When RIM launched the BlackBerry Storm in 2008 it was greeted with a mixed reception. Some loved it, others (like Stephen Fry) hated it. So can the second attempt fix the problems and give BlackBerry users a viable touchscreen experience? We've been using one for a couple of weeks to find out.

At a quick glance you'll think it's the same phone as last year. The design is similar, the form factor is virtually the same and the operating system doesn't look too different either.

Of course it isn't the same and RIM has worked hard to address all the minor and major issues associated with the first version of the handset. The software is faster and more responsive, the bottom buttons are now a part of the screen rather than separate, and overall it's a far better experience than before. Say what you want, but this is how the original Storm should have performed.

So does that make it another contender for phone of the year? In short, no. While the Storm users we tracked down were impressed - noting it was much improved in performance levels - the world has moved on from the innovative, if not controversial, approach of the first handset.

If you are moving over from a Bold or Curve, with its hard QWERTY keyboard, then the notion of having to jab the screen to accept your commands (SurePress as RIM calls it) won't be that annoying, but moving from a capacitive touchscreen device you will find it a shock.

The system works by floating the entire high-resolution 480 x 360 pixel 3.25-inch screen so you have to physically press it down to accept your command. It's not as bad as it sounds, but if you're looking to type a long email you will really feel like you have gone 10 rounds in a thumb fight: it's hard work.?

Upgraded from a single hidden button underneath to four actuators in the corners of the screen you get a more responsive press and therefore feedback to your actions. It also means it doesn't shift around as much as the first screen did in its cradle as it's held in place at the four corners rather than the centre. It will allow for two finger pressing, but not pinching to zoom for example.

Hardware-wise it's the usual story, following the "we don't need Wi-Fi" stance on the Storm, the Storm 2 now has Wi-Fi. Personally it's not that big a deal as Verizon and Vodafone's 3G coverage is very good, but if you were upset by the lack of Wi-Fi you now don't have to be. Wi-Fi joins 3G, CDMA (for Verizon) Bluetooth and GPS on the connectivity front. Multimedia wise, you get a 16GB microSD card inside to store your stuff on, a 3.5mm headphones socket, a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, auto focus, image stabilization, and a 2x digital zoom as well as that very crisp screen ideal for watching movies and BlackBerry OS 5.0.

There's also a bump in Flash memory (double in fact from 128MB to 256MB) and on-board memory for storing Apps goes up to 2GB from 1GB.

The Operating system is the same, obviously adapted for the touchscreen, as you'll find on the latest BlackBerry handsets like the Bold 9700.?Those who have used a BlackBerry before know what they are getting here and the Storm on that front doesn't throw up any surprises.

We tested a Verizon handset in the US, although it is available on Vodafone in the UK. Verizon pre-install their VCast Sony ID, VCast Videos and VZ Navigator as standard on the unit. You can choose to remove them if you want, and there isn't any further customisation. It's not as violent as carriers used to be with dedicated skins for example.

There are tweaks to the software over the original making it a better experience all around, but ones to note are the Inertial Scrolling w/Snap Back that means you can swipe down with your finger and watch the page carry on scrolling (just like the wheel of fortune) and we especially like the ability to now press on the network coverage logo and get direct access to the connections. It's the same for the clock (i.e., alarms) and the volume, although you do get a physical volume button to mute it for when you hit that important "do not disturb" meeting.

Email is fantastic, giving you real power to search. Add that to Xobni's BlackBerry app when it comes out and this, for communicating on the go, will be hard to beat. It's what RIM do best after all, but that's true of the BlackBerry family, not just the Storm 2.

However get into web browsing and the browser is incredibly slow on Wi-Fi and 3G, a shame as Verizon's and Vodafone's 3G coverage is very good. Pages seem to take forever to load and while you can opt for the nippier Opera browser you can't set it as the default, which means you'll soon forget about it when you go to open a link in an email or tweet.

Verdict:

The BlackBerry Storm 2 is a vast improvement on the Storm. It's a better hardware design and better software build that gives you a better experience all around.

