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BlackBerry Storm 2 Hands-On! By Kevin Michaluk | 21 May 2009 13:23 | 
357 comments
SWEEET!!!! Engadget got their hands on a BlackBerry Storm 2 ("Odin") and has given it a great unofficial first hands-on look. You can click the image above to jump over for lots of photos, a video and some initial impressions. The unit they have isn't quite fully functional (apparently the first batch of Storm 2s floating in the wild are running the Storm 1 OS so the display isn't registering input so well, hence it won't let them click OK to the user agreement and they can't get into the OS), but they still do a great job going over some of the things we can expect in this next-generation touchscreen from RIM. Gone is SurePress (so much for that Best Mobile Technology Breakthrough award?!) and according to Engadget "it is a leap from the previous Storm incarnation with sleeker style, more heft, and a click-free display that doesn't rattle about, all of which collaborate to make the Storm 2 feel a wee bit higher end." There's been lots of talk that the Storm 2 will still feature a form of tactile feedback (True Press), but they couldn't quite put that to the test just yet.
Be sure to sound off in the comments here and let us know what you think!
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Come on June 1st sale date!
I think I will wait for December 1st for the STORM 3
LOL
lol ok that one cracked me up!
what is the different
I like the looks of it, think this will steal some thunder from the Tour.. can't wait to see both in person.
guillaera23, no 'click' screen... it's touch, not press.
and yes Linsey, I agree, lets get this thing on shelves.
I won't shed a tear over the SurePress being gone. While I left the iPhone after three months to go back to a network that works (and for advanced features like cut/paste and MMS.. ;) ), I could type like nobody's business on the iPhone. I just hope they've beefed up the memory or processing so things move a whole lot faster (and yes, I'm running .132).
I, for one, welcome our new Canadian overlords.
...
What, no Simpsons fans?
Health care for all :)
i'm a slow typer and i'm sure gonna miss surepress in the browser
what about all the unhappy storm 1 onwers is big red going to let them trade theres in on a storm 2 ??
Not a chance!
Every tech company comes out with a new product every year.
My TV is 7 months old, its already last years model. My laptop is 3 months old, and its the old model. The new ones have better features. Should I call the manf. and complain to see if they let me trade it in for the new model? jeeeez
Dude no offence but im sure your TV and Laptop worked perfectly fine out of the box from the day you bought them, yes some Laptop software needs updating as time goes on but im sure if will last you a hell of a lot longer than the cr@ppy Storm that i and many other unhappy customers were sold!
people keep comparing other products to the storm as far as updates i dont give a shit about the new features the new storm may offer but they either need to FIX the first storm or offer me the new storm at a upgrade price at the least ...people keep thinking that storm 1 owners want the new storm just cause its new ...no, not the case if they fix storm 1 then i will have no problem but as you can see people have been told about 6 different times at the least that a OS was gonna come out....no OS came out yet but yet there is already rumor and pictures of a storm 2 kind of givess us loyal storm 1 users the feeling that we will soon be abandoened..(plus i actually got used to the sure press screen lol if i use someones touch screen i might cause issues for pressing it to hard because im so used to clicking down lol)
Where is the option for current Storm users to update their OS like iPhone users will when iPhone OS 3.0 comes out? Sure hope the next storm wont be as much of a wreck as the current one (slow accelerometer, lag when pushing buttons, random freezes....and missed calls because of the aforementioned three).
Well at least RIM admits that was a mistake by taking it away for the new Storm. Sure press was a pain in the arse.
Engadget gets to look at one in detail but not CB.com? Thats not right!
RIM makes CB.com take down earlier pics, while leaving them up everywhere else, now other blogs get someone else's love...bummer...
I liked the surepress on the original phone. Too bad they took that out.
I just wish they just disabled the surepress for TYPING only! The hover and press functionality while going through menus and clicking on web links worked well IMO. It kept me from clicking the wrong thing like I always do on other touchscreen phones. RIM, you had a good thing going and you just sold out rather than perfect it. That said, I think I'm going back to a real keyboard anyway...
I like it for clicking links in the browser etc... but it gets quite tedious when typing on the keyboard.
What? No surepress? That's what makes a Storm so different! The styling is the same as the original. RIM should be focusing on greating a better firmware for the original Storm than pushing it under a rug with a new one that looks the same. I'm not sold!
I can't believe the Storm 2 is already coming out! WTF!!!!!!!!!!! All the issues I've had with my Storm 1, including the dreaded dust under screen and now I'm going to have to wait 15+ months to be eligible to upgrade. I understand new tech always comes out but come on, we can't even get an official OS release to fix the countless issues with .75. Thanks VZW and RIM!!
.148 was posted to this very site yesterday. Stop bitching and upgrade already...
Not everyone is comfortable running leaked operating systems.
a BAD memory leak! My memory was always 40mb+, after installing .148 and several battery pulls my memory would dive below 15mb! I went back to .132 seems to be the best beta yet.
Yikes...Now we are definitely going to hear it from Storm 1 owners...I can't wait to see it, even though i have a Storm 1. I'm pretty happy with it, especially with the LEAKS!!! Yee!!! But i really like the click screen!!!
Why should they? They gave you 30 days to change your mind, and you didn't.
You bought a storm 1, knowing full well, that one day, a much better storm would be released.
On a side note, I think Sony should replace my TV because they sell HDTVs now. And I want an HDTV and my current one isn't HD.
I'm sure when they bought it at launch, they didn't expect a new device to come out 7 months later.
quit bitchin - that's life.
..... because they put out a crappy phone.
It just doesn't function as smoothly as an iPhone does, and people's expectations are overblown. The biggest problem though is that it doesn't function as "smoothly" as other Blackberry devices such as the Bold, so even Blackberry users are disappointed. However, compared to MOST other VZW phones (smart and dumb) the Storm is NOT a bad device. It is FAR more versatile than dumbphones are (not being married to "Get It Now" is a HUGE plus, although to be fair WinMo has this advantage too) and also functions more smoothly and responsively than alot of the WinMo devices do (and even has an unlocked GPS unit) - And it has more functionality than any of the other VZW Blackberry devices do (until the Tour arrives, that's about equal, not counting screen SIZE)
If you bought a hdtv that didn't show hd and the company's fix was to put out a new tv you would want them to replace it with the new one right? same thing.
Thats means you did not buy a HD TV then.
So Yes, would buying an HDTV and not getting HD on that TV want me make the company replace it? You sure bet.
Imo recall all the storms and give them Storm 2's people that are happy with the click can keep it. I personally don't like it all that its for is typing.
Well what if your TV was slow to change the channels and Sony had told you that they will have the issue fixed shortly. You held on to your TV because you believed that they usually have great products so you would just wait it out. Then they come out with a model(just like yours) but it is better because it is HD with 120mhz picture???
What would you say then?
Foul, or would you want a trade in value on your old TV?
I understand RIM CEO's comment about smartphones always being a work in progress and will never be perfect. But the fact is that Verizon Wireless retail salespeople were instructed to tell customers that a software update was imminent and that it would solve most of the problems.
You can't future-promise a feature and then not deliver. Not only is that unwise for a company to do that to its customers, its also illegal and gives us a case against Verizon and RIM.
If its true that most development on the existing OS 4.7 has been stopped, current 4.7 updates have failed VZW internal testing, and no further updates will be released...I could foresee a lawsuit (hopefully class-action) being filed. Especially if the OS/firmware is not updated before the Storm 2 is released and the original Storm owners aren't given an opportunity to upgrade at little to no-cost.
i dont believe vzw ever directly told employees to say that a release was coming. i believe what happened was people were seeing it said online and it spread to make everyone seem like one was coming...even employees.
As a Verizon Wireless Employee (in technical support!) and a HAPPY STORM OWNER i can assure you all that we were never instructed to miss lead our customers in any way... further more i have seen a impressive improvement in my storm i wouldnt give it up for anything... well maybe the storm 2 lol!!
What if a person was happy with their Storm for the first 2 months i.e. 60 days and had no issues? And then all of a sudden, things started messing up and dealing with refurb devices and no support? So the 30 day excuse doesn't apply to everyone who is NOW unhappy with the Storm. Just because someone is unhappy now doesn't mean they were within the first month. Maybe the Storm starting crapping out on them 3 months later. Ever think of that?
