Compare Blackberry Storm 9500 Contract Mobile Phone Deals
A New Clickable Touchscreen
The Blackberry Storm 9500 is a lot like the Blackberry in that its email interface and UI are top notch. However, unlike most Blackberries, this isn’t your typical keypad and QWERTY keyboard set. RIM has finally entered a new section of the phone market by including a Blackberry with a classy, sophisticated touchscreen. However, Blackberry fans will be pleased in that this is not another iphone clone—despite its new screen, this is still very much a Blackberry.
Appearance:
The appearance, depending on your preferences, might be something of a downside. At 155g, it’s awfully big and bulky. However, its casing is made of the heavy duty yet stylish black plastic and chrome combo that has served previous Blackberries so well. Its 3.2 inch 64 colour screen gives you vivid, crisp details, making it perfect for watching videos or sorting pictures. It’s agreed that the icons are a bit compressed looking, but it’s not anything that will get in the way of navigation.
It features a program that allows its interface to change depending on what direction you hold the phone. Hold it upright and you have a standard, SureType, or Multitap keyboard. Hold it sideways, and you’re treated to the typical QWERTY version.
Screen:
The Storm’s screen is enormous and full of captivating new options that make it unlike any touchscreen phone on the market. The Storm features a unique clickable touchscreen interface that has a wide selection of new applications and options. It extremely sensitive even to the lightest of touches. It’s agreed that there’s a bit of a learning curve, and there are several things to get used to—such as texting, for one—but if you’re willing to take the time to learn, it’s not impossible to navigate.
Connectivity:
The Storm is wonderfully speedy when it comes to internet connection, with an HDSPA connection of 7.2 MBPS and options for USB, GPRS, and EDGE as well as an option for a Bluetooth headset. Browser options include HTML and RIM’s own wireless modem. We were surprised to find there is an awful lot you can do with this phone. Once again, RIM serves us well by giving us an awesome email interface. Not only does it feature the same diverse compatibility as other Blackberry phones, but it also has a handy attachment editor, allowing you to edit documents in Word. Excel, and Power Point. Also featured are the typical easy to use SMS and MMS systems. There are also several built-in applications that let you access such sites as Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace, allowing you to keep in touch. You won’t find a Wifi connection, unfortunately, but with so many other options, you’ll still be able to stay connected.
Sound:
The Storm’s sound quality is one of the best on the market. Its diverse media player supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, and WMA ProPlus. There is also a 3.5 mm headphone jack. You can still make and store all of your favorite Berrytunes. You can create playlists and sort your songs with the Roxio Media Manager as well. Its speaker is strong enough that hands free conversations are easily conducted. The Storm also comes with a microphone as well as a mono and stereo headset. As always, MP3, MIDI, and polyphonic ringtones are available.
Camera:
The camera isn’t anything new or flashy, but it gets the job done very well. At 3.2 megapixels, it takes clear, colourful photos. The LED flash isn’t as powerful as other camera phones, but it works well. The camera phone also features autofocus, a camera key, and various sophisticated settings. Also included is a fairly snazzy video recording system that’s compatible with MPEG4, H263, H264 and WMVformats.
Memory:
Fortunately, for being so packed with features, the phone has a hefty amount of space in it as well, allowing you to store movies, music, and emails with relative ease. It has128 megabytes of flash memory, one gigabyte of normal memory, and comes with a MicroSD with up to eight more gigabytes of space. Incidentally, charging isn’t an inconvenients—at 5.5 hours of talk time and 360 hours of standby, you’ll have plenty of time to spare.
Verdict: This is a unique phone in that users tend to either adore it madly or loathe it entirely. A few downsides include inconvenient placement of the 3.5 mm jack as well as the mute and lock keys. The clickable touchscreen technology is definitely slower than the iphone in that you have to individually click each individual thing. Some also say the screen is too sensitive for their liking. Others complain of frequent freezing and crashes. However, if you’re willing to risk these inconveniences for the sake of trying a new Blackberry, you’re in for an interesting experience as you try out all of the new options this phone has to offer.
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