In the year since the Storm launched however, we've seen plenty of high-end smartphones hit the market in the UK and the US. The iPhone 3GS, the Palm Pre, the HTC Hero, even the Motorola DEXT show us what can be done with touchscreen and slider devices. In a segment of the market offering great possibilities from a large touchscreen, the Storm 2 just can't keep pace.

So the final result? It's a condescending "well done" to RIM for making it better, but unfortunately it's just not good enough when you compare it to the competition that's now available.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones RIM BlackBerry BlackBerry Storm 2

BlackBerry Storm 2 9550 mobile phone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:10 +0000

It's fair to say the BlackBerry Bold took the QWERTY market by storm. It was a badge that said you'd made it in business, as commuter trains packed full of suits flashing RIM's flagship device. The last Bold hit as the world economy slumped, so it's perhaps fitting that the new Bold trims off the fat, tightens up and is a meaner machine.

The design is the biggest change you'll notice, as it steps closer to the form factor of the Curve 8900, a handset that's been incredibly popular both in business and among consumers. Touches of the old Bold are still here, not only on the tech spec side of things, but also around the back, with the leather insert meaning your fingertips get to enjoy that textured premium feel.

From the front the BlackBerry Bold 9700 looks like a slightly more mature Curve 8900, with a flash of angle applied to the edge of the screen to make it more Audi than VW. Around the sides you now have the tactile rubberised finish so the 9700 is secure in your hand, with the side buttons getting the rubber finish we saw on the 8520.

The top is slightly more pronounced than previous BlackBerrys, with the key lock and mute "buttons" having a positive and substantial feel to them, where the 8900 is rather unsubstantial. The left-hand side of the 9700 gives you the 3.5mm headphone jack and Micro-USB with a user-defined shortcut button, which we like to assign to launch Twitter. The right-hand side sees the camera shortcut and volume.

The optical trackpad has now moved into the 9700, ousting the "Pearl" trackball that now seems destined to the recycle bin. This is one of the primary interfaces you'll use for menu navigation and browsing on the device, but fortunately the switch is a seamless one and you'll barely notice the difference. We took the sensitivity down a touch to reflect the trackball response we used previously, but it's easy to set it to your preference.

The trackpad sits on a middle belt giving you your calling, back and BlackBerry menu buttons. Above is the 2.44-inch, 480 x 360 pixel resolution display which is beautifully crisp and bright. It might not be the largest screen or pack in touch technology, but it does have the brightness to be visible in bright sunlight, something that we really like.

But the BlackBerry Bold is all about the keyboard and here in the new 9700 it keeps the ridges of the previous Bold and an action that is possibly the best QWERTY keyboard of any mobile phone. With the keys flush together, they are larger than those of the 8900. There is a silky feel to the keyboard. Not only is the choice of materials perfect, but the action is tight and responsive too.

The backlighting shines through so you can happily bash out those midnight emails and there is enough space for some serious two-thumbed action, whilst still letting you reach all the keys with a single thumb for those moments when you have your hands full. Converts from the 8900 will find that that keyboard has less of a click, but it has a softness that is reassuringly premium.

Packed into the BlackBerry Bold 9700 you get all the connectivity you expect. You get HSDPA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You get the assisted GPS and the 3.2-megapixel camera with an LED flash. RIM has a habit of differentiating between their devices by omitting some critical piece of hardware and fortunately the Bold 9700 gets the full bunch.

Dive into the interface and the 9700 comes with BlackBerry OS 5, the latest version of their software, carrying the look and feel that was introduced with version 4.6. In essence little has changed here: it is functional and relatively easy to use, but occasionally you'll find yourself digging around in some minor menu looking for an obscure setting.

If there is a criticism of the BlackBerry family of devices, it is that the user interface is tired and doesn't bring with it the wow factor that many of the new touch devices have. Sure, a bigger screen and touch interaction gives you greater visual scope, but you get the feeling that some of the core interaction with social networks or existing online services needs to be deeper ingrained in the BlackBerry ethos in the future.

Yes, BlackBerry App World is bringing together many applications for you to download for free or at a price, but it doesn't compete with Apple's App Store or to a certain extent the Android Marketplace.

