BlackBerry Storm2 9550 Phone (Verizon Wireless)

My First Touchscreen November 25, 2009

Reviewer:  Tony ""Medic Ricci""  (Yucaipa, CA) -

This is my first touchscreen phone and I'm really having fun with it. In my line of work, I need to be able to access medical and hazard material data immediately and reliably, while being able to call any number of public and private agencies. The reason I say this is because my number one requirement is reliability, and that is closely followed by usability. I've had Palm PDAs for my reference books (no more bags of books needed) and progressed through the blessing of phone/pda combinations beginning with the Treo 700 and 755 to the Blackberry Curve and then the Blackberry Tour. I now have the Blackberry Storm 2 and have no regrets. I was quite nervous about making the jump to touchscreen because I was so used to a keyboard, moreover the history of the Storm wasn't stellar. I did my research, played with various devices, read the reviews (Amazon included) and bought the phone. In doing so, I bypassed the Droid, the Eris and LGs.

The good:
1)The BB9550 has been phenomenally reliable without a single glitch or hardware issue.
2)It is very fast and opens up my medical reference texts faster than my Tour did.
3)The bigger screen makes it possible for me to read attachments (big reason for switching to a full screen phone)
4)Email is blackberry awesome with multiple accounts managed easily
5)As a music player, photo album and video device is is excellent
6)Keyboard is great--I love the feedback "click". I cannot understand the whining about tired fingers...how does one type on a regular computer keyboard or use a pencil without some muscle? All I can say is that if you're tired from the miniscule effort of texting, perhaps the issue is wimpy fingers
7)Memory availability is fantastic.
8)Touchscreen is reliable, solid...the entire phone feels solid and well built.

The bad:
1)Learning curve using the keyboard configurations with my fat fingers--am getting quickly better and more efficient
2)Battery life does suck--I charge continually by habit (always have, regardless of device)

Bottom line, I really like this phone and am very glad to have gotten it. Am giving my excellent Tour away as a gift!

As you can see, the "bads" are relative and not really factors for such a powerful device.

I'm smiling. Finally someone got it right. October 31, 2009

Reviewer:  Alex Alexzander "Alex Alexzander"  (San Francisoc, CA) -

I didn't buy the Storm 2 from Amazon, so I don't know if my review of it will stick here or not. I'm a recent Verizon switcher (from the 8310 AT&T to the Verizon Tour) a few months ago.

Truly there are two kinds of customers. There are those looking for their first smart phone, and those that have owned quite a few smart phones while looking for some kind of smart phone nirvana. I fall into the latter. I've owned, and in this order, a Blackberry PDA fortified with Yahoo. A Treo 650. A Blackberry 8800. A Blackberry 8310 Curve. An iPhone (1st gen EDGE). An iPhone 3G (second generation). A WinMo 6.1 (MotoQ). Back to my old AT&T 8310 Curve. Then switched to Verizon for the Tour. And now I have the Storm 2.

So why so many phones? Recently my employer bought his first smart phone. A WinMo 6.1 device from Samsung. He would watch me go from smart phone to smart phone before my contracts expire, spending full price for the switch. Often $579 for the change. Finally he asked me, "Why all the switching?" I tried to explain this to him, and I will try to explain it here. But I think you know the answer if you've owned a smart phone already. You see my employer didn't own one when he asked me this question. Now that he does he's been trying the iPhone and considering a switch to that. Now he saw the Moto Droid with Android 2.0, and now he is considering that. I just bought the Storm 2 and now he is considering that. What you can take away from this is the following. Now that he owns a smart phone, he is already considering several other smart phones, and I think now he understands why people switch smart phones.

The answer is this. Once you own a smart phone, you truly will find the value of such a device. I am an office worker. I guess Bill Gates would classify me as a knowledge worker. Much of office life is held together via communication with clients, manufactures, my tasks, calendar, and even memos. Email is perhaps even more important to me that the phone itself. I have to save every single email I send and receive because I make agreements via email. I ask partners to manufacture things via email.

I work on projects that involve multiple corporations and consume many months. I have a phone number here in San Francisco, New York and Hong Kong. I work with partners through the entire day and evening. It is only because of smart phones that I can walk around and not sit in front of a computer 24 hours a day 6 days a week. My smart phone is my freedom, though I am sure it sounds like it is my prison it's not that at all. Not having a smart phone would be my prison.

I'm a business customer. I use Exchange and Blackberry Enterprise Services. That gives me instant over the air sync between Outlook / Exchange and my Blackberry. If I so much as add a contact to my Outlook client, it just pops into my Blackberry instantly. I don't have to sync it because Blackberry Enterprise Services just updates my Blackberry instantly and immediately.

