The ever popular Blackberry brand return with their latest Smartphone, the Blackberry Storm 2. Released in November 2009, the Storm 2 is Blackberry’s latest foray into the touch screen market, and the manufacturers seem to have packed every conceivable feature into this slick handset.
The first thing many people will notice is the lack of a full qwerty keyboard on the front of the handset, and Blackberry’s signature ball navigation system. Instead, the Storm 2 boasts an intuitive touch screen with SurePress technology as it‘s user interface, which reacts to the users touch, which helps to eliminate errors when inputting text.
The Storm 2 comes equipped with 256MB of Flash memory and a 2GB embedded multimedia card. However, this is expandable to up to a respectable 16GB via use of the microSD slot.
The high-resolution, 480 X 360 pixel screen measures 3.25”, and displays up to 65,000 colours. This allows for a clear and vibrant display. Moving on to the camera, which boasts a respectable 3.2 MP. Other features of the camera include flash, auto focus, image stabilisation and a 2x digital zoom.
The on screen qwerty keyboard functions in both portrait and landscape modes. 32 polyphonic ringtones are included along with the capability to support midi and mp3 formats. As you would expect from any Blackberry, the Storm 2 comes with full WiFi connectivity as standard allowing users to surf the web at high speed. Other connectivity features include Bluetooth version 2.1.
A whole host of media formats are supported to keep users entertained. Supported video formats include MP4, H.263 and MP4 part 2. Audio formats include MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA and WMA ProPlus. Music lovers will also be pleased to hear there is a 3.5mm headphone jack on the handset.
A micro USB port allows users to connect to their computer to transfer files to and from their Storm 2. Another interesting feature of this phone is it’s ability to edit Microsoft Office files, namely Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Features like this make the Blackberry Storm 2 one of the true all rounders, with applications to make this stylish unit at home as an entertainment device, or equally as a productivity tool. Integrated GPS is also provided along with Blackberry Maps.
So whether it’s entertainment you demand from a Blackberry, or simply the tools to get the job done, this versatile unit is sure to deliver, all in what is, arguably, Blackberry’s most attractive unit to date. The appearance maintains the classic squareness shared with man other Blackberry models, but the lack of a keyboard adds a new air of simplicity to a brand known for its chunky, button-packed phones. The phone maintains an edginess with it’s dark colour scheme which is carried over into the user interface. This is sure to appeal to many style conscious users.
A welcome all rounder in the smartphone market, the Storm 2 is sure to win Blackberry many new fans.
If you like the Blackberry Storm 2 check out the Blackberry 9500 Storm
