After it gave us the opportunity to review the first clamshell smartphone produced by RIM (Research in Motion) - BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, Pure Mobile has given us the opportunity to test the first BlackBerry touchscreen smartphone, the Blackberry Storm 9500. From the terminal building, but from the list of specifications too, we realized that the Blackberry Storm 9500 has been designed to compete directly with phones like iPhone 3G and HTC G1. Whether it succeeds or not to raise itself to the value of its competitors, we will find from the following material. Even if the Storm 9500 is sold under the Vodafone brand, it can be found in a decoded version too, so that it can be used with other mobile operators.
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The address book can store an unlimited number of contacts, as long as your available memory allows it. Each contact can be supplemented with more numbers, as well as with email addresses, birthdays, anniversaries, and addresses both office and home.
You can play two games when you get bored. Those games are BrickBreaker Word and Mole. Of course, there is the possibility to add more programs Blackberry or Java compatible.
One of this smartphone’s main disadvantages is the fact that it does not have a Wi-Fi connection. However, this is compensated by the fact that it includes the latest HSDPA technology.
The Blackberry Storm 9500 that we received has engraved on it the Vodafone brand and includes Opera Mini browser that works great. Web browsing is excellent, and pages load fast enough, especially when using HSDPA connection.
The browser has several settings that allow you to choose to see the page in mobile mode, or simply as a computer screen. However, the main reason people are determined to buy RIM phones is the advanced messaging services. Blackberry Storm 9500 is no stranger to this, and it includes all the Blackberry specific features. The phone even includes the possibility to have multiple email accounts. You can use any of the following instant messenger applications: Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live, AIM, ICQ or Google Talk. All are easy to access and operate in standard parameters. Unfortunately, even if the number of accounts is not limited, these are available only through the BlackBerry Internet Service. Therefore, in order to integrate the BlackBerry system within a company, it is necessary to install the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES).
The Smartphone Synchronization with the PC can be done easily using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager. The transfer is very fast, whether you synchronize your messages and e-mails or simply want to fill your phone with music.
Blackberry Storm 9500 smartphone is compatible with quad band GSM (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900), which provides GPRS, EDGE and HSDPA connections. Other tools include Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity with A2DP and microUSB support (including charging). The sound during calls is excellent, almost impressive. You will be able to talk on the phone, even in noisy environments. The GSM received signal is also very good in both cases: EDGE or WCDMA.
Blackberry Storm 9500 includes a Qualcomm processor, which works with speeds up to 624MHz. This seems to be a powerful processor, unfortunately I experienced lags even blockings of the operating system, but occasionally and only occasionally. I am not very sure why this is happening, but I am sure that such problems are from the software and not from the hardware.
The Smartphone includes 1GB of internal memory and 128 MB of flash memory storage. The storage space can be expanded up to 16GB via the microSD slot. The sales package contains an 8GB microSD card.
Because it is a phone dedicated to the business area, I did not have too high expectations from the Storm 9500. However, I was surprised by the quality of the multimedia features, even if present in limited numbers. The music player interface is very appealing, and the options and features you can use are the following: Shuffle, Repeat, Playlists and Equalizer. You can listen to songs stored in MP3, AAC and WMA formats. The music player is compatible with the function, which displays the album cover of the song you are listening.
The phone offers a pair of headphones compatible with the 3.5 mm audio jack, but I recommend changing them with a better pair. You also have the choice to listen to music via Bluetooth. The music player can run in the background, however, be careful how many applications you use at the same time. The external speaker is very strong and clear enough.
Overall, the characteristics of the multimedia are surprisingly good for a business phone, and especially for a Blackberry device.
The 1400 mAh Li-Ion battery has autonomy of 360 hours in standby mode, and about 5 hours and 30 minutes of talk time. From the tests we made the average time of use is for about 4 days. The users, which use the calling function very often, will need to charge the phone for about two to three times a week. However, the autonomy of the smartphone is acceptable for a person that mostly uses the Blackberry messaging services.
At first sight, Blackberry Storm 9500 is very attractive. Moreover, it will become even more attractive as you start to use it. However, there are some imperfections of the operating system. Some bugs make the device not to raise itself to the quality level expected. Being the first of a series of other touch-screen smartphones from BlackBerry, it might prove itself as fatal for many devices made by other brands, but Storm 9500 makes a good overall impression, even if it has some drawbacks.