When I am talking to a new partner or client, I add them as a contact into Outlook. And just like that, I know I have them in my Blackberry if I need to call them. That's a powerful thing to know I can count on them being in my phone. As you might have realized by now, watching videos and listening to music is not my primary use of the Blackberry. My primary use is the email, calendar, tasks, notes, contacts and the phone itself. All the tools that make the Blackberry perhaps the best business-class phone on the planet. I have Documents2Go 2.0 and a few other tools as well. All geared to help me with attachments in email or some other feature so I can truly remain as mobile as possible.

So you see the value of the phone. Now it's all about the hardware. The phone you choose affects the value. If you had to type a long email on your smart phone, would you be able to do it and be professional about it? What I mean by that is this. Would you use proper punctuation, spelling, words etc? With business clients and partners I can't send emails that look like this, "How R U". Kids can get away with that between themselves However, in the business world that's simply unacceptable. The smart phone you choose will really help you craft those emails with minimal effort. Blackberry phones have an auto text feature. You can set it to do things like substitute "blaex" to "Kind regards, Alex Alexzander". I have a much longer signature if I type "calex". That will change to the full signature which is my name, my company address, phone, fax, cell, mailing address, etc. Virtually all my contacts will capitalize themselves. If I type "lisa" or "armando" I get "Lisa" and "Armando". I set these changes in auto text. If I type "teh" a common misspelling of "the" the phone changes it to "the" for me. I have all kinds of auto text substitutions set up in my Blackberry designed to allow me to type very fast and still keep it professional.

So now that I have the best business phone and I have setup auto text to help me keep my emails professional as well as fast I have the issue of the keyboard itself. Why choose the Storm 2 with touch screen over the Tour which has physical keys?

As I wrote previously, I had a Curve which has physical keys. They keys on the Blackberry Curve do you touch one another. Each key is an island onto itself. And in my humble opinion, the Curve represents Blackberry's best tactile keyboard efforts. Other Blackberry devices such as the Bold, Tour, and the older 8800 series all have keys that touch each other. Your fingers and thumbs are larger than these keys. When you go to press them, you're going to feel perhaps 3 ~ 5 keys under your finger or thumb. Pressing the right key is something that you must learn. It doesn't take long to develop this skill, but if you've owned a smart phone you know that this is where the mistakes take place via typing. It doesn't happen a lot but it does happen somewhat often. At least once or twice in every short email, and more in longer emails. You'll press two keys, or press the wrong key. In order to keep the phone device small and yet still have a full qwerty keyboard, you'll have to deal with this issue. There is no way around it; Or is there?

It is the question, "Is there a better way?", that causes smart phone users to switch phones so often. Should you buy a smart phone with a portrait keyboard or a landscape keyboard, such as those in the Sidekick or the new MotoDroid.

If you buy a landscape keyboard, and you try to hold it and type on the device in a bus or something that is really bouncing around, you'll grow to dislike it, and perhaps even drop it. There is a right way and a wrong way to hold these devices. And little things, like being able to operate the device with one hand become a sought after feature. Blackberry devices were designed to be operated with one hand.

I bought the Storm 2 because of a YouTube video I saw. A guy was reviewing it and he had it in SureType mode. What is SureType? Remember that question all smart phone users ask? "Is there a better way?" That's what SureType is trying to answer. Imagine for a second that you only have 5 keys from left to right, and only 4 keys from top to bottom. They'd be huge keys. Q and W are the same key. E and R are the same key. T and Y are the same key. Now, before you tell yourself you want nothing to do with tapping a single key once or twice to get the key you want, I have to tell you that you don't have to do that. Let that sink in. How in the world can a shared key know which key you intended to type? And that's what SureType is all about.

Think of the word, "the". On the SureType keyboard, that would the the following, "TY" "GH" and "ER". If you hit those 3 keys in the right order, SureType knows you meant to type "The" or "the". You can shift the first press just like you would normally do and it knows to cap the first letter of whatever this world will be in the end. Pretty slick huh? You can type whole sentences with this technology and it knows what you mean. I have little or no editing to do with this method of typing. It's is so good it is shockingly simple. And because the keys are shared 2 at a time most of the time, they are huge and easy to strike.