But one area that BlackBerry still reigns supreme is email. The optimised push email service is RIMs knockout punch. Setup is incredibly easy and the way it handles attachments just makes your life so easy if you are a heavy email user. It might lack some of the visuals of its rivals, but it is dependable, and this is a key point for those who rely on email.

The 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera doesn't bring any surprises with it and performance is very similar to the 8900. It might not reach the vaulted 5- or 8-megapixel levels, but we feel that 3.2 is enough. It gives you an image that is great for sharing and using online and is better than many other phones in the 3MP range. Video, captured as 3GP is restricted to 480 x 352 pixels, so it can't compete with other devices, except in offering solid 30fps capture, so performance isn't too bad.

The BlackBerry Media Player is reasonable, giving you support for the usual video and music formats. There is only 256MB of memory however, which you'll need to keep aside for your applications that you download. Under the back cover you'll find a microSD card slot to handle expansion, and our review model came with 1GB in the box, although this may vary by carrier.

The BlackBerry browser is pretty good. It does at least let you open most pages in full and the optical trackpad makes navigation easier than previously. If browsing the Internet is the most important thing for you, then this probably isn't the right device. At least you know that when you need to look something up, you'll be able to dive in and quickly jump in to page columns to read the details and so on, with minimal fuss.

The battery in the 9700 is the same as the original Bold. It stands up well against touchscreen smartphone rivals, but the constant data consumption does leave its mark on the phone. In normal use it will get you through a couple of days, but on intensive days you'll find it needs charging every night. But it will also happily sit around for several weeks, picking up emails and still keep charge.

Verdict:

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 feels like the last step in an evolution of devices, bringing together the form factor from the Curve 8900 with the tech specs of the original Bold. It brings with it the two key elements that BlackBerry users love: an excellent keyboard with which to abuse BlackBerry's excellent email service.

This is a device with communication at its core. It is a comfortable handset to use for voice calls, with good quality audio for both the caller and the receiver. It provides an excellent messaging platform for those who use email day-in-day-out with SMS and MMS not ignored. Instant messaging via BlackBerry's own service, or via a more popular download like Windows Live Messenger will keep you in touch with your most important people. Diving in and out of calendar, browser, instant messaging, copy and pasting information is what the BlackBerry is really good at.

But step outside this communication-heavy business-friendly core and the BlackBerry seems to give a nonchalant shrug. Social networking? Well, sort of. By this stage of the game, Apple and Android have a big lead. For business users this might not be a concern, but as the divide between business and social lives narrows, it's becoming much more important.

RIM will certainly evolve their BlackBerry offering and as it stands the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is the best BlackBerry yet: a very comfortable device to use, delivering its core functions with aplomb.

Thank you to T-Mobile for the loan of this handset.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones BlackBerry RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700

BlackBerry Bold 9700 mobile phone originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:22:12 +0000

RIM picked a hell of a week to release its new flagship smartphone, the BlackBerry Bold 9700. Microsoft and Apple have been fighting for press attention, with the former releasing its most-anticipated operating system for many years and the latter attempting to drown out that announcement with a slew of product updates.

Nevertheless, the new Bold has managed a decent amount of attention from the world's media. Much has been made of its new, slimmer form factor, and the improvements in responsiveness over the occasionally sluggish original. Pocket-lint managed to get hands-on with the smartphone as it was announced today. Does it stack up to its competitors? Read on to find out.

Let's start with the looks. The Bold 9700 doesn't throw any of RIM's established style out of the window - it looks like a BlackBerry and no-one would mistake it for anything else. There's plenty of rhomboid-y shapes and the keyboard is as familiar as ever. But it's certainly more refined than past handsets from RIM.

Performance has improved too. RIM told us that a whole host of bug fixes and little tweaks to get more out of the onboard hardware have been included in the form of BlackBerry OS version 5. The hardware comprises a new 624MHz processor and 256MB of flash memory which definitely seemed, in our short play with the device, to make things more responsive.

