In a nutshell: The Storm2 offers a touchscreen user
interface with a full virtual QWERTY keyboard together with powerful
email, messaging and internet access, plus a good range of office
applications and an organiser. In addition it includes a 3.2 megapixel
camera with autofocus and flash, video recording, a media player,
GPS navigation, WiFi, HSDPA and expandable memory. A range of improvements
make the Storm2 easier to use than the original Storm, but the battery
life is weak and some users may not like the SurePress touchscreen
technology. Best buy:
*Free* with half-price line rental from Mobiles.co.uk.
Review:
November 2009. Last updated February 2010.
The BlackBerry Storm
was the first touchscreen BlackBerry, and was a phone that could
have been really special. Unfortunately, it suffered from poor battery
life, poor reception, a tendency to freeze, and the way that the
whole screen clicked when you pressed it disconcerted quite a lot
of people. So, one year on, we're very keen to see the Storm2 and
see what improvements have been added.
Well, the changes are quite subtle. Place the two
devices next to each other and it's hard to tell them apart. The
size, weight and external form is almost unchanged. The new Storm
is slightly heavier even than the original: at 160g it's one of
the heaviest smartphones on the market. One minor change is that
the four buttons at the base of the screen are now separated, so
it's easier to hit the right button without any mistakes. The screen
is the same size as the original Storm - at 3.25 inches and a resolution
of 480x360 pixels, it's a good screen - similar to the iPhone
but not as good as, say the HTC Touch
HD. One of the problems with the original Storm was the way
that that the whole screen moved when you pressed it. While this
provided a very definite feedback mechanism, a lot of people didn't
like this. The new Storm2 does the same thing, but the mechanism
has been improved with more sensors added. This makes the screen
more responsive and goes a long way to address the problem of the
original Storm. Some people may still not like it, however, so we
suggest that you try before you buy. The menus have been updated,
presumably in response to user feedback, and we think that overall
the user interface has been much improved.
The other main change is the addition of WiFi,
which is very welcomed. The Storm 2 can connect via wireless LAN,
Bluetooth or USB, and also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and
GPS. It's a quadband GSM phone with 3G and HSPA too, so in terms
of connectivity it really has every base covered. The memory has
been upgraded too, with 256 MB of flash memory, 2GB embedded memory
plus a microSD memory card slot, so again there are no complaints
on this score. Somewhat disappointingly however, the Storm2 has
the same battery as the Storm. And, with the addition of WiFi the
battery life is if anything even worse than the original. Heavy
users will need to recharge daily. This is definitely a weakness
of the phone.
As for the functions, the Storm2 doesn't really
cut it as a high-end consumer device, but it manages to put a tick
in all the boxes. You'll find a camera, video camera and media player
here, but the camera isn't going to rival anything from the Sony
Ericsson Cyber-Shot range and the music capabilities of the Storm2
won't make Apple very worried. Still, the basic functionality is
there for when you need it.
There's a useful range of applications supplied
with the phone, including an excellent organiser, office tools,
the legendary BlackBerry wireless email apps and a very good facebook
app too. Others are available to download from BlackBerry App World,
but the range is nowhere near as extensive as the apps available
for the iPhone. Most business users should be able to find what
they need, however.
However, despite the improvements, it has become
clear that RIM, the makers of BlackBerry, have failed to address
the really key problems that beset the original Storm: dropping
calls, freezing and poor battery life. They're all still present
in the Storm2, so sadly the phone must get a thumbs down from us.
Features
of the BlackBerry Storm 2 include:
3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, flash,
image stabilisation and 2x digital zoom
Video recording (30fps)
Display: Transmissive TFT LCD, 480 x 360 pixels,
65,000 colours, 3.25 inches, user selectable font size
Media player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMA
ProPlus audio formats supported)
Messaging: SMS, MMS, instant
messaging, push email with attachment viewer
Built-in speakerphone
Voice dialling
Voice memo recorder
MP3 ringtones with LED indicator and vibration
alert
GPS with BlackBerry Maps
Personal organiser functions
Memory: 256 MB flash memory plus 2GB onboard
memory plus microSD memory card slot
Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB, RIM
wireless modem, 3.5mm stereo headset port
Love
your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review
this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a
forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear
words or offensive language, and please, no advertising!
