! -ALL BLACKBERRYS SUCK- the iPhone 3G is the way to go all the way and paul the iPhone opens word, powerpoint, excel, and PDFs, oh yeah and it came out a year ago! there will never be a phone from a company like apple that works so fluidly and doesn't have the crap verizon slowing it down!!!!

[Paul @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:01PM]

I never said the processor was slow... The software is a rolled back version because of a last minute security flaw. Remember the iphone's security flaw where you could bi-pass the password... Yeah RIM actually cares about these things because people use BB's for real work.

You know what is funny. For 2 days now I have been using this phone. Not only has it not crashed once in the those 2 days but it is faster than iPhone's browser and Verizon's network is faster than ATT's. How long can you go without a browser crash on iPhone? 3-4 websites?

[Mr. Fahrenheit @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:17PM]

Who are you? iEye's less retarded cousin?

[Andrew @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:07PM]

Finally we get some storm coverage from engadget! I can't think of another site ignoring this device this badly.

[Wifiguy @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:09PM]

They should have used the Marvell processors instead of the Qualcomm processors. The Bold sports the Marvell processor and folks love how fast it is.

[Jeremy W @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:11PM]

The processor in the Storm is faster than the processor in the iPhone. The lagginess is not due to the processor, it's due to the pre-release software running on it.

[auricom @ Nov 24th 2008 1:03AM]

what they should use is BlendTec (food) processor.. For a brand new, highly anticipated gadget to come out with sour reviews like this, I bet it WILL blend!!!

[MarbleMind @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:41PM]

Dimple? Button? Bah. Just cut off the top of a mason jar cap, stuff it behind the screen and you'll have the meatiest click ever.

[MarbleMind @ Nov 22nd 2008 5:44PM]

(okay, you need a dimple for that one too)

[ubn2 @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:22PM]

OMG ITS LARRY THE CUCUMBER!!!:D

[ubn2 @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:24PM]

uhhh I cant reply to iEye

[xm @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:26PM]

Extensive review? Processor the reason for sluggish interface? Really, Engadget, you can do better than that.

[Mynor @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:30PM]

wow ... so much is surfacing now .... now I'm uncertain if I should wait for a "next gen" Storm ... with a faster and better processor . wow.

[Jim @ Nov 22nd 2008 6:38PM]

The clickable screen is a composite of XY coordinates and a simple button. This should be fairly robust (I doubt it will break after a few thousand pushes). It sounds a bit like the new MacBook trackpad/button. This works really well and its ironic how the two companies have used the same solution for different applications.

But no Storm for me (yet). It looks great but the lack of WiFi, relatively slow interface and lack of Mac syncing OOTB make it a version 1 product. If it had the speed and capabilities of the Bold.... Knowing RIM, Storm2 will be out in around 6 months regardless of the success of Storm1. I'll wait.

[Richard Lai @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:51PM]

The MacBook's touchpad button is actually hinged along the top. I wonder if the Storm's is hinged at all - hingeless would be good.

[Jim Gradney @ Nov 23rd 2008 2:30AM]

I would really like to know what every "It does this well, but lacks this... so I'll wait" person has for a phone. I would imagine there is not a perfect phone out there at the moment, so I can imagine that your put this response for every possible phone out there. Do you not own a phone? Just curious.

[Shawn @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:50PM]

Damn you, Blackberry
I should not have bought iPhone
Maybe it will break

[gad get @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:54PM]

Don't worry, Apple has thoughtfully infused the iPhone with a healthy dose of planned obsolescence. It'll be off your hands in no time!

[Shadow @ Nov 22nd 2008 7:58PM]

crapberry sux

[Lanky R @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:33PM]

That was almost clever dude, maybe next time.

[rita hainsworth @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:45PM]

I love how it looks like a little nipple!

[J. Baker @ Nov 22nd 2008 8:58PM]

This is one of those times you wish you worked in the product design dept. for a company like blackberry when you have an idea like this. Guess someone else had the same idea.

[uberPaul @ Nov 22nd 2008 9:50PM]

Yea... WiFi... That was the biggest disappointment in my opinion, regardless of the OS issue. The software issues can be fixed, but WiFi? No... RIM made a bad decision on that. Hopefully the next Storm would have it. But for this new great phone (not including the OS issues), I give props to RIM.

[Grammar Police @ Nov 22nd 2008 10:27PM]

Engadget seems to have it out for this device.

The commentary and its prejudicial edge obliterates the credibility of the blog.

I'm getting pretty tired of it. Going down hill fast.

[Nick @ Nov 23rd 2008 12:15AM]

Engadget has every right to put down this device. They shipped it half assed with buggy hardware and every is praying on the fact they will fix it later. Im sorry but im not in the business to buy now and hope they fix it later. I wont it to work exactly as advertised out of the box. So engadget should review it exactly how they received it, and right now its not as amazing as it was supposed to be. Hardware or software issue or not Rim dropped the ball on this one and it seems the crackberry fanboys are even dumber than the apple ones

[john @ Nov 23rd 2008 4:59AM]

so iphone was perfect right out of the box? oh ok thanks for clearing that up for us all!