In fact, the only time when it behaved slowly was when it had to load a big chunk of text - specifically the subscriber agreement for the App World which is present and correct on the handset - which took a good 30 seconds or so. In terms of the actual operating system, very little has altered from the changes we saw come in with version 4.6 last year.

The keyboard is top-notch, as you'd expect from a handset from RIM, as email and instant messaging is still key to the whole handset, with BlackBerry's exemplary email system underpinning the experience. If you're not the kind of person who spends all their time in their inbox, then given the advances in multimedia on rival devices, you'll probably want to look elsewhere.

That said, the speakers aren't bad. Blaring out Beastie Boys yielded a reasonable level of detail, but a complete lack of bass. You'll want to plug headphones into the included 3.5mm jack if you're serious about listening to music on this handset, but it doesn't get a look-in on the multimedia keys found on the Curve 8520.

The screen, which isn't touch-enabled, is 2.44-inches and slightly smaller than its predecessor (which was 2.6-inches diagonally). It does, however, run at a slightly higher resolution than the original Bold. It's clear and bright and displays colours well. Although we didn't get a chance to take a look in direct sunlight, if it anything like previous screens, it will be happy outdoors. Viewing angles are also impressive.

The camera isn't too bad, either. Although it's only 3.2-megapixels, it captured images acceptably in a well-lit room. We weren't able to test how well that'll stack up in a darker situation, but there is a flash onboard, and we'd imagine the performance to be much like previous BlackBerry handsets.

Verdict:

Overall, in our short time with the device, the Bold 9700 seems like a solid improvement on the old Bold. It doesn't do anything terribly revolutionary - focusing on the communications experience above everything else - but it's a solid smartphone choice for those who prioritise messaging functionality.

It's sure to be widely adopted in business and email-aholics, but we’ll be giving the handset a full rundown when we get a review sample.

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News -?BlackBerry Bold 9700 announced

Photos -?BlackBerry Bold 9700

Tags: Phones Mobile phones BlackBerry RIM BlackBerry Bold 9700

BlackBerry Bold 9700 - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:04:36 +0100

RIM today announced the BlackBerry Storm 2, the second iteration of its touchscreen handset. We had our hands on the new device this morning, and this is what we made if it.

In terms of look, little has changed from previously, following those distinct BlackBerry design lines, which now includes rubberised side volume and convenience keys. The backplate is metal, so feels sturdy enough and is comfortable in the hand. Measuring 112.5 x 62 x 13.9mm, its dimensions are average, even if the 160g is surprisingly weighty.

The front sees a 3.25-inch 480 x 360 pixel resolution display, featuring SurePress technology. SurePress, RIM tell us, is designed to differentiate between touching something and actually wanting to trigger that action. So, to select something on the screen, like an icon, you press the screen, it clicks and the phone reacts.

Previously this was enabled by a mechanical system residing behind the screen. The downside was that the screen had to return to its original position before you could select something else. This system has been replaced with an electromechanical system, so you still click it, but the phone can respond to subsequent clicks straight after. If you are typing, you can now use two thumbs to bash out emails without waiting between letters.

It seems to work too and settling down to crack out an email on the landscape keyboard is easy enough, once you remind yourself to press and not just touch. This is a pretty essential point, as BlackBerrys are known and loved for their keyboards (along with the email service, of course).

Various versions of the keyboard ware available, from QWERTY in landscape and portrait, through to RIM's SureType keyboard, which Pearl users will be familiar with, and works really well in portrait mode. Predictive text helps to iron out any mistakes you might make, whilst the key you press glows blue: it doesn't give you pop-up letters like you get on the iPhone and others, but we found it accurate enough in our short play.

Of course, it is difficult to judge the overall performance of the keyboard experience without really getting down to some power email action – something that BlackBerry users know all about. Email is a core component of your BlackBerry experience, and nothing has changed on this front, which is a good thing, but from a visual point of view it doesn’t have the impact that some of the recent alternatives do.

If you are a BlackBerry user, you'll be able to pick-up the Storm 2 and know where everything is. You'll know how to access the menu, you'll know which settings to tweak. The BlackBerry Storm 2 will ship with OS version 5, which has been waiting in the wings for some time and in that regard, nothing much has changed from a cosmetic point of view.

