New BlackBerry Storm 2

The BlackBerry Storm2. To say it has been highly anticipated would be an understatement. Before the original BlackBerry Storm was available to customers, the first rumors of the Storm 2 began to surface. Research in Motion even acknowledged the existence of the new device much earlier than they historically would, when RIM's co-CEO Jim Balsillie said in a presentation to analysts and investors (reported by Reuters) in May 2009 that they were working on a next generation of its BlackBerry Storm as part of a continuing push into the retail market. From that point, it was less than two weeks later when the first photos of the new BlackBerry Storm were posted to the internet right here at CrackBerry.com which was followed up soon after when we brought you the first video of the BlackBerry Storm 2 in action. In the weeks following and leading up to the Storm2's "official" announcement, youtube has been full of "unofficial" BlackBerry Storm2 9550 and 9520 previews (Verizon's Storm2 is the 9550; Vodafone's is the 9520) showing off early-stage hardware and firmware. Due to this unofficial nature, most early Storm2 videos/photos disappeared from the web as quickly as they appeared, but now that we have an official review unit you can rest assured knowing Storm2 content is now here to stay.



So how does the BlackBerry Storm2 compared to the Storm? When all is said and done, the most accurate explanation I can think of is to draw an analogy to the automotive industry and how car manufacturers release a new car and follow up with a new model each year. It is often said that you should not buy the "first year" of a new car, as there is bound to be issues, and nobody will argue in the case of the BlackBerry Storm that the device as it went to market experienced some issues (lag, more lag, and a bit more still lag still). RIM's strength over the years lay in making non-touchscreen devices featuring a physical keyboard, so adapting the BlackBerry operating system to touchscreen hardware was a new game for them. A few recalls (aka firmware upgrades) later, however, and the BlackBerry Storm is now a much more usable device. In fact, if you haven't touched a BlackBerry Storm in a while you might be surprised at just how well it performs. And that brings us to the next part of this analogy. If you think of the Storm as the 2009 model year, the BlackBerry Storm2 really is the 2010 model year. Yes it's new, it's improved and it features some additional bells and whistles not found in the 2009 model and overall is a better performing and easier to use smartphone, but it doesn't immediately make the old model year obsolete.

Existing Storm owners who have invested the time and energy to get comfortable on their device and have upgraded to the latest firmware (OS 5.0 just around the corner!) may find after picking up and playing with the Storm2 in a store that they're able to stick it out with their Storm until they are eligible for an upgrade. Others of course, may find the addition of WiFi alone to be enough of a reason to pay the penalties and upgrade to the Storm2 immediately. Just like cars, you're always going to want the new model year, even if you got a great lease/finance rate on picking up last year's model. But enough with the analogy, let's get to what's new in the Storm2!

Specifications:

Size (LxWxD)    112.5 mm x 62 mm x 13.9 mm
Weight (battery included)
160 g / 5.65 oz
Memory
256 MB Flash memory, 2GB eMMC
Expandable Memory
MicroSD located under battery door cover (up to 16 GB)
Battery
1400 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium cell
Battery Life
CDMA: 11.2 days standby, 5.5 hours of talk time
GSM: 12.7 days standby, 5 hours of talk time
UMTS: 11.7 days standby, 6 hours of talk time
Display
High-resolution 480 X 360 pixel color display 3.25" (diagonally measured)
Transmissive TFT LCD
Supports over 65,000 colors
Dynamic hardware brightness control
Camera
3.2 MP camera, flash, auto focus, image stabilization, 2X digital zoom
GPS
Integrated GPS with A-GPS
Wi-Fi
802.11 b/g enabled
Media Player
BlackBerry Media Player
Video format support: MPEG4 H.263, MPEG4 Part 2
Simple Profile, H.264, WMV
Audio format support: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA,
WMA ProPlus
Headset
3.5mm stereo headset capable
Network
Quad-Band: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/
EDGE networks
Single-Band: 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA networks
Dual-Band: 800/1900 MHz CDMA/EVDO Rev A network
Comparing the specs and features list of the BlackBerry Storm2 to the BlackBerry Storm on a line by line basis does not actually reveal that many changes, yet the changes that have been made are significant. According to Research in Motion

Display

Though the BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Storm2's displays have the same specifications listed on their spec sheets, to my eyes the BlackBerry Storm2's display seems to be improved. Putting the BlackBerry Storm2 beside a BlackBerry Storm, you can see that when powered off the Storm2's display is much darker. Still side by side but now powered on watching the same music videos, the Storm2's display is brighter, with darker blacks and whiter whites. It really is impressive. The only improvement I'm longing for here is to reduce the amount of black border surrounding the edge of the display which would create a noticeable jump in screen real estate.

While there has been plenty of debate in the forums about whether or not the BlackBerry Storm2 will support OpenGL (3D graphics support), to date there has been no official mention of it yet. At last year's BlackBerry Developer Conference, this was one of the most sought after features developers wanted to see in the BlackBerry platform. With the 2nd Annual BlackBerry Developer Conference just around the corner, I can't help but think maybe there is more to the Storm2 than meets the eye in this department, and that RIM will announce upcoming OpenGL support at the event and at a later date will be able to flick the OpenGL switch on the Storm2. I know I'd be pretty stoked to find later that the Storm2 has the support built-in. I guess time will tell...

BlackBerry Storm2 Accessories

If you're a BlackBerry Storm owner planning on purchasing the BlackBerry Storm2, you'll need to do your due diligence on which accessories will still work and which won't (visit this page on BlackBerry Storm2 Accessory key points). You shouldn't have much of an issue with loose fitting accessories, like BlackBerry Storm2 cases (top pouches and leather holsters should be fine, skins should be close) and BlackBerry Storm2 batteries (1400mah, like the Storm, 8900 and Tour), but the differences between the Storm2 form factor and original Storm are big enough that accessories like the always popular BlackBerry Charging Pod may not quite work. To see compatible Storm2 accessories, you'll want to keep it locked to our BlackBerry Storm2 Accessories page at ShopCrackBerry.com. And as we did for apps, we'll also put together a Top Accessories for the BlackBerry Storm 2 article once the device hits the market.

Posted in: Blackberry