The Storm (9500) was a touch screen beauty, but despite the innovations it brought to the market, it wasn’t without irritation for some users. Fast-forward and we now have a younger sibling having just arrived on the scene in the form of the Storm2 (9520).
So is the second generation better than the first or, just like sequels in films, is the original hard to top? We put the two devices head to head to find out. Looks From a distance the Storm and Storm2 look twin-like. Both feature a very minimalist design and put the lavish, large display centre stage as the main attraction.
On the second generation Storm, RIM has done away with the gap between the screen and outer casing that attracted dirt and grim and generally annoyed users. The call and menu keys are also now part of the touch screen themselves, rather than attached but somehow separate.
Another key difference between the two is how the touchscreen kicks into action. The first generation Storm operated in a see-saw like fashion, where you pressed and the whole screen moved down or up. It was a bit off putting and you couldn’t really gain any speed in typing without a great deal of practice.
The Storm2, on the other hand, still boasts a depressing screen, but it’s much more subtle in how it responds to user commands, thanks to four electrical actuators under the hood. Although, some may argue, the Storm2 is so responsive that you may find yourself accidentally pressing buttons and letters you didn’t intend to.
The twin-like status continues when you take into account the main vital statistics of each handset. Both sport a 3.25in (360x480 pixels resolution) display that serve up the reddest reds and the blackest blacks you can imagine.
Both handsets measure in at 62.2mmx13.95mmx112.5mm (WDH). Interestingly, there’s a slight weight difference between the two with the Storm2 5g heavier than its older sibling at 160g. The real difference emerges when you look at connectivity options. While the Storm boasted HSDPA, A-GPS and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi was notable by its absence.
Thankfully, this makes a late, but much needed, appearance at the party in the form of the Storm2. The two siblings also share the same tastes when it comes to camera ratings, with 3.2 megapixels a piece with flash, auto focus and 2x digital zoom. When it comes to memory, however, the Storm2 gains a lead again with 256MB of Flash memory to the original Storm’s 128MB.
The former also comes bundled with a 2GB microSD card, while the Storm comes with just a 1GB version. When it comes to battery life, there’s a slight different between the two siblings. Both claim to offer six hours of standby, but they differ when it comes to talk time.
As such, Storm promises to give you 15 days of standby, while its younger sibling will only promise 12.7 days. It’s a close call, and really comes down to how much you value Wi-Fi connectivity.
During our reviewer’s time with the Storm, they managed to talk to people for half an hour, download 50MB of email attachments and leave the handset in standby mode in an area with a strong HSDPA signal until it died – some 89 hours and 21 minutes later. Features Push email support lies at the heart of BlackBerry and that’s no exception for either Storm generation.
While the first generation Storm’s use of SurePress technology, the Storm2 brings the technology to the next level, serving up a choice of virtual keyboards and brilliant auto correction functionality. The Storm2 also boasts another boon in that it’s running the most up-to-date version of the BlackBerry operating system. While the Storm’s interface was pretty slick, the Storm2 boasts a UI that is fast, intuitive and pleasing to use.
When the first generation Storm arrived on the scene this app store was a mere twinkle in its parents’ eye. By the time to Storm2 appeared, it was bundled on the device as standard. Of course, Storm users can still get access to the App World too, it’s just more immediately available to those wielding a Storm2.
Undoubtedly, there will be people who value battery life over other features such as the next-gen SurePress or Wi-Fi and they will be happy to keep with the first generation Storm. But for those who feel connectivity and user interface is key, the Storm2 is a sure bet.
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