So your home page carries a number of shortcut icons allowing you to dive into your applications. Once you've entered say, emails or contacts, you'll find it the same as other BlackBerry devices. The touch response was pretty fast, but in a device that is free from content, it perhaps isn't a fair test, so we’ll reserve judgement on how it really performs until we've played with it some more.

Searching is pretty smart however, with touch bringing information to your fingertips easily. For example, you can press a contact's name and the Storm 2 will search for that person. Press the subject of an email, and it will search for that. We didn't get the chance to really test out how far you can go with it, but if it saves you opening a search window and typing in a search string, then so much the better.

We had a little play with cut and paste too, which takes advantage of multi-touch. Put two fingers on the screen and – like the iPhone – you get two tabs to select the text you want to copy. We tested it in a number of different places, so it seems like you can copy pretty much anything – unlike the Palm Pre, for example.

But having said that, we did find it being incredibly sensitive to our touch, jumping over lines and sometimes giving us three tabs for selecting text, suggesting that it's either a system that needs some refinement, or it's going to take a little practise to really use well.

Wi-Fi is included on this model, having been omitted from the original Storm, which will please those who like to browse within a home network, or those who want to avoid the burden of data costs whilst roaming.

You get the usual combination of HSPA, GPS and Bluetooth too, to keep you connected, and around the back is the usual autofocus 3.2-megapixel camera, with an LED flash. A 3.5mm headphone jack will let you listen to your music on the move.

Verdict:

Whilst we are fans of BlackBerry and their exemplary email service, you can't help feeling that the BlackBerry Storm 2 doesn't quite wow like the recent crop of touch devices. You don't get that easy OTA syncing out of the box like you do with Android devices and you don't get that super intuitive interface like the iPhone.

We pushed RIM on this point, asking about whether we would see an integrated contacts list or a "people-focused" approach, but it doesn't seem to be coming. Sure, you can install the Facebook app and use Google Sync to bring your contacts in with pictures, but it doesn’t have the buzz of something like Palm's Synergy or Motorola's Motoblur.

It is worth asking who the Storm 2 is aimed at: is it designed to dominate the consumer touchscreen space, or is it supposed to bring a larger screen to enhance the multimedia experience for business users? In today's world of smartphones is there really a difference between the two?

Taken at first glance, the BlackBerry Storm 2 doesn't seem to make inroads into the consumer space with any great pace. It gives you your core BlackBerry functions - that premium email service that BlackBerry users know and love - but you can't help feeling that over the life of your next BlackBerry contract, the Storm 2 and the BlackBerry OS is going to age quite fast.

We will be getting the BlackBerry Storm 2 in for a full review soon, where we'll see if it really keeps pace with the rest of the touchscreen pack.

Tags: Phones Mobile phones BlackBerry BlackBerry Storm 2 RIM

BlackBerry Storm 2 - First Look originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:46:35 +0100

We've been watching the progress of BlackBerry Desktop Manager for the Mac for some time, with RIM always being clear that they would be releasing a solution for Mac users. That fateful day has arrived, but is it the end for third party solutions like PocketMac?

BlackBerry Desktop Manager has been sympathetically designed for Mac users, so you'll find the interface is simple and easily recognisable. Those who have used the PC version will also recognise the look and feel and find that the settings are all very straightforward.

We tested it with a BlackBerry Curve 8900 on a MacBook running OS X 10.6.1. After a quick installation we connected our BlackBerry and it was instantly recognised. You get the option to change the name of your device, as well as use multiple devices if you wish.

Ranging down the left-hand side are your main sync areas, divided into Calendar, Contacts, Notes, Tasks and finally Music. Across the top you have access to Back Up, Restore, Applications and the Sync button.

Back Up and Restore are simply what they sound like, with the backup files saving themselves in your Documents. You get the option of encrypting the data too, which some may opt for, but if you are saving the data on your synced Mac, it might be that the original data isn't encrypted in the first place?

Applications lets you add and remove apps from your BlackBerry, as well as updating native applications. There is no switch devices option like on the PC version.

