BlackBerry Storm 2 9520 Hands On
So, check it. There’s been a lot of talk about the BlackBerry Storm 9550 and we thought it would be nice to shine some light on its brother, the 9520. Remember how Vodafone’s unit was the 9500 and Verizon had the 9530? It seems as if that’s going to be mainly the same scenario this time around with Verizon getting the 9550 and Vodafone and other GSM carriers rocking the BlackBerry 9520. In terms of the improvements when comparing the Storm 2 to the original, as reported by other media outlets, blogs, and even a new breed of ninjas, it’s nothing short of fantastic.
We’re not at the final OS build (haven’t even updated this to latest available OS) and that’s always something to take into consideration. With that said, however, the Storm 2 really makes SurePress a viable touchscreen mechanism that people will enjoy using. This obviously should have been done the first go around, and there’s big bad all-touch-screen smartphones to battle, but we like where RIM has gone with it and we’re eagerly awaiting an official announcement. More photos after the break!
Thanks, Mark!t
UPDATE: Had a chance to load a more recent OS on here (5.0.0.224) and it’s improved the screen feel immensely. Any wonkiness and erroneous screen taps seem to have gone away. Plus, you know… there’s threaded SMS now.
The iPhone is for douchebags who drive hybrids, wear sandles and turn their underwear inside out the second day to help save the planet. Professionals who need a real smartphone choose BlackBerry.
The next gen phones should have utensils and a laser-canon, so users can blow each away.
JMHO (just my humble opinion)
Oops. I meant to type each OTHER away.
Also, bear in mind the following: companies love it when people are divided.
Apple vs. Blackberry; McDonald’s vs. Burger King
And in business, politics, etc., there will almost always be “knowledge/information asymmetry”
If you use your smartphone for business – you should know in advance that iphone has a terrible calendar function and no task function. I know they say “there is an app for everything” – but they do not interconnect and likely doesn’t do what you need – Apple will not let developers touch the native calendar feature so there are NO effective calendar apps. If it’s for business (even just sometimes) go with Blackberry. I’m stuck with an iphone and now must carry a separate day timer.
You said these people don’t receive e-mails?
So you don’t think the President gets many e-mails huh?
He gets both encrypted and regular. He gets a lot. Thats why he wanted to keep his blackberry.
@John
Thats because Apple wants businesses to switch over from windows to apple BUT they have significantly updated their enterprise server which syncs perfectly with microsoft outlook.
Not sure what you mean I use my calendar for business and it works perfectly.
You have the option of using the google or yahoo account to sync calendars and enterouge and enterprise.
Maybe you just need a class on how to do it properly. I love my iphone’s calendar it keeps me organized.
Blackberry’s are also great devices. Great organizers as well.
Bruno, I hear you, but I suspect the reason you are content with the iphone calendar is because you have never worked with a powerhouse calendar application such as Agendus. Palm had Agendus years before iphone even existed and you could do scheduling, tasks, and contact management under one application – you could link contacts, add them to meetings, make categories for certain projects and connect all the contacts, tasks and appointments that were associated. It’s a far far cry from the simple appointment keeper that iphone has come up with.
Price?
I can hardly wait for one of these iterations to launch on Telus up here in Canada.
As for all the iPhone fanboys who were bashing the device (those of you who have and love an iPhone but were respectful enough to not bash this, this does NOT include you, you are the good and intelligent ones), I continue to be reminded how small-minded people can be. There is a 90% chance you were the people who picked up an original blackberry pearl back in the day, wanting its features, but lacking the capacity to bother to sit down and learn the device… you’re probably also the same folks who would lose the battery ever couple weeks, requiring it to be completely fastened into your device for it to overheat under some firmware updates.
I will be honest, I really really REALLY like the Blackberry OS. I think it’s gonna be even better when 5.0 rolls around. I find that the OS is simplistic, but doesn’t leave all your apps out and cluttered (I am aware the previous OS did leave everything out, I’m talking about the most current and recent editions). I love that e-mail is so simple to set up that it took my aunt (a woman who actually has issues with any form of “set-up” on any computer, mac or pc) a grand total of 30 seconds to completely set up over an EDGE network. My girlfriend’s blackberry was even quicker as it is a more recent design. I love that I have a dedicated client for MSN, Yahoo, AIM, and Google Talk. Guess which two you will probably never see on an iPhone as a dedicated app?
The Click Screen is not a fail by any means. I find it actually makes the device easier to navigate: tap to highlight / scroll, push to select/activate. There was no differentiating this for the iPhone, and never will be. But that works for some people.
I will be completely honest here, folks. I use a Mac computer. I love it. It really does just work. I used an iPhone, tested it fairly extensively. For me, it just doesn’t work. I can get similar or same functionality out of a device that works better for me (ie: HTC Touch Diamond or Blackberry Storm 1 or 2).
Storm won’t be for everyone. Some business users don’t require heightened security protocols (it’s been proven, a 3Gs is not much harder to hack than a 3G). The average person may not need a device known to be an e-mailing beast. Some people may not be able to handle a clicking screen. Some just won’t be able to wrap their heads around the UI for whatever reason. That’s you. Not me.
Sorry for the rant, but some apple fanboys piss me off for their ignorance.
oh, I almost forgot… very good friend of the family has an iPhone from his family. He wanted to be able to use it as his work phone… receive e-mails and whatnot while away from the office, work on/view documents from home. This same office already provided exchange server support, sending to blackberry and windows mobile devices within the company. His iPhone was a 3G, which was supposed to have exchange support from the get-go.
To date, he has to check work e-mail through the browser on his iPhone, and rarely does so now simply because it is a more tedious process than he’d like, instead opting to just wait until he is either at the office or at home to check work email from a computer.
I don’t say this to say “oh, blackberry trumps iPhone hands down.” Though I will say I had an awful hard time sending a v-card over to his device from mine (sending from my device is incredibly simple to me). But for his line of work, he does need a device that provides stellar audio output more than an e-mail beast / ultra-customizable device. That was his need.
I consider Blackberry or WinMo because I require better and more universal e-mail management and support, better messaging options (BBmessenger is a huge plus for me because it means I am not limited to text messaging my girlfriend when talking is not convenient, but it is not the deal-sealer), and a significantly better battery life than what the iPhone (any iteration of it) can get. Not to mention, unless the repair policy from apple when it comes to a battery defect is “replace device on-the-spot”, I like the idea that I can remove the battery from my device all on my own.
Again, reasons I personally won’t get an iPhone and have a hard time recommending it. No reason why other people can’t love it, though.
What I love about the blackberry storm is that the screen pushes in, and its like a massive button. With the additional features and improvements the blackberry storm 2 is going to have makes me not being able to wait until its release to see it personally and think about buying it.
@Mysterious
So the fact that it doesn’t have screens that moves F@cks things up for u?
It is very nice, but it seems that Samsung Omnia HD is better, especially for Ram. Do you have any news about that?
You could not be more wrong. If you critize the iphone perhaps you should know what you are tlaking about.
its hard to recommend, or even critize, something you have never used or owned.
very well said. i commend you.
Blackberries apparently are for idiots who cannot spell sandal. Hopefully bb’s have a fierce spell check option available.
Except for the people who really know what’s going own with new product, the rest of you need to get a life. A phone is a phone, buy whatever makes you happy, and never listen to anyone who owns a particular phone, because they will always think it is the next best thing to toast. I will always buy what suits me…not you! Opinions as like a**holes!
I would like to know if it syncs with Windows calendar which is something my Storm 1 does not do.
i like the iPhone but i also like the Blackberry.
But we all know what is better *cough* 3GS *cough*
either way the blackberry has a huge advantage because at the moment you can get discounted line rental and free gifts with it unlike the iPhone where Apple are so strict with their contract deals.
Sent from my iPhone ;D hehe