Average
rating from 34 reviews:
Reviewed by yoda from uk on 8th
Feb 2010
honestly, i am a big fan of blackberry i had curve and bold !! they're
awesome!! but i got the Storm 2 last months and now i have had exchanged
this rubbish phone three time already oh dear calls dropping, touch
screen faulty, no signal, multiple click, Screen Locks Or Freezes
After A Call .....lots of problem!!! dont get it !!! believe me
or get it then try your experience ! ;) Rating:
Reviewed by Sanjay Kumar from INDIA
on 5th Feb 2010
What can I say now, All the defects I wanted to tell have been highlighted
by the other users. The Irritating of the most is the Freezing of
the screen. Once that happens no matter what you press or do simply
will not work at all. I literally removed all the 3rd party Apps
from this phone still the same problem persists, I am a Blackberry
fan and always supported their phones but this has gone beyond beyond.
RIM has to be penalized for duping and cheating people. Rating:
Reviewed by andrew from England on
3rd Feb 2010
Have had the storm two since it launched and words cannot describe
how poor this phone is. Since November I have been back to the shop
twice. Once to have the SIM changed as the old SIM died and secondly
to have they software rebooted as it died. Both incidents happened
aftera a long train journey and I suspect that the constant loss
of signal had an effect on the handset. In addition to these problems
1) How to you hang up when you have finished a call? The screen
freezes and I have to pull the battery out 2) QWERTY keyboard option
is not useable due to the size of the keys 3) The touch screen makes
too much noise and is irritating to people who sit near you when
you are typing out a long email 4) The handset has an incredible
knack of unlocking itself 5) Blackberry do not offer a decent range
of "apps" for the product 6) Battery life is horrendous and if you
actively use it for emails (50 per day) then thats your battery
gone I now use it solely for emails and have a Nokia classic to
make calls on. The nokia is fantastic as it has a battery that lasts
and enables you to hang up on calls after you have finished them
which I don't think is too much to ask for a phone Vodafone should
offer to recall all handsets as most users are tied into a 2 year
contract. I will be amazed if the Blackberry Storm 2 last longer
than 6 months Rating:
Reviewed by E.Joubert from SouthAfrica
on 25th Jan 2010
This phone has push screen issues, freezes with most 3rd party apps
and just try and end a call, you can't. I'd give it no stars if
possible. Needles to say I have not tried another storm2 handset,
nor would I bother. First impressions last longest, unfortunately. Rating:
Reviewed by R JONES from Wales UK on
23rd Jan 2010
Did not like this phone at first but it is growing on me. I have
experienced some call dropping but not much. This is my first high
end ( or there abouts ) phone and I find it fine. I think people
are possibly expecting it to be too much like th iphone. As for
people saying the battery lasts half a day if you follow the 5 step
guide to pro longing battery life by switching stuff off u dont
always need it lasts MUCH longer. Its not amazing, but its ok. Rating:
Reviewed by landon from uk on
20th Jan 2010
very good phone not hard to use. worth the money Rating:
Reviewed by jane from uk on 14th
Jan 2010
would love my bb storm 2 - if it actually did what it's meant to.