Most of your interest, however, will be in the left-hand options which is where you will control the movement of information between your handset and your Mac.

Calendar identified available calendars in iCal (or Entourage) and presented them as options for syncing. This was a combination of local and synced calendars from Google Calendars, a typical setup. First up we struggled to get them to sync, as choosing the "All Calendars" option led to repeated syncing errors.

Manually selecting which calendars to sync resolved the problem, probably because it duplicated one of the calendars in iCal, which effectively didn't exist. There is one major option here: you sync both ways, or you don't sync at all.

In the advanced tab you will find the option to replace all the events on your handset - a sort of one time forced overwrite. You can also select whether to sync all events, future events or define a period of days. You are also asked to nominate an iCal calendar for any entries made on your BlackBerry device.

We found that on occasion the Calendar sync would want to remove our entire calendar history from the Mac, accompanied with a warning saying that more than 25% of the calendar would be changed if we proceeded. There is no option here other than choose not to do it, or to do it.

Those calendars syncing to Google through iCal are also flagged as Read-Only, so any syncing is one-way (despite the threats to wipe it all out). You could always opt out of syncing these calendars and use Google Sync on your BlackBerry for your Google calendars and BlackBerry Desktop Manager for any local calendars.

So Calendars is something of a mixed bag and we've found over the time we've been using the software that it is difficult to predict what the outcome will be. It is clear when it doesn't work, and when it did sync perfectly we found all the data was in the right place. Avoiding problems takes a bit of tweaking and experimenting.

Contacts seems to be handled much more smoothly. Desktop Manager recognised the existing groups we had in Address Book, so you could select work contacts only, or whatever you need. Advanced settings again gives you the option of overwriting all your device contacts.

Conflict resolution seems to work fairly well, asking you which is correct when presented with two different versions. You simply click the BlackBerry or Mac version to nominate which is correct. Once you've done the initial sync and cleaned out any anomalies, things should run smoothly.

Notes and Task syncing is also supported, if you use the functions, with Notes collection from Entourage or Apple Mail. Tasks, linked to calendars, again lets you specify which calendar tasks you want to sync.

The final option is music. You might have been content with manually copying music to your device or a microSD card, but BlackBerry Desktop Manager now makes this much simpler to get your music out of iTunes. You get the option to sync all your songs and playlists, or pick a playlist from the list. There is no support for DRM protected tracks.

Unless you have a huge capacity card, or a small music collection, you probably won't take the "sync all" option. Using playlists works very well, with the corresponding music finding its way into your BlackBerry media player once you disconnect it. If you want you podcasts, simply make a podcast playlist and off you go.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager is also mindful of the capacity of your memory card, so will alert you in advance if your selection exceeds capacity. It's simple, but it works. Oh, and you need to make sure that Mass Storage mode is enabled and worth setting this as the default mode on connection to your Mac, otherwise you'll have to try and hit the confirmation on the screen.

Only music is covered and there is no provision for syncing or moving your photos or videos, so these things will still need to be done manually.

There is also no option for wireless syncing. You'd hope that through the magic of modern networking that a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi syncing option would be available, but unfortunately it isn't. We raised this with RIM, who said it was something they were aware of, but wanted to concentrate on getting the basics out first.

Verdict:
The problem that all syncing software faces is the variety of different formats that it is going to be presented with. Each user is going to have a different collection of requirements and as a result, the syncing experience will be different for a great number of users.

BlackBerry Desktop Manager is simple and for the most part it works. However the calendar failures that we experienced marred the process somewhat. It is nice to have a RIM application to sync contacts and the addition of music support is welcomed. It's a shame that you can't just sync one thing as and when you want to without disabling other areas - it would have been simple to include a calendar sync button for example.

This is first generation software and for some we are sure it will work perfectly. For the rest, we have to hope that RIM support and update the software regularly to iron out the inevitable hiccups.

Tags: Software Mac software BlackBerry Apple RIM BlackBerry Desktop Manager BlackBerry Desktop Manager Mac

BlackBerry Desktop Manager - Mac originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:00:00 +0100