Blackberry Storm 9500 Review - Can The 'storm' Give The Iphone A Run For Its Money?

By Author: Jerry Smith
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Years ago, when you see a bulky handheld with a black body and a QWERTY keyboard, it is immediately recognizable as being a BlackBerry. Today, there are a good number of BlackBerry handheld devices which are available - the latest of which is the BlackBerry Storm 9500. A 'sister' product in this line of handhelds manufactured by RIM or Research in Motino is the BlackBerry Storm 9530.

What makes the BlackBerry Storm 9500 and BlackBerry Storm 9530 different from the original BlackBerry handheld devices is the fact that they completely veered away from the QWERTY keyboard which has become almost their signature - and went on to develop a touchscreen smartphone.

The BlackBerry Storm series released in the market in the fourth quarter of 2008. Now, because of its similarity to the iPhone, many reviewers say that the BlackBerry Storm 9500 and 9530 can give Apple, Inc. a run for their money.

What makes the BlackBerry Storm 9500 so special and can it really rival the iPhone in terms of price, form factor, functionality and usability? Read on to find out.

A Glimpse at the Basic Features of the BlackBerry ...
... Storm 9500

What makes the BlackBerry Storm 9500 so special as far as the line of BlackBerry handheld devices are concerned is that it offers a lot of 'firsts' to users by RIM. The BlackBerry Storm 9500 is RIM's first touchscreen device. It is also their first smartphone which does not sprot a physical keyboard.

Both the BlackBerry Storm 9500 and 9530 are classified as world-phones as they can support a range of frequency bands.

BlackBerry Storm 9500 Specifications

Now, let us delve deeper into how the BlackBerry Storm 9500 smartphone measures up against similar products in the market. Here's a list of its specifications:
- 3.25" HVGA 360x 480 multi-touch screens with 65,536 colors
- 3.2-Megapixel camera
- BlackBerry OS 4.7
- 128 MB flash memory
- 1GB onboard memory
- 480x532 pixel video recording
- Bluetooth connectivity, micro-USB with mass storage mode support

A Closer Look at the Features of the BlackBerry Storm 9500

"Press and be impressed" is the selling slogan of the BlackBerry Storm 9500. The feature which created the best impact is the fact that it does have a crisp and sharp display .

You can take above average snapshots using the BlackBerry Storm 9500 because of its 3.2-Megapixel camera which has a flash and autofocus. Music buffs would love the fact that the BlackBerry Storm 9500 does have a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack on the side so you can use your favorite earphones.

Coming to the design, there is no doubt that the BlackBerry Storm 9500 can be considered as a beauty. Even if you're a veteran BlackBerry Pearl user, your hands will still be tempted to reach out and touch the sleekly designed body of the BlackBerry Storm 9500.

As to other features, GPS and HSDPA are also available - although the major downside is the fact that it has no Wi-Fi.

The Verdict: Can the BlackBerry Storm 9500 Give the iPhone a Run for Its Money?

To give you an idea about whether the BlackBerry Storm 9500 can give Apple's iPhone a run for its money, let us compare the touchscreen mechanism of both devices. When you use the iPhone, one of the problems that you will encounter is the lack of feedback. With the BlackBerry Storm 9500, the click-screen feature is applies and you will be more than happy with how the device responds to the commands of your fingers. Aside from the original iPhone and iPhone 3G, its direct competitors include the T-Mobile G1 and the models from the HTC Touch Family.

All in all, the BlackBerry Storm 9500 does give the iPhone a run for its money - if only the future versions of the handheld device will include Wi-Fi.
Jerry Smith, the editor of http://www.mobilephoneonly.co.uk. An expert on mobile phone and an observer of UK telecommunication market. He writes reviews on latest mobile phones, and also suggests promotional deals and special offers from mobile phone retailers in UK.