RIM’s 2nd Touch Screen Phone: the BlackBerry Storm 2 9520

The BlackBerry Storm 2 is more than just a 3G device; it is the saving grace for the Touch Screen development team of BlackBerry. There was no news about any heads rolling following the release of the original Storm, but the folks at RIM know they had to make a better device for Storm 2 –and they did.

The new Storm brings back the infamous SurePress technology. It may seem like a stubborn move, but they have truly improved the transmissive screen technology to be able to detect multi touch and tapping accurately. The only flaw now is when pressing two keys close together on the screen keyboard.

Improvements

A quick Storm 2 hands on will show you that this is not the same phone they released before. It looks only a little different. The slight superficial changes will tell you which phone is which, but side by side, the two Storms really look like each other. But that is where the similarity ends. Where the Storm was weak, the Storm 2 brought improvements. Aside from the screen, other notable improvements in the new Storm was an improved casing design, better manufacturing quality (no more gaps), improved keys (the button is now made of a different rubber than the old one) and the fact that the touch screen would now shut off when the phone is held to the ear.

This 3.25 inch screened little touch screen wonder is a decent mobile phone and would have been great were it not for the lack of a decent messaging input option (a typical strong point for other BlackBerry devices).

Storm in Vodafone

Mobile carrier Vodafone UK currently has BlackBerry Storm 2 9520 deals, with individual packages for 35 Pounds a month (free Storm 2!) and a different rate for business packages.