The BlackBerry Storm 2 has landed and what a device! It takes everything we knew about the original and improves it not only in terms of design but function and speed. Here we look at the very best ways to get even more from your BlackBerry Storm 2.
Not so long ago, checking emails on your mobile phone was something of a pipe-dream. Then came RIM’s Blackberry series, which enabled business users to utilise the benefits of mobile email capabilities, which effectively allowed them to work outside the office, 24/4. In this sense, Blackberry was something of a trendsetter.
While we liked the original BlackBerry Storm, it did have a few glitches that made it a little tedious to use, such as the annoying SurePress technology and the complete lack of Wi-Fi, which is practically heresy in the modern world of smartphones.
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Nevertheless, the new Blackberry Storm 2, which is out this month, looks set to right the previous wrongs of its predecessor and put it back in contention for the much coveted spot as number one smartphone on the market.
Here’s our guide on how to get to grips with the BlackBerry Storm 2:
Improved user interface
It’s kind of official that everybody hated the controversial SurePress Technology of the original Storm, which required the user to physically press down on the screen to select an item. While RIM haven’t completely abandoned SurePress, they’ve certainly made enough adjustments to make it a hell of lot more usable - although, it still has a double-tap function to select an item, which is designed to stop you sending emails by accident. Additionally, call pick-up, end, menu, and back have all been moved onto the touchscreen, which gives the device an all round more iPhone-like feel.
Better connectivity
As we mentioned earlier, the original Storm didn’t have Wi-Fi, which was obviously a massive faux-pas on the part of RIM, particularly when you consider that the iPhone was its direct competition. Fortunately, this issue has been put to bed, and the new Storm 2 has full Wi-Fi connectivity, which means you’ll get 24/7 access to the web with the option to switch to Wi-Fi when its available.
Greater Storage
Storage space is often a very important issue for many when purchasing a mobile device. The most common is around 8GB, with some going up to a whooping 40-oddGB - however, the latter are very few-and-far-between. Fortunately, the new Blackberry Storm 2 features greatly improved storage capabilities with 2GB on board memory, and a 16GB microSD memory card included. In short, the Storm 2 ships with 20GB of storage space, which is ample for space for all your movies, videos, and music.
Design
The original Storm was quite a good looking device. It had sturdy edges, a good solid build to it, and enough sleek design quirks to make it quite desirable. Nevertheless, RIM have upped-the-ante on the Storm 2 shaving off some weight, and smoothing out the overall design, which makes for a slimmer device.
The addition of some nice UI features such as the ability Flick-Through contacts and menus on the touch screen will also do the Storm 2 a lot of favours, particularly with users that are accustomed to other touch screen devices, like the iPhone and HTC Hero.
Blackberry App World
Applications are all the rage these days, and RIM has finally opened the Blackberry App World - and just in time for the arrival of the Storm 2. So once you have your new Storm 2 device you’ll be able to fill it up with useful applications from the extremely usable, and very impressive, Blackberry App World.
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