BlackBerry Storm2 9520 review: Back in Black... Berry

RIM are a company with style and simply hopping on the touchscreen bandwagon with another iPhone wannabe just wouldn't suit them. They certainly realized the importance of having a full-touch device in their portfolio but wanted a clear and legible BlackBerry imprint on it.



BlackBerry Storm2 official photo


The BlackBerry Storm 9500 was a truly intriguing device but never really managed to find its place in the new market it was built for. Too bold and unusual for the BlackBerry-loyals and yet too conservative for the rest of the world, it didn't quite get the results it was hoping for. But the successor might use the publicity the first Storm generated for its own good.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 2100 MHz 3G with HSPA support
  
• 3.25" 65K-color capacitive touchscreen of 360 x 480 pixel resolution
  
• Improved touchscreen experience with piezo-electric touch feedback system
  
• 3.15 MP autofocus camera, LED flash
  
• BlackBerry OS 5
  
• Wi-Fi and built-in GPS with BlackBerry maps preloaded
  
• 2 GB internal storage and a hot-swappable microSD card slot
  
• Landscape on-screen keyboard is as close to hardware keys as we have seen on a touch phone
  
• Nice looks and great build quality
  
• 3.5mm standard audio jack
  
• Accelerometer sensor for screen auto-rotate
  
• Bluetooth v2.1 and USB v2.0
  
• Document editor
  
• Good audio quality
  

Main disadvantages:

• No email support without BlackBerry Internet Service account
  
• Interface not as quick as competitors'
  
• Chubbier than most touchscreen phones with similarly-sized displays
  
• Mediocre camera
  
• No FM radio
  
• No web browser Flash support
  
• No dedicated video-call camera
  

The good news is RIM decided to honor the Storm2 with a few upgrades over the original. However, none of them seems to be absolutely crucial so the greatest responsibility falls on the brand new piezo-electric touchscreen. The missing link between touchscreen and a hardware keypad is what many keen texters must have been waiting for. Or at least that's what RIM believe.
The BlackBerry Storm2 9520 views
Now, the SurePress screen didn't work out particularly well on the first Storm and a second failure might herald the demise of the entire series. So the BlackBerry Storm2 knows it needs to impress the audience or it might take a spot in history for all the wrong reasons.

Retail package

Considering the high price tag we find the BlackBerry Storm2 retail package fairly modest. There is no memory card included and the supplied one-piece handsfree looks second-rate. There is a leather carrying case supplied so it's not all bad.
The Storm2 box contents
The other items in the box are a charger and microUSB data cable. As you can see in the shots, there's also a user guide and a CD with the software required for synching your handset with a computer and that's all.

BlackBerry Storm2 9520 360-degree spin

Standing at 112.5 x 62.2 x 14 mm the BlackBerry Storm2 9520 is identically-sized to its predecessor. This is fairly large in general phone terms but about what you'd expect in a handset with a 3.25" display.
The shot is hardly revealing but the Storm2 feels well bulkier than the Apple iPhone 3GS
The weight has been increased by 5 grams to 160 which is quite heavy. The Nokia N97 weighs a good 10 grams less even though it packs a QWERTY keyboard and a larger screen.We do appreciate the solid feel though and are willing to accept the above average weight.

Design and construction

The BlackBerry Storm2 9520 sports some nice design improvements over the original Storm. For one, the four keys at the bottom now blend with the display and are part of the consistent touchscreen experience, not to mention the illusion they create of an even larger display. Also the side keys are now black instead of silver and are much more inline with the general styling of the device.
The rest of the design pretty much sticks to the original, the metallic battery cover and the sleek top with invisible buttons still our favorites. Combined with the solid weight, the nice exterior gives the Storm2 the feel to match the price tag.
Most of the front of the BlackBerry Storm2 9520 is taken by the magnificent 3.25" piezo-electric display. Its picture quality is among the best we have seen from RIM and this is quite an achievement given the consistently good BlackBerry screens.
The 360 x 480 resolution is hardly remarkable as we can easily think of a number of handsets that come with several times the pixel count but the image quality is splendid. The contrast and brightness are top-notch, easily among the best we have seen on an LCD screen.
The sunlight legibility is also great, the display easily maintaining readability and colors even in the brightest sun.
The 3.25" display of the Storm2 has excellent image quality
Now for the really interesting part - the piezo-electric technology that stands behind the touchscreen operation. If you don't have much experience with either of the Storm devices you might be led to believe they use the same clicking screen but that would be wrong. OK, not totally wrong perhaps, as the user experience is similar, but the improved performance of the Storm2 is certainly welcome.
The screen surface is a regular capacitive touchscreen, which responds to the lightest of touches, bare fingers only though (no gloves or stylus).
However, the Storm2 interface uses the tap-to-select and press-to-confirm logic. So, a tap will only highlight an app or a menu item. If you want to activate it, you will need to apply some pressure and push the whole display down.
On the original Storm the whole display was one regular big-ass button. Now with the piezo-electric enhancement, the screen now is much softer to touch. The piezzo technology is also said to allow multi-touch input, which wasn't possible with the SurePress on the original Storm.
You're not to expect pinch zoom or anything on the Strom2 but multi touch support is quite relevant to typing - think two-key combos like Shift + whatever. The reduced effort will also make sure your fingers are less tired after longer typing on the handset.
Because the Storm itself takes part in the display movement, pressing it down isn't possible when the phone is off - the screen won't click unless you power it up.
The new technology of the BlackBerry Storm2 9520 brings both positives and negatives but it's pretty clear where its strength lies. Typing has never been a touchscreen forte but the Storm2 is the closest you will get to a hardware QWERTY keyboard. Quite a lot of users complained about their hands getting tired after writing a few emails on their original Storms but we guess the situation has notably improved.
Anyway, the whole clickable screen thing only makes sense perhaps in BlackBerry terms. What makes a BlackBerry handset is messaging after all, and QWERTY and adding touchscreen to the equation shouldn't change things much.
But in regular touchscreen terms, the extra step (tap-to-select, press-to-confirm) is more of a disadvantage. In any case, we would strongly advise to try it in person before dropping the cash. And this will involve at least an hour or two of typing and navigating, not just a 5 minute trial.

Design and construction (continued)

The four controls on the front panel are operated in the exact same way as the display. Those include the Call and End buttons, as well as the Menu and Back keys.
The keys are also (kind of) touch-sensitive
On top of the front panel of the Storm2 we find the earpiece and the LED indicator. The status LED notifies of missed calls and messages, low battery and charging.
The earpiece and status LED are on top
The left side of the BlackBerry Storm2 9520 hosts the microUSB port and one of the convenience keys. There isn't a cover for the data jack so dust is likely to accumulate.
The microUSB port and the left convenience key
The default function of the left convenience key of the Storm2 is voice commands, but you can change that as you see fit.
On the right, we find the other convenience key, a 3.5mm audio jack and the volume rocker. The 3.5mm audio jack is exposed too. The convenience key is a two-step button, which suggests that it is best suited for its default purpose - operating the autofocus camera. Yet if you aren't much into using your phone camera (which is likely if you are looking at the Storm2 at all) you can assign it a different functionality.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to assign two applications to it despite it being capable of handling them on half press/full press.
The right side view: volume rocker and 3.5mm audio jack • convenience key and lanyard eyelet
The BlackBerry Storm2 9520 loudspeaker grill is located on top of the handset, between the two hidden keys. Those take care for switching the Storm2 on/off and muting the handset. The on/off key also locks/unlocks the display.
The loudspeaker is flanked by the two invisible keys
The bottom of the Storm2 is very plain with the microphone pinhole providing the only entertainment there.
The Storm2 mouthpiece
The back hosts the 3.15MP autofocus camera and the LED flash. You shouldn't expect miracles from the shooter given its specs and the RIM track record in imaging.
The 3.2 megapixel camera is complemented by a LED flash
Under the solid metal (me likey!) battery cover hides the 1400 mAh Li-Ion battery. Given the ample capacity it's little surprise that it can last for almost two full days under fairly heavy usage (about 2 hours a day of fiddling with the phone and 30 minutes of calls).
The 1400 mAh battery is sufficient for the Storm2 power needs
The microSD card slot is also here. It is fully hot-swappable and has no trouble handling the largest memory cards currently available on the market (16GB). The only problem is you will have to open the cover each time you access it but we consider it a fair sacrifice for having one less aperture on the surface.
So, as you might have sensed we are delighted with the build quality of the BlackBerry Storm2 9520. There is no wobbling display, or gaps between panels or anything else to raise questions. The handset just radiates sturdiness.
The Storm2 fits nice in our hands

BlackBerry OS 5 goes touch

The BlackBerry Storm2 9520 runs the new, fifth, version of the company's proprietary OS. It brings a couple of nice new extras to the touchscreen-operated Storm, unlike most other BlackBerry devices which benefited very little from it.
If you have been keeping track you would know that we aren't in love with the BlackBerry OS looks but, in all fairness, the touch implementation is a bit better. The little 3D touch to the icons and the few nice transitions look better than what the 9700 Bold has to offer.
Touch makes the BlackBerry OS look better
The BlackBerry OS 5 also introduces kinetic scrolling which greatly facilitates handing of longer lists. The automatic rotation is also supposed to be faster now. Those upgrades have also made their way to the original Storm via a firmware update so they aren't Storm2-exclusive.
Unfortunately, very little has been done about the tons of plain ugly text-only submenus that can still be found in the BlackBerry Storm2. Even with the slickest theme applied you are still just a couple of clicks away from these eyesores.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to be done
And with the Storm2 we aren't talking hardcore business users only - the target audience has now widened and might include some people that, you know, might have an eye for the aesthetics. Touchscreen handsets need to provide nice user experience or else their existence is pointless.
Coming with a generally new touchscreen platform took quite a lot of R&D effort, but they should have saved some for the UI polishing. We really hate it when nice ideas fail only because of negligence. But we digress.
The homescreen is pretty well organized with 8 (by default) shortcut buttons placed at the bottom and all status icons at the top. The profiles can also be accessed straight from here, as well as two other features that you choose to assign to the convenience keys. Tilting the handset to the side doesn't bring a landscape mode of the homescreen but opens the main menu instead.
You can enter the main menu by simply turning the handset landscape
The BlackBerry Storm2 has a menu structure completely different from any other touchscreen handset on the market (save for the original Storm of course). Unlike the iPhone's what-you-see-is-what-you-get approach, you have a menu button here, which revels a list of context-sensitive options. You might want to spend some time learning what is available where if you are a newcomer to the BlackBerry world.
A press and hold of the menu key brings up the task manager
We are pleased with the Storm2 performance. Lagging was very rare and the handset seemed pretty stable for the time of our review. There was only one restart in about a week's time and that's not bad at all. RIM doesn't provide any information about the CPU inside the Storm2 but either it is faster than the original Storm or the new version of the OS is better optimized to make the device feel snappier.

Phonebook: this is Spartaaaaaa

Sorry, we just couldn't help it - the Storm2 Spartan phonebook graphics really brought it out in us. The unlimited capacity and the decent functionality is of course what matters more but, again, the overall experience counts too.
Not quite the looker this phonebook, is it?
The search line color has been changed from black to white in the new 5.0 version but that hardly makes much difference.
The contacts get listed alphabetically by first, last name or company in one of those black and white lists that we warned you about. You can search contacts by gradually typing a name like on almost any other phone.
You can put your contacts in one of two categories - personal and business and then filter your phonebook accordingly. There is also grouping available this time and you can create as many groups as you like.
Editing a contact gives you a vast number of fields which are organized in several sub-groups. You can also replicate some of the fields (those that you are going to need anyway) as many times as you like.

Telephony fares much better

Getting some eyesores from the phonebook we went over to inspecting the Storm telephony and we were in for a nice treat this time.
We really dig the Smart dial feature, which works when inserting contacts in messaging too.
The BlackBerry Storm2 9520 in-call screen offers four large and easy to press buttons plus five shortcuts to features you are most likely to need during a call. Those include notes, calendar, contacts, dial pad and home screen. Well that last one might not be what you need during a call but it's the quickest way to an application that is not on the list.
The Storm2 in-call screen
The phone offers good in-call voice quality and we didn't experience any drops or coverage issues at all.
We also ran our traditional loudspeaker test on the BlackBerry Storm2 9520. We weren't overwhelmed but the Storm2 still snatched a good score, meaning missed calls are only likely in noisier environments. More info on our loudspeaker test as well as other results can be found here.

Speakerphone test	Voice, dB	Pink noise/ Music, dB	Ringing phone, dB	Overall score
Apple iPhone 3G	66.1	62.1	71.7	Below Average
BlackBerry Bold 9700	72.7	66.6	73.6	Good
BlackBerry Storm2 9520	72.2	66.3	72.9	Good
BlackBerry Storm 9500	75.8	65.0	72.7	Good
HTC Touch HD	77.7	73.7	76.7	Excellent

There're a couple of games too

The BlackBerry Storm 9520 only came with two preinstalled games.
The first was a version of the all too popular Bricks game, adapted for touch control. While you might need some time getting used to operating your pad this way, once you do so it is hardly too different from the other similar titles we have tried.
The first game is Bricks
The other game is the Word Mole, where you have to compose words with the letters given on the board. Various bonuses and bonus levels are also at hand.
And the other is Word Mole

GPS navigation

BlackBerry Storm2 9520 is equipped with a built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support. For navigation you get BlackBerry Maps, which supposedly come preinstalled (not on our unit though). Users stateside also enjoy the Verizon Navigator, which is quite more functional and you can also get the free Google Maps if data traffic doesn't bother you.
BlackBerry Maps provides basic map functionality plus voice-guided navigation. You can enter addresses straight from your phonebook and you can also save your favorite spots so you don't have to type them every time.
The BlackBerry Maps also lets you send your location to anyone via email or SMS. This is yet another application however that simply doesn't work without a BIS account.

Final words

RIM have certainly succeeded in making their touchscreen absolutely consistent with the very BlackBerry concept. The Storm series are not shying away from innovation, but the number one purpose of innovation here is to respect tradition. There's nothing wrong with that but it's not the best way to appeal to a wider market. Anyway, the ongoing effort to match the hardware keyboard ergonomics on a touchscreen seems almost complete with the Storm2. Typing is what books the Storm2 a premier league place.
However yet again RIM seem to have underestimated the visuals and that might be decisive when the line is drawn. The outdated graphics have somewhat improved, with a bit of touchscreen makeup, but are no match for the elaborate and glamorous interfaces of the competition.
The Storm2 is in its prime at texting, but in all other contexts the device fails to impress. And even if you're willing to live with that, there comes the sky-high price tag to change your mind.
Don't get us wrong - the idea of having a side-slider QWERTY functionality in a much more compact package is really appealing but not enough perhaps to justify that kind of asking price. After all, the competitors can give you an only slightly thicker QWERTY slider with a better screen and vastly superior multimedia for less.
Both Nokia N97 and Nokia N97 mini are credible alternatives for the Storm2 as they offer good enough typing and come easier on the wallet. The BlackBerry email and security are a class in their own but hardly always essential.
Nokia N97 • Nokia N97 mini
The Apple iPhone 3GS is perhaps both RIM's inspiration and frustration. Many observers were keen to interpret the Storm (and quite naturally the Storm2) as a direct response to the Apple phone. Yet we don't quite see how these will compare at all. One is all about near physical typing while the other is still choking with the haptics idea. But at the end of the day, if touchscreen is your only request, the general iPhone experience is way ahead of BlackBerry.
Apple iPhone 3GS
If the BlackBerry service limitations aren't much to your taste but you do insist on a touchscreen smartphone you have a great choice of powerful devices. Among the fairly recent releases, you might want to check out the Google Nexus One or plenty of WinMo handsets. Samsung Omnia II and OmniaPRO, HTC Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 are all perfectly capable smartphones that will give you great all-round functionality without forcing you to spend extra on email.
Google Nexus One • Samsung Omnia II • Touch Diamond2 • Touch Pro2
Once again we have to underline that it's not a regular mobile phone we are talking about here. With BlackBerries, the service is an intrinsic part of the package and that makes it harder to make up your mind. You have to like them both or you better look elsewhere.
The straightforward assumption would be that the Storm2 is the dream device for those who have a solid BlackBerry background and want to explore touchscreen. Now, that's a pretty limited pool to draw on, isn't it?
From a broader perspective, the Storm2 is a capable touchscreen smartphone. And the touchscreen interpretation of the BlackBerry OS is better than the early Symbian attempts. But in pure market terms, Symbian can get away with a lot more things than BlackBerry.