Is there a better way to type? Yes. I have found a keyboard that is easier to use than just about anything out there. The keys are huge by smart phone standards. And because there are fewer of them, you type faster. It takes perhaps a day or two to get used to this concept. Your brain understands right away, but your muscle memory needs to learn this new tool. SureType is awesome. It's perhaps the only real advance in keyboard technology I have seen yet. No one else is doing this. Surely Research in Motion has patents like crazy for this technology.

The Blackberry Storm 2 uses three methods of typing input to cover everyone's preference. You can use SureType (shared keys), Portrait Full, or Landscape Full. If SureType is not for you, then you can switch it to full. The keys will be smaller, much like those on the iPhone, but you will have a 1:1 relationship just like any other smart phone.

The Storm 2 has 3G, 1xEVDO and WiFi. Essentially it is a world phone. Visual Voice Mail is one of the better business tools in voice mail I have seen in a long time. You have that here but it's a subscription. I think $1.99 or $2.99 a month with Verizon on your bill.

What about the phone? Like all Blackberry devices there is a phone button. This launches the phone keypad. These keys are huge as they are just 3 across and 4 down. Standard call pad. When you make a call, you see other features show up to help with what you might want to do during a call. You see 4 large options. Speaker, Mute, Flash, and add participant. Under that are other tools you might need during a call as smaller buttons. Note pad, keypad, home button, calendar and contacts. These are the tools you might find you need access to during a call. It's also the kind of thinking that went into the Blackberry Storm 2 with OS 5. I can't write this enough. This is easily the best business class phone I have ever used. The interface is what makes it so great. And it has the software features that truly complete the whole package. Why do we call people in the first place? To make arrangements. We need to take notes or schedule an appointments and this interface anticipates that.

Touch Screen is what makes the above functionality possible. In order to make a phone truly simple to use, the whole interface must be context-based. Meaning that if you are typing an email, the screen is a keyboard. If you are on a call, the screen is a serious of buttons designed to make that call as productive and simple as possible. The phone changes what its interface displays depending on what task you are using it for.

With that in mind some touch screens are better than others. We know that the old Treo used a stylus or your finger in a pressure sensitive way. This was okay for pressing buttons. When the iPhone launched, Apple ushered in a capacitive touch screen. Just making contact with the screen with your finger is equal to pressing a button. As a result, you can flick (or swipe) the screen upward or downward to cause a list of contacts to zip past the screen dimensions so as to allow you to quickly find the contact you need even if you have 200 contacts. But there is a problem that was overlooked with capacitive touch screen. The slightest touch is pressing a button. It is very easy to launch things you had no intention of launching at all.

SurePress technology solves this on the Storm 2. You have the same capacitive screen technology, but even more than that. The screen has multiple sensors under it so you can do two things with the screen that mimic a physical keyboard despite it being a capacitive touch screen. You can drag your finger all over the screen, and nothing is pressed. You're merely highlighting items as your pass them to show what you are touching. When you highlight the one one want, you press down on the glass, and this is sensed and acted upon.

Does this sound like extra work? It isn't. In my experience it reduces errors dramatically. With its new multi-touch you can do more than one key at a time even with this SurePress technology. I can for example, hold shift, and then hit another key to get a capital letter. The screen knows you are pressing two locations. You can find videos of this on YouTube and I encourage you to see it for yourself. When I saw it, I was very interested. When I saw how quickly and easily the guy in the video typed a sentence, I couldn't believe it. I thought they sped up the video or something. This Blackberry, by that video, was simply too good to be believed. And then I asked myself, what if it were true? What if after all these years someone finally made a real breakthrough in keyboard technology? Research in Motion has done it.

Take the best business phone with the best feature set and tie it to the first real technology advancement I've seen and what you are left with is phone that is finally worth every dime and then some.

Because I like this phone so much, I even added my MP3 music to it. I downloaded a software application called, 7digital, which is an MP3 music store where each song costs just $0.77 for a very high quality 256k MP3. The phone has a stunning 3.2 mp camera for still pictures. It can record video. And to round it all out I bought the best BlueTooth headset money can buy; the Plantronics Voyager Pro. This is the headset they demo in a convertible car with the top down at 50 mph. And with that extreme wind you just hear what is being spoken and nothing else.

I now have the phone to die for. The best business phone with the best keyboard I have ever used and of course the best headset money can buy. I've come down pretty hard on RIM in the past for failing to x or y correctly. I just have to say that if I could give you guys a 6th star I would. Research in Motion really did something truly great. I feel like my search for smart phone nirvana is finally answered. It's been quite a quest and expensive, too. After two days with this touch keyboard, I'm amazing myself with it.

