RIM takes another shot at iPhone, touchscreen with Storm2

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Research In Motion Thursday officially introduced the BlackBerry Storm2, the company's latest salvo in its fight for smartphone supremacy with Apple's iPhone.



The successor to the original Storm, the company's first foray into the touchscreen market, features several key updates to its predecessor. The official specs highlight the Storm2's new "SurePress" technology, which replaces the mechanical clickscreen of the Storm with an electronic system for tactile feedback. The new technology also allows for easier typing by enabling the user to be pressing two keys at once, which opens up the possibility for multi-key actions such as Shift or Alt - key combinations.



Features according to RIM include:



Capacitive touch-screen with integrated functions (Send, End, Menu, Escape) and new SurePress technology that makes clicking the display practically effortless



2 GB of onboard memory storage and a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 16 GB cards today and up to 32 GB cards when available



Built-in GPS for maps and other location-based applications as well as photo geotagging



Removable, rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides approximately 6 hours of talk time on 3G networks and 280 hours of standby time

The Storm2 also now includes Wi-Fi, and displays a full QWERTY keyboard when held in portrait mode, both features that the original Storm lacked. So far, the only announced carrier is Vodaphone, which will sell the Storm2 in time for Christmas in seven European countries, as well as South Africa. Customers in the UK and Ireland will be able to get the Storm2 first through Vodafone, and it will be offered exclusively by Vodafone in Germany, Netherlands, and Spain. It will also be available in France and Italy.







It is not known when the phone will be available in the United States.* But Reuters reported that analysts expect Verizon to announce shortly in time for the holiday buying season.



RIM executive Jim Balsillie reportedly said that the Storm 2 will be a crucial factor in keeping and maintaining RIM's growth in the consumer market.



"Obviously, we want to maintain and extend our leadership, there's no question," Balsillie said.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 95
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    No apps

    No iPod

    No Music store

    FAIL!
  • Reply 2 of 95
    Not impressed enough to dump my iPhone. Maybe next time.
  • Reply 3 of 95
    +1 fa1l
  • Reply 4 of 95
    I love my iPhone. I mean, I really love it. But I am getting sick of it not having any competition. Apple needs to be inspired to add and develop new features- although I think the 2010 model will be the leap the 3g and 3gs were not.



    But seriously- we need some competition- otherwise, Apple can just sit there, and not make it better!
  • Reply 5 of 95
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iansilv View Post


    I love my iPhone. I mean, I really love it. But I am getting sick of it not having any competition. Apple needs to be inspired to add and develop new features- although I think the 2010 model will be the leap the 3g and 3gs were not.



    But seriously- we need some competition- otherwise, Apple can just sit there, and not make it better!



    What features should they add, and why those features?
  • Reply 6 of 95
    john.bjohn.b Posts: 2,742member
    Does the Storm2 still use the same sucktastic browser that ships with the other Blackberrys?
  • Reply 7 of 95
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iansilv View Post


    I love my iPhone. I mean, I really love it. But I am getting sick of it not having any competition. Apple needs to be inspired to add and develop new features- although I think the 2010 model will be the leap the 3g and 3gs were not.



    But seriously- we need some competition- otherwise, Apple can just sit there, and not make it better!



    A first- loving it and whining simutaneously!

    Reminds me of an ex.
  • Reply 8 of 95
    justflybobjustflybob Posts: 1,337member
    Meh.



    Move along, move along.



    There's nothing to see here.
  • Reply 9 of 95
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Hey RIM, we've already seen this movie. Congratulations. You're now maybe where the Pre and Android were months ago. So aside from no apps, no iPod, no music, no games, and the inclusion of a capacitive touchscreen that hopefully won't suck, how exactly are you differentiating yourself?



    The priority here isn't even in competing with the iPhone, but rather, not sucking.
  • Reply 10 of 95
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    Does the Storm2 still use the same sucktastic browser that ships with the other Blackberrys?



    What I can tell it?s still not using WebKit, so it?ll be slightly improved BB browser over the Storm 1.
  • Reply 11 of 95
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iansilv View Post


    I love my iPhone. I mean, I really love it. But I am getting sick of it not having any competition. Apple needs to be inspired to add and develop new features- although I think the 2010 model will be the leap the 3g and 3gs were not.



    But seriously- we need some competition- otherwