BlackBerry Storm2 9550
Average Ratings
This is a VERY good phone!
I use a cell phone for both intensive business and personal use. I believe that a $500 phone should just "work" I don't want to have to adapt to its quirks and foibles. It must function first as a clear communication device, next as a personal data manager, then as an entertainment device; and do all of this in a user friendly way!
The BB Storm 2 hits the mark on all of this.
I thought the Storm 1 was a waste of time, and the Tour is very good, but basically a Curve on steroids.
BB Storm 2 Features:
Screen:
Big, clear, and easy to type on -
Audio-
Very clear call quality-as excellent as it should be.
Performance-
Blazingly fast OS, very stable, and a ton of memory- love it.
WiFi-
easy to set up & hooks right up to my office network-this feature has been a long time coming.
Summary-
This is an excellent phone that works exactly as it should. It's a Blackberry - first it's for business, then pleasure; and does both better than any other I've owned.
LONG JOURNEY IN A STORM
I purchased the Orginal Storm on release day as I did for the Storm2. I suffered with the inconsistencies, lack of dependability and lag of the poorly designed 0S on the original device.
All the subsequent reviews here to mine, mention the vast improvements of the Storm2, so that arena has been covered with all mentioned. In the interest of non-redundancy, the most significant improvement for me is the accuracy to input. It does what you want it to do and reacts the way you want it to react! The lag of the original drove me crazy. This device is stable, hardware improvement solid, and response time the way it always should have been.
The Storm1 was my communication enemy. The Storm2 is friendly fire.....
Another great BlackBerry
Pros
Great call quality.
Very responsive touch screen.
email
Verizon
Cons
Fingerprint magnet.
Excellent Phone
Each time I upgrade a phone, it is better than the last one. The Storm 2 is no exception. This is my best phone yet and my first touch screen model.
PROS (listed in no particular order):
1.) Fast
2.) Responsive
3.) Fun to use
4.) Good size and weight
5.) Nice loud, clear speaker
6.) Camera
7.) Call quality
CONS:
1.) Browser is slow (hope to get fixed in '10)
2.) Software needs an option/indicator so that it is easier to see the letter you are touching while typing.
Hopefully, RIM keeps working on tweaking the software because this phone is worth keeping around for a long time. The active click action is easy to do (similar to pressing a physical keyboard) and offers a very nice selection feedback response.
When I have tried other brands of touch phones I always accidentally press when I want to touch and touch when I want to press. There is no confusion when using the Storm.
dd.
****************************
Alsome
Pros-
typing (best on screen keyboard)
screen res.
messaging of course
2GB on board and 16 gb included
$price (great value)
WiFi
Network
Cons-
Bowser
dose not automatically open images in email
Storm 2, Great 2nd Gen!
I typically don't write reviews, but have found them quite helpful in the past and want to add mine so others may benefit like I have.
When I first saw the new BB there were only two reviews on this site so I bought it sight unseen.
Knowing the issues the original has by using it everyday made me happy this came along. I have the Curve, and Tour. For Email these things are fantastic! Can't beat them!
Definitely a great change by RIM! The keyboard accuracy is great and overall peformance is completely better than the orignal.
When pressing the letters there is a distinct vibration this bothered me a bit but at least what I typed is what I wanted. I am not sure if the tactile part has any adjustment?
The suggestive words that pop up are great when typing but I found it to be a problem as well. I kept trying to type the word "if" and it kept changing it to "of". Every time it was retyped the same thing kept happening.
It appears that the battery life on the new #2 is not as good as good as #1. Seemed to drain a lot quicker.
Pros:
Typing with new keyboard much better and accurate.
Wifi great addition and really works!
Faster when connecting to internet.
Cool little "send" button for email next to the address line for email.
Has suggestive spellings that pop up when typing a word.
Huge color screen just like first gen.
Scrolls much better, not sluggish like original.
Cons:
Still a bit heavy like original device.
Suggestive spelling can be a problem at times.
Pressing letters seems to have too much vibration sensation.
Overall this device runs circles around the original, I am very happy they released this now and didn't wait till the holidays. Glad I can put the old Storm away.
"Upon further review..."
Taking the time to write this because Phone Scoop reviews have been so helpful to me. The Storm 2 is an outstanding business device with an excellent fun factor. I've owned the phone for a week, and it performs surprisingly well...no lock-ups, very good voice and data, and surprisingly good battery life...better than the 8330 but not as good as the 8700. The new OS and other tweaks make this a huge improvement over the original Storm. I've also been pleasantly surprised with the browser; it works at least as well as the Opera Mini beta. For my purposes, at this time, this device is a better-performing solution than the Droid. BTW, if you want to demo one in the Verizon store, ask the rep to do a battery pull for you; it's amazing what people do to these things in the store. Good luck!
RIM got it right the 2nd time!!!
I owned the original Storm 9530 from the beginning and have defended it's usefulness because it has worked for what I need it for.
I don't text or email heavily, but I need the ability to depend on information getting to me. I need the ability to not have to pull my huge laptop out everywhere. For this the Storm never let me down.
Storm2 took a HUGE amount of gripes people had and addressed them very well.
Pros:
-SurePress screen is one of the best enhancements over the Storm 1. If you type fast with this new setup, you will no longer run into hardware limitations.
-Better corrective software for your typing mistakes
-OS 5 is amazing! Lots of enhancements everywhere
-WiFi, although I haven't found a situation so far where it's been a necessity (VZW has great coverage in my area), I know I will need it at some point
-Double the memory everywhere which translates into fewer problems as you pile the apps on
-Top notch hardware construction. No more screen wiggle, fewer gaps. The speaker phone was moved to a better location. It's not so annoying to get to the battery door off anymore
-Stable OS Not one battery pull or reset yet!
-NO LAG
-Screen is amazing! It's BIG!!! Good Resolution!!!
-Blackberry email is always a pro
Cons (minor):
-Some accessories don't carryover from the first Storm like charging pods and skins
-Blackberry browser is a little weak. Download Opera or Bolt and you will be loving life more
- I liked the physical buttons (send, blackberry, escape, and end keys) of the first Storm a little better as well as the brighter chrome accents
Keep in mind:
-Blackberrys don't have the flashiest operating systems out there so if you are expecting pretty look at other phones-Blackberrys have business roots
-This is a device you can use all day at work and then play with it after.
Please play with this device for more than 10 minutes before you write a review. Its a very capable piece of hardware and deserves more than that.
Good job RIM!
Storm 2
What a nice update! I had the original Storm and this one is just a breath of fresh air. Everyone talks about the outdated OS or web browsing on the Blackberry devices. I had an android phone and the Web browser was better but the rest of the phone was not as reliable as a blackberry!
I love everything with my Storm 2 and by the way the Storm 2 battery lasts alot longer than the HTC Eris and better than the Droid. IMO!
Great Improvement
I had the first Storm, and was always having issue's with sound quality, not to mention the sluggish behavior. The software update did help considerably. I recently upgraded to the Storm 2, and I am very happy I did. The sound quality is 10 times better, I like the rubber side keys more, the integrated phone,blackberry,and end keys on the bottom are nice as well. I love the fact they added Wi-Fi as well. With the desktop software, I was able to transfer all my third party Apps from my old phone. I was considering the Iphone, however with the I phone you cannot set any of your music to the ring tones or ringer profiles. Also there is the issue of not being able to upgrade the memory, or is covered for accidental damage like the storm is. My first storm was the first blackberry I ever had, and after the storm 2, I will not consider switching to any of forum. I did look at the Droid as well, but without a proven track record on the OS, and the limitations on the phone, the Storm 2 was the better choice for me. I know Verizon will tell you that the phone will not switch from 3G to Wi-Fi automatically, but if you have Wi-Fi set up it will. When I come home and use the browser the Wi-Fi icon lights up, and the 3G fades out.
Pro's: Better sound quality, more responsive, Wi-Fi, several apps from Blackberry, and Crackberry.
Cons: Battery life- I just wish smartphones in general would have longer battery life. I get about a day most times. If I use it heavily, I will have to recharge sometime during the day.