Apprehensive At First November 9, 2009

Reviewer:  snohman  (Los Angeles, CA USA) -

A little intro first: I received my Blackberry 9550 (Storm 2) on 11/9/2009. I played with the phone physically at a Verizon Wireless store, along with the Motorola DROID. Although I did love the snapiness of the DROID and its ease of use, I am a Blackberry user at heart (and it does help that work will only compensate Blackberry phones).

I had previously been using the Blackberry 8830, so my primary concern was typing without a physical keyboard. I had already tried typing on my friend's Storm, and did not enjoy that experience at all. However, the 9550 has made a very significant improvement where it does not feel cumbersome and "bulky" when typing. This is most likely due to the now four actuators behind the screen, that creates a MUCH MUCH better haptic feedback experience. Although I am not going to convince you or myself that you will type faster than on a physical keyboard, it has been a more than pleasant experience from physical to non-physical.

The physical aspect of phone also seems just better than the previous storm. It looks sleeker, especially as the screen sets in better at the bottom due to the addition of the four "physical" keys now actually being touch screens on the menu. The display is beautiful, and is the primary reason why I purchased this phone.

I highly recommend the Storm 2 if you are looking for a Blackberry touchscreen (see what I did there, you don't really have much of a choice otherwise). But really, I was pleasantly surprised at the overall performance and look of the phone.

Right up there with the iPhone. Powerful and efficient. December 15, 2009

Reviewer:  Matt Stevens  (NYC) -

My wife's iPhone is the coolest thing around, or it had been, until now. Because of AT&T's pathetic coverage I have stayed away from the iPhone, but longed for something similar. The first Blackberry STORM looked like it would be perfect, but early reviews kept me away and we all know it turned out to be a disaster

However, I have taken the plunge with the STORM2 and it is not only my first Blackberry, but I no longer envy the iPhone. I've been with Verizon for more than a decade and was able to get the phone with a 2 year renewal for $49.95. That really is an insane price for what is Blackberry's most premium phone.

Let's get the bad out of the way. The touch screen is more prone to attracting fingerprints and skin grease than the iPhone. I am constantly cleaning it. The iPhone still cannot be touched as far as internet browsing with its easy and precise zoom feature. With the Storm2 you can zoom in stages and that is not all that hot. My only other gripe is when you flip the phone to landscape it sometimes takes too long for the keyboard to flip as well. A minor gripe.

What I do like is everything else. Net browsing seems faster than my wife's 3GS iPhone. The ease in which I set up my email was a surprise. Kudos to Blackberry for the simple interface and how easy it is to learn. The touch screen is different than any other on the market and I love it. Having to press down for applied pressure results in my not screwing up while typing or clicking the wrong buttons. It took some getting used to, but the learning curve was not long and hard. Nope, despite this being my first Blackberry, I am in love and no longer desire an iPhone.

Ringtones are a snap to move to the phone and the 16gig sized card means I will never run out of space. Picture quality for the camera isn't all that hot unless lighting conditions are perfect, but that is to be expected from any camera phone. Shooting video is a snap and yes, it's only YouTube quality, but again, no surprise.

I already called Verizon and had them unlock the phone for when I travel internationally. No need to pay Verizon's sky high foreign rates. Just slap in a local SIM and you are good to go. Awesome feature!

Because this phone would not survive a drop onto a hard surface I have purchased the Otterbox Commuter case. It's the best fit for me. Not too thick and certainly robust enough to protect the phone. I dropped the phone yesterday and it just bounced (corners of the case are all exposed rubberized). No harm done.

Battery life on phones such as this is always a subject of complaint, but seriously, for a power user, this phone will suffice. It's flat out superior to the iPhone. No, it won't last as long as a non-touch screen phone like the Razr, but how could it? I typically charge the phone at night and it lasts me all day. I have yet to run out before it's time to pass out at night. Not even close. In fact, if I don't go crazy all day with the Storm2, I can go two days without charging.

Over the next two years I hope Blackberry makes the few changes needed to be the complete iPhone killer. Fix the internet browsing issues and I truly do feel that this baby will be the bomb.

Excellent Buy November 8, 2009

Reviewer:  KR "Tall Guy"  (New York, NY) -

I bought this phone on the day it came out and I have to say that I am not disappointed at all. If you like a pull-out/physical keyboard, then this phone is not for you. But if you like the touchscreen, this is an amazing phone. I find the new sure-press screen very comfortable to type on, and the phone's capabilities are terrific. I've already synced my iTunes music to the phone and no longer carry around an iPod.
The network speed when using the Internet is great, but of course that's because Verizon has a solid network.