Another development is the inclusion of Wi-Fi for the new Storm. Wi-Fi is becoming more and more relevant today, especially for phone of the BlackBerry Storm 2’s nature, and it is a wonder why so many phone companies are willing to omit it from their handsets. Sure there is 3G, but as Wi-Fi hotspots are becoming more and more ubiquitous it feels a shame to own a phone lacking this feature.

Both the Storm and Storm 2 are quite noticeable for being handsets without the trademark BlackBerry QWERTY pad that has become a visual icon for the Canadian company. Instead all functionality is provided through the touch sensitive screen, and while for some this may seem to defeat the point of having a BlackBerry, it still provides the same exceptional level of messaging functionality as other RIM handsets – albeit with an onscreen keypad. The onscreen keypad is much easier to use on the Storm 2 than the original Storm due to the new screen design and inclusion of multi-touch input. Plus, the added benefit here is that having a larger screen makes the display a great deal more viewable, and actually far more conducive to the tasks that one associates with BlackBerry phones.

The original Storm was tied exclusively to Vodafone but the sequel will fortunately be moving to other carriers after Christmas. The move to a full-frontal touchscreen away from the stereotypical QWERTY BlackBerry phone was a big gamble for RIM, and with the Storm they didn’t quite pull it off as there were technical issues that still needed ironing out. However, with the Storm 2 it seems that BlackBerry has done a far superior job, and in many ways it seems that the Storm 2 is probably the handset the original Storm was meant to be.

Doing Better

BlackBerry Storm 2 reviews are unanimous, the new BlackBerry Storm 2 9520 (or Storm 2 for short), is a great improvement over the previous one. To quote many other reviewers who all said the same thing, “this is what the first Storm should have been”. While the Storm 2 did feature hardware upgrades over the previous one, what really made the Storm 2 a great phone is the fact that it fixed all the old issues. Most notable is the touch screen; the entire screen of the Storm 2 has four sensor areas on all corners instead of having one sensitive area in the center like the Storm 1. The new screen also recognizes multi-touch, which is an essential feature for all devices that rely on a virtual keyboard.

Still, the transmissive screen has its limitations. Pressing two keys beside each other is difficult and can be cumbersome.

Out Now

BlackBerry Storm 2 9520 deals are currently available from Vodafone. Subscribers can get the device for free with plans of 35 Pounds per month (for individuals, Vodafone offers a different plan for businesses).