Looks great, loads of functionality but battery barely lasts half
a day and the constantly dropped calls are driving me insane. At
wit's end....! Rating:
Reviewed by james from uk on
13th Jan 2010
when i first got the storm 2 i think i had one problem with it were
the call dropped after a couple of seconds with a hard reset of
the phone this fixed the issue no problem. the screen is nice and
bright all text is very clear the camera and video are not the best
but i think all the other features on the phone compensate for that.
alot of people say the iphone is better than the storm 2 and many
other phones to be exact but personally i think the iphone is just
a fasion accessory if you want a phone which has all the bells and
whistles then i would choose the blackberry. internet and emails
are very fast only had the phone a week and know that i am not going
to have any further problems Rating:
Reviewed by Mo from UK on 8th
Jan 2010
This is the second worse phone I've ever had...the first being the
Storm 1 (I was eventually given a free upgrade to the Storm 2 by
Vodafone after all the problems I was experiencing with the first
Storm). RIM have learnt nothing, nearly all the problems with the
first handset are present in this latest abonimation, most importantly
the call dropping, OS freezing and non-existent signal. I've just
called Vodafone Customer Services to log my latest complaint and
was informed by a manager that VODAFONE ARE DISCONTINUING THE STORM
2 in the very near future (as soon as existing stock is depleted).
The handset isn't even 3 months old yet - says it all really. Rating:
Reviewed by Kevin Houston from UK on
5th Jan 2010
DONT BUY Rating:
Reviewed by caz smiley from United Kingdom
on 1st Jan 2010
Im now onto my second storm 2 within a 2 week period and have to
say for all i love it, i am having to return this again, as it keeps
freezing and being unable to send text messages same problem as
the last phone Not a good start to using blackberry hoping to change
to the bold 9700 The reception is also extremelly bad even though
apparantly the network is a very good area ?! as a result of this
the internet will not connect due to low reception Rating:
Reviewed by Jeff from UK on 24th
Dec 2009
I got a mate with this phone and he hates it. I tried it out and
tried calling with it and it kept dropping. Apart from that its
not bad, but then i didnt do much with it. IMO i wouldn't buy it. Rating:
Reviewed by Jon.S from UK on
23rd Dec 2009
This phone is absolutely hopeless. I say that as a mobile phone
user for over ten years, with a mobile phone being vital for my
work. The touch screen is very error prone, and I find it impossible
to type any word without making a few errors each time. I take 4-5
goes each time entering my password to unlock the screen, unless
I try type exceptionally slowly, in which case it's still rarely
correct first time. Make an error, and try and delete the mistake,
the enter button is right under the back space button so you sometimes
enter the incorrect password. No wonder the unit gives you TEN attempts.
The phone has a sensor to align the screen in portrait or landscape
format but there is an annoying delay of 1-2 seconds. Just give
us a button to switch will you?! Speaking of buttons, the menus/buttons
are also annoying. There is a "back" button on the front, but it
doesn't always back you out depending what menu you are in. I have
been mired in options before, selecting the wrong ones half the
time due to the touch screen issues, had enough and tried to back
out only to find it won't let me. This is the worst phone I have
ever had. It's never used, and sits on desk at work as a paperweight.
I use my own phone to call suppliers, contacts, and workmates. I
am going to ask for a change of phone from the provider. They have
initially said they won't swap it (after 4 weeks, outside the 14
days) but I will return it time after time for the entire length
of the contract whilst they give me a loan phone if need be. Rating:
Reviewed by Tom from UK on 21st
Dec 2009
I've had the Storm 2 for five days now and have just arranged for
it to be returned. My old phone had signal coverage, this the Storm
had none, the wi-fi conectivity is miniam and by even just going
upstairs the signal dropped. my wife has the iphone and in comparison
performance wise, it is like having something from the nineties
slow and poor I am more annoyed with the guy in the shop who talked
the talk but delivered rubbish Rating:
Reviewed by GaryH from Uk on
16th Dec 2009
Must agree, Calls drop all the time - 6 times in 2 mins the other
day. poor reception, lost business. Shame because the idea is great
with the calendar being a great way for office to organise work
and sync. I have even changed sim card with no effect. Rating:
Reviewed by ChrisD from UK on
14th Dec 2009
Had the Storm 2 for 5 days...I honestly gave it every chance as
i really liked everything about it...apart from not being able to
make/receive any calls! I'd estimate i had a 90% call failure rate.
