The Blackberry Storm, like the other mentioned mobiles, offers a mostly all-screen touch interface for controlling the cellular phone's features. What is special about this touchscreen interface, according to RIM, is that it is "clickable." That is to say that when you touch the screen it actually slightly depresses and you hear a slight click sound "similar to the feeling of a key on a physical keyboard or a button on a mouse." This sound is supposed to reassure you by giving positive confirmation your command has been executed on the phone.
RIM has also added to the Storm support for single-touch, multi-touch and gestures with your fingers on the touchscreen interface, so you can "highlight, scroll, pan and zoom for smooth navigation." The company has also built a accelerometer into the phone so you can have it automatically switch between landscape mode and portrait mode as you rotate it. You'll find, if in portrait mode, you get RIM's "SureType" keyboard layout, while landscape mode provides for a full QWERTY keyboard instead.
The Storm, which will be initially distributed by to Verizon Wireless customers in the U.S. and Vodafone customers in Europe, India, Australia and New Zealand, comes ready to work on a variety of cellular networks. RIM said the "BlackBerry Storm 9530 gives Verizon Wireless customers 3G EV-DO Rev. A/CDMA technology -- and (2100Mhz) UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM for global use. The BlackBerry Storm 9500 from Vodafone supports (2100Mhz) UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks."
In terms of Internet functionality, RIM has built into this mobile a Web browser which lets you double tap to zoom in and slide you fingers to scroll and pan Web sites. The Storm also supports "personal and corporate e-mail and text (SMS), picture (MMS) and instant (IM) messaging on the most prevalent consumer and enterprise platforms" like other Blackberries on the market.
Other features of the Storm include built-in GPS, 1GB of memory (expandable via microSD/SDHD), a built-in media player, Bluetooth, an ambient light sensor and up to six hours of talk time.
Tagged:
