REVIEW: BlackBerry Storm2 9550 Bests Predecessor on Performance, Touch Screen

Under the covers, the Storm2 doubles the amount of onboard memory and storage that came with the Storm 9530. The Storm2 ships with 256MB of Flash memory and 2GB of storage built in. The Storm2 also comes with a 16GB MicroSD card preinstalled, so there’s plenty of headroom for documents and media files.

The Storm2 comes with the same processor as the Storm 9530, but the increase in memory and updated software make the new device seem faster than its processor, with response to orientation changes notably improved.

Like its predecessor, the Storm2 is designed to be a world phone, with on-board cell radios to support both CDMA/EVDO Rev. A networks (800 and 1,900MHz bands) and GSM (850/900/1,800/1,900MHz), with HSPA/UMTS  (2,100MHz) for international functionality. The GSM/UMTS radio is locked to Verizon’s international partners, however, and the devices come with a Verizon/Vodaphone SIM preinstalled.

When using Verizon’s network, I found call quality to be quite good when using either the handset or a corded headset, although callers on the other end of the line consistently reported that my voice sounded tinny or mechanical.  The speakerphone was adequate, but not capable of anything close to the rich, full sound of the speakerphone in HTC’s Touch Pro 2.

In a welcome improvement over the previous model, the Storm2 comes with a Wi-Fi radio, adding support for 802.11b/g.  As has been the case since RIM began shipping Wi-Fi on its phones, profile wizards are easy to use, wireless security support is absolutely outstanding, and Wi-Fi troubleshooting tools are quite handy. Of course, mobile administrators can configure and deploy all of these settings via BlackBerry Enterprise Server. 

The Storm2 comes with a 1,400 mAhr Lithium cell battery. When connected to CDMA/EVDO networks, the battery is rated for 5.5 hours of talk time (11.2 days standby); the rating bumps up slightly when connected to UMTS/HSPA networks (6 hours of talk time, 11.7 days standby). According to the specifications listed at www.blackberry.com, the battery performance for the Storm2 may be slightly decreased from that of the Storm 9530.

The BlackBerry OS 5’s built-in Web browser is more usable than previous versions were, but it’s certainly nowhere near the industry vanguard. JavaScript is now enabled by default. The tabbed browsing that was rumored earlier in the year is nowhere to be seen—at least not yet—but the browser does come with built-in support for Google Gears.

BlackBerry OS 5 offers additional benefits for enterprise customers that have already moved to the latest version of RIM’s enterprise management offering, BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.

During tests, I activated the Storm2 from eWEEK Labs’ BES 5.0 for Exchange implementation (see my review here), and found a few changes of note that were not accessible when using legacy BlackBerry devices.

For instance, when using a Curve 8900 running BlackBerry OS 4.6, I could only open and view the contents of an Exchange folder. When using the Storm2 with OS 5, I could also rename, move, create and delete Exchange folders directly. These changes were reflected quickly in Outlook and Outlook Web Access.

With the Storm /BlackBerry OS 5 combo I could also now view and open attachments to Outlook calendar entries—a function not possible on 4.x-based devices such as the Curve 8900.

When viewing a calendar entry on the Storm2, the list of attachments appears at the bottom on the Appointment Entry in the Notes section. From there, I could select and preview supported attachment types. During tests, I was able to view Word and PowerPoint 2007 files, as well as a PDF.

Interestingly, the PowerPoint presentation could be viewed only in landscape mode on the Storm2, while both the PDF and the Word document could be viewed in either landscape or portrait mode.

Senior Analyst Andrew Garcia can be reached at agarcia@eweek.com.