Yes it could have been a faulty handset but judging from other users
feedback, methinks it could be a wider issue and as the end of my
7 day return policy with vodafone was looming - decided to bail
out and opt for the new Bold 7000. As a gadget - five stars. As
a phone - zero. Save yourself the heartache and avoid. Rating:
Reviewed by davey boy from salisbury
on 7th Dec 2009
RUBBISH, SOLD THE PHONE ON EBAY AFTER 1 DAYS USE, LUCKY TO SELL
AND ONLY LOST £70 PHEW. Rating:
Reviewed by joe from uk on 5th
Dec 2009
I just brought this phone. call quality is bad, most of the time
keys don't work, call drop etc. I wonder how people have given 5
star. i will suggest never buy a touch phones from blackberry, they
have no idea how to make one. Rating:
Reviewed by Jo from UK on 1st
Dec 2009
I have the orginal Blackberry Storm and LOVE it, my husband feels
sidelined now!I have had it since 24 Dec 2008 and I have never had
a problem with it at all. I have dowloaded apps to it I use facebook
and emails on it all the time, this is the best phone I have ever
owned. I think there must have been a batch at the beginning that
had problems but I cannot fault mine. Friends have IPhone but one
has had lots of trouble the other no problems again I think its
personal preference, and mine provided excellent contact on recent
stay in hospital, I was able to keep in touch by text, phoning,
facebook and emails. I cant see me upgrading to Storm 2 whilst mine
works but wouldnt be able to go back to any other kind of phone
now.... Would recommend anytime. Rating:
Reviewed by Attiq Malik from Pakistan
on 25th Nov 2009
Really bad phone. Call dropping/voice fading is a huge issue on
Storm2. I will return it very soon. The Quality Assurance guys @
RIM need to be fired. Rating:
Reviewed by chris from england on
24th Nov 2009
expanding on 'oh dear', the phone was perfect for at least 4 days
after getting it on vodafone. however it took a turn for the worse,
the phone crashed and nothing at all would help it except to simply
leave it to sort itself out. my blackberry storm also had a sense
of humour, as it liked to randomly call people from my las dialled
list, it would have been a good joke if i could disconnect the call
without taking the battery out. there were several other issues
with slow response, freezing, and above all with all those minutes
i got on my contract each phone call was limited to around 20 seconds
as it would hang the call up for me. i had three storm 2's and became
impatient of waiting for a 'software update' so now have a sony
ericsson satio. Rating:
Reviewed by Charlie from UK on
19th Nov 2009
The Storm 1 is the worst phone I have ever had. One review stated
it was "virtually unusable" and I agree with that. I have found
Vodafone incredibly unhelpful and difficult to access, compounding
my dissatisfaction. Complaints directly to RIM were not followed
up. I have been a blackberry user for nearly 10 years (having lived
in the US). The keyboard is the biggest issue, even in horizontal
mode, when it gets there, my 12 year old daughter with slim fingers
can't type effectively - she can text faster on a numeric keypad!
