BlackBerry Storm

Editor's Review of the Storm

Tipping the scale at 155 grams with an overall measurement of 112.5 x 62.2 x 14 millimetres, the Blackberry 9500 Storm is a touch-sensitive 3G Smartphone that is clad in an elegant casing in black colour with silver highlights on the edges. To add more life to the handset, users can choose from pre-installed ringtones in MP3, MIDI and polyphonic audio formats.

The 9500 Storm is part of BlackBerry's lineup of 3G Smartphones such as the Blackberry Bold 9000. It offers its users a viewing experience with its 81.28-millimetre touchscreen that displays 65,000 colours over a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. The BlackBerry Storm 9500 supports SureType and multi-tap input. The mobile phone's dominant touch screen is complete with a QWERTY keyboard, and users can opt to select and change the font size that they are using on the handset.

The Blackberry 9500 Storm operates on quadband technology, allowing users to enjoy the handset in different locations, depending on its users' network providers. The mobile phone's network band coverage includes GSM 1900, GSM 1800, GSM 900 and GSM 850, as well as HSDPA 2100.

Users of the Blackberry 9500 Storm will find it easy to get connected to the Internet with the handset's HTML Web browser. The mobile phone also works on RIM Wireless Modem. Connecting with any other compatible device to share or transfer data and files is easy with the Blackberry 9500 Storm's support for USB and Bluetooth technologies. The handset is powered by GPRS and EDGE systems that ensure speedy downloads and Internet connection. Moreover, it works as a 3G handset on HSDPA, making it a reliable and multitasking device.

The Blackberry Storm 9500 allows users to communicate with their contacts through text messaging or SMS and multimedia messaging or MMS. The mobile phone also enables users to access their e-mails, and compose or receive messages with attachments. The handset supports integrated accounts for its e-mail service, and allows users to send quick notes to their contacts through the instant messaging feature.

As a portable organiser, the Blackberry Storm 9500 has an integrated phone book, a calendar, an alarm clock, a to-do list and a vibrating alert mode as its basic features. For utmost convenience in making or taking calls, the Blackberry 9500 Storm supports voice dialling, voice mail and speakerphone. What's more, multiple users can use the handset's conference call feature. Other functionalities of the Blackberry Storm 9500 include a built-in Global Positioning System or GPS that supports BlackBerry Maps, which directs users to quick routes in various locations. The screen also comes with an Auto-Rotate option, for users for better viewing.

The Blackberry Storm 9500 will please fun-loving users with its integrated 3.2-Megapixel camera that is equipped with a flash to improve otherwise dull environments. The digital camera also comes with the auto-focus feature to better capture photo subjects. Users can also adjust the camera settings to get the perfect shots and add photo effects. The Blackberry Storm 9500 camera also supports video recording, streaming and playback on WMV, MPEG4, H264 and H263 video formats. A dedicated camera key can be found on the handset for easier and more convenient photo and video shots.

Another entertainment feature of the Blackberry Storm 9500 is a built-in media player that allows users to listen to MP3, eAAC+, AAC+, AAC, WMA and WMA ProPlus music formats on a mono and stereo headset. The mobile phone runs on Roxio which allows users to make their own playlists and manage the tracks. Recording voice, music or sound clips right on the Blackberry 9500 Storm is also possible with the handset's integrated microphone.

Users of the Blackberry Storm 9500 will be entertained with the handset's support for downloaded games in popular formats. Additionally, the mobile phone is compatible with Facebook and MySpace, as among the popular social network sites online.

The Blackberry 9500 Storm boasts of a 128-Megabyte flash memory and 1 Gigabyte of internal storage capacity. The handset offers users the option to expand the memory to a maximum of 8 Gigabytes through a MicroSD memory card. The mobile phone offers 5.5 hours of talk time, and can stay for as long as 360 hours when on standby mode.

While integrated with high technologies, users of the Blackberry 9500 Storm complain that the QWERTY keys tend to be difficult to use due to their small size. Entertainment-focused users also complain of the lack of FM radio in the handset, which is a standard feature in less advanced mobile phones.