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Review: BlackBerry Storm...A Device Worth Trying
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11-Dec-2008
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As I have been highly critical of BlackBerry for, oh, having absolutely no progress over the past decade, I also have to admit that their latest device, the Storm, is definitely 'different'.
For starters, it is a touch screen! Again, a touch screen. From BlackBerry. BlackBerry has a touch screen. I have to repeat it because I'm still in shock. In their true tradition of shunning shared standards (yes, double illiteration), they couldn't go with just a normal 'tap' touch screen that every other touch screen device has. At the same time, they didn't really do anything revolutionairy either; they just made it different.
The Storm utilizes a new technology known as "Click-Through"; whereby the user doesn't tap the screen (this does practically nothing), but you actually have to press the screen to get a result. Which of course means that if you are familiar with other touch screen devices, you are going to go insane. If you have been a loyal BlackBerry Microsoft Word Bandit, you should be completely fine as this is your first exposure to it.
Click-Through isn't really anything ground-breaking, though, but could truly be considered an improvement. Let's face it, even the skinniest of us can be guilty of 'fat fingers' on a touch screen keyboard. By requiring the actual depression of the screen, it is intended to have you be more accurate with your intentions and have fewer mistakes to erase. That being said, my experience was quite different, and I'm fairly certain yours will be as well.
Instead of concentrating on letting you click 'through' the screen, had they created a matrix that would have 'expanded' the screen to create artificial buttons on demand...whoa, that would have been something. My guess is, though, that this would have drained battery life to the point that you would get...about a minute's worth of use out of the thing. So I can't fault them as current battery technology is just not even close.
Another...'feature' (or lack thereof, in my opinion) is there is no scroll wheel or ball. Which means, yes, it is a fingerprint magnet by default. So you are married, yet again, to one option; love it or leave it (my choice, leave it!).
It does come with a 3.2 mega pixel camera, which, I have to admit, makes it worthy of a camera substitute.
The standard microSD means you can effectively use video, too, although with 1 GB of onboard memory you are not nearly as married to removable storage as you are with other devices.
Stereo BlueTooth is available (hello, new iPod substitute!), however they ditched the WiFi...for whatever reason.
All in all, this is a different device. It is definitely a contender with other new devices, but it's main target market, in my opinion, is going to be existing BlackBerry users. I think the switch over to BlackBerry OS and the...awkward at best navigation is just too much for the non-initiated. I also still think full screen/full keyboard sliders are by far the best option as they allow you to have as much viewability as you want, and allow you to type without looking (yes, that is the benefit of real keyboards - *ahem*, RIM and Apple). If nothing else, the price tag (and GSM compatibility!!!) make it tempting, so if you have an outdated BlackBerry and just love 'em; this device is for you. |
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