This their worst product by a country mile, your reviews are far
too gentle, perhaps you are worried about ad revenues. [Editor's
reply: Your review is NOT a review of the Storm2, so we would normally
not have published it. However, we want to respond to your criticism
of our editorial independence. I think that in our review we have
drawn attention to the issues of the user interface and the problems
that beset the original Storm. Our objective is always to avoid
bias and to help people to choose the best phone for them. If you
want to see just how "ungentle" we can be in our reviews,
I suggest that you read our reviews of the Motorola
Aura or the Sony Ericsson
P990i for example.] Rating:
Reviewed by Taxi man from england on
19th Nov 2009
we Taxi men like our gadgets well first impressions first Blackberry
Nice bit of kit received two emails as soon as connected i like
this simple solution of not running to computer to check mail.i
an 50+ as much as iphone has appeal i just want working tool it
works well with my mac with calendar and contracts email set up
easy my impression is how did i manage with out it connects to my
Prius Bluetooth i am impressed thank you To Blackberry for my phone
yours Taxi man Rating:
Reviewed by Steve from England on
18th Nov 2009
Upgraded to the Storm 2 from N95 8GB. Hugely impressed and more
than happy this will be my phone for the next 2 years. Had no problems
with dropped calls, signal or touchscreen. It is everything I wanted
from my new phone. Camera and Video camera both excellent, as good
as my old N95 camera as far as I am concerned. Rating:
Reviewed by chris from england on
14th Nov 2009
oh dear! [Reply by Sarah from England on 17th Nov 2009: Chris what
does "oh dear mean?" Not very helpful!][Reply by Ron from England
on 17th Nov 2009: Chris - this is a review site. "oh dear!" doesn't
quite qualify. Would you care to expand?] Rating:
Reviewed by Martin from United Kingdom
on 11th Nov 2009
Looking at this and need to decide between this and the new 9700
Bold. My son had the Storm last year and never had any issues after
the initial firmware update and has done so as soon as soon as others
were released. I agree that this looks to be the phone the first
should have been. This an area that Rim could exploit well if done
correctly. The specs on the phone look good and on demo in store
it responds very well. To Ian I would state that the Iphone too
is not without problems and the 3gs version does have known dropped
call problems. Dependent upon my choice will provide further info
later Rating:
Reviewed by dave from eengland on
11th Nov 2009
i think its good Rating:
Reviewed by Paul from UK on 11th
Nov 2009
Ian, not a very informative review, maybe you could let us know
where the flood is located so we can read up on the problems you’ve
listed. On the plus side, at least you didn’t go for the classic
“It’s not as good as the iPhone” one liner?? [Reply
by Ian from UK on 16th Nov 2009: Paul, head over to the Vodafone
Blackberry Storm 2 forum, you'll find all the info there. BTW, I
don't have an iPhone so I wouldn't know!] Rating:
Reviewed by Ian from UK on 8th
Nov 2009
Oh dear, reports are starting to flood in re bad call quality, dropped
calls, clickscreen issues, fluctuating signal - all the problems
that the Storm 1 had. Rubbish. Rating:
Reviewed by Steve from UK on
31st Oct 2009
The four click actuators under the screen are much better than the
single one on the Storm 1. You can now type easily even with two
fingers resting on different letters, as the sensors can tell which
finger pressed down. It's all haptic - turn off the phone and the
screen no longer clicks/moves! Wi Fi a great addition. Inertial
scrolling means scrolling no longer stops suddenly when you lift
your finger - more natural, faster, and easer. Handsfree speaker
is repositioned, which means the Storm 1 stupid little 'feet' that
kept the speaker off surfaces are gone, so you can use the Storm
2 on a table without wobbling all over. Messaging now has a Send
button you can just tap (no longer need to do Menu / Send) SMS is
so much easier, threaded conversations, reply window always there
(like an IM). Rating:
Reviewed by Pete from Uk on 31st
Oct 2009
I had the Storm 1 and i kept updating the firmware each time an
update became available. The latest releases made the Storm 1 a
very nice phone. I got my Storm 2 today and it is awesome. As has
already been stated by Sean, this is what the Storm 1 should have
been. I am very happy with this phone, it is very fast, precise
and the build quality is excellent. Rating:
Reviewed by Sean from UK on 27th
Oct 2009
Got mine today (Had the Storm 1) and this is the phone the first
one should have been! The screen is brighter, sharper and the click
is still there but so much more improved. I was lucky to never have
any real problems with my Storm1. Already though I can see this
one is quicker, almost too quick actually when scrolling! If you
are ready to change your phone go and have a demo of one at least,
outstanding!!!! Rating:
Reviewed by Rakesh from U.K on
25th Oct 2009
Had a go on the phone today, awsome phone, screen still presses
in slighty but its actually really go, works so much better than
the last one and build quality is still really good, Rating:
Reviewed by Rakesh from U.K on
22nd Oct 2009
Looks really nice, seen the dummy phone, bit worried as the screen
still presses in. work for vodafone and i hear that the phone is
expected to do a lot of things, looking forward to it! Rating:
