Multimedia features
The Storm’s social networking apps are well integrated into the furniture of the handset. Once downloaded, you can upload your photos to Flickr or videos to YouTube at the click of a button. Geo-tagging is a notable absentee, despite the inclusion of GPS. As a nod to its business roots, companies will still have the ability to control what apps its employees download.
The camera itself is a capable 3.2-megapixel number offering auto focus, zoom and auto flash (well, LED light). There’s a small lag between focus and taking a picture, but images are still reasonably crisp – not quite up to Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot or Carl Zeiss imbued Nokias, but more than acceptable for the likes of Flickr and co.
The music player keeps things clean and functional but still supports cover art and the ability to create playlists on the device itself. The built-in speaker is surprisingly rich, and audio quality in general is above par. A 3.5mm jack is provided to connect your own headphones, and side buttons (real ones) act as volume controls.
Supported formats are extensive and include MP3, AAC and WMA. There’s also iTunes ’syncing’ with your PC, although not quite in the way your iPod does it. Essentially the BlackBerry Media Sync software allows you to see and import your iTunes library – but will not copy over any tracks downloaded from the iTunes Store due to that harbinger of doom, DRM.
Watching movies on the vivid 3.25in screen is also enjoyable. Fortunately storage isn’t an issue either, with 1GB of onboard memory supplemented by an expansion slot supporting microSD/SDHC cards up to 16GB.
Wi-Fi missing from the party
When it comes to connectivity, there’s good news and bad news. The good news first: HSDPA is included for faster mobile browsing, while USB and stereo Bluetooth are both present and correct. You can even use the handset as a tethered modem. The bad news is there’s no Wi-Fi.
It’s debatable as to how big a deal this is – for many though it could be a deal breaker. In reality, Vodafone has implemented a variety of ‘all-you-can-eat’ style internet and email tariffs, removing the worry of humungous mobile bills at the end of the month. Which just leaves the issue of speed. With no Wi-Fi you’re at the mercy of Vodafone’s 3G and HSDPA coverage, and while one of the best around in this respect, nobody’s perfect.
True rival or pretender to the crown?
Whether the Storm has done enough to topple the iPhone is very much in the balance. Performance is excellent: voice calls are clear, email is handled seamlessly and battery life is good for a push email HSDPA device. Add to that the potential of the upcoming Application Storefront and generally swish looks, and things appear rosy for RIM.
The real question is whether the innovative ClickThrough touchscreen will be welcomed with willing fingers, and whether issues over menu responsiveness and the accelerometer are dealt with swiftly. If not, frustration will win out, and the Storm may well blow over.
Looks: 8/10
Ease of use: 7/0
Features: 8/10
Call quality: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Loading ...