Maybe you should have read one of the million bad reviews the strom had from day one. You have your self to blame.
But what I am saying is that everyone didn't have a bad experience in the first 30 days. Forget the reviews. Even with all the bad reviews, people still love it today. So even with the bad reviews, YOU MAY NOT HAVE HAD A PROBLEM IN THE FIRST 30 DAYS.
the dust under the screen issue. This isn't something that may be noticed in 30 days.
thats sort of the boat im in. My first one worked perfectly for a month and a half...then it started messing up physically. The screen stopped clicking and Ive had a bunch of refurbished phones tossed my way from them. 5 refurbs to be exact. Verizon was quick to replace it everytime, but I never had the option of having a NEW phone really. After the initial new one I had everyone elses crap just polished up.
You are DUMB! And so is everyone else who says "you had 30 days"! Especially everyone who compares this F**** PHONE to TV or a CAR! Get real please!
You FAIL!!!!! cuz you are so dumb!
We want OS (not leaked or otherwise!) Screw the new design, that's great, good job making a new model! But if you don't support the OS on our S1's, then we have every right to gripe!
And to you stupid people who compare a phone with a half-a** OS to your TV's, get the he** on!
SO PERFECTLY SAID = )
Me personally, am going to get one irregardless of my contract...but Rim and Verizon know that the first storm had major problems. You might not have had any but more than 80% of people are on their second and third storm. I am on my second with dirt under the screen already. You are comparing apples to oranges!! What does an analog TV and an HDTV have to do with the storm???? I bet you didnt have to return your analog TV for replacement within 1,2 or 3 months of buying it because it didnt work...did you? NO. The original storm will continue to have problems as long as there is a gap allowing dirt to get into the phone. Thats why the clicking is not in the new storm and is sealed. I dont think Verizon wants to keep getting phone calls and having to continually replace the original storm on an ongoing basis. That is why you have not seen an official release and why the new storm is coming out so quickly. Rim does not want to lose customers and niether does Verizon. So before you post idiotic comparisons, think before you speak! I gaurrantee you if you did go out and buy a Sony HDTV and you had it a month and the thing crapped out, you would be the first one to cry and rant like a little baby.
Dude, seriously? C'mon, you know you can't call someone a "Jack***" AND use the work "irregardless" in the same post, right? No? Didn't get that memo?
Jack***.
I hate that argument. People have been using that example for about a week now. I can't stand it.
A commenter the other day said, If I bought that TV and it turned off randomly or didn't work, they would sure as hell send me a newer version of that model.
As it so happens, I am currently waiting for a flash drive to arrive with an update for my brand new LG LCD HDTV.
Certainly RIM and Verizon are not obligated to provide an exchange or refund.
You may see some kind of credit for those that want to upgrade. Perhaps they allow for subsidized pricing with the your current contract or allow upgrades before the required 12 months (or whatever it is).
No offense to Bobdelt, I just hate that argument. I'm in software sales and I see both sides of that quite a bit.
Lastly, I love the click screen. I would love the option to use touch only for typing. Clicking is great for the browser and everywhere else within the OS.
Whew!
AND THATS ALL I WANT IS A CREDIT TOWARDS THE NEW PHONE OR A OS THAT WORKS! i love the click screen and i hear the storm 2 doesnt have it so if they do not come out with a OS then hopefully a credit towards the tour. i mainly got the storm for its surepress, made it unique but i see how the dust issue could make it frustrating. I havent had the problem yet hopefully i stay lucky
Have you returned your TV time after time again due to hardware failure?.....no...... then STFU.
wow another moron that doesnt know what there talking about .. all those people that had 30 days to return there phone and then went to and then was told numerous and numerous of times that a OS was right around the corner then nothing comes out in months then after the fact go back to try and return cause obviously the reps did not know what they were talking about then to be told no.. i see as a shitty move kinda leaves us screwed so no not all people knew what they were getting screwed into. I bet if i got to verzion now a rep will still assure me that one will be out in weeks yet they said that months ago pathetic