To say that the Storm 2 is an improvement over the original Storm would be an understatement. In fact, the Storm 2 comes close to an iPhone killer, if it were not for the inferior transmissive touch screen on the phone. Due to the touch screen, the onscreen keyboard is a little difficult to use particularly when it came to pressing two buttons that were beside each other. Aside from that, using this device is a breeze.
When the first Storm came out, many critics felt that BlackBerry should just stick to non-touch screen device. The unfinished feel of the Storm, the screen gaps, and the keys that easily fell off were key problems that discouraged a lot of people from this BlackBerry line.
Getting Back on Track
The Storm 2, on the other hand, shows the good old BlackBerry spirit in the device. The phone is not only impressive in the way that it has done away with all the problems that plagued the first, but it also brings decent hardware to compete with today’s devices.
Still, the BlackBerry Storm 2 is a mid-low end 3G phone. The 3.25 inch screen is not only transmissive; it is small by today’s standards. The lack of a physical keyboard that has made other BlackBerrys so successful makes this device less unique in terms of specialty (the onscreen keyboard is not even as good as those on other devices). The rest of the features are at par for 3G devices: 3.5mm audio jack, WiFi (previously missing in the old Storm), GPS, Bluetooth, Media Player and MicroSD support are all common fare for smart phones.
Getting into the Storm
The Storm 2 is still a long ways to go to be as valuable as the Curve or the Bold 9700, but it still counts as one of the first touch screen devices by BlackBerry. For those looking for a well rounded touch screen phone, this might just be a good try.
Vodafone currently has BlackBerry Storm 2 on contract for both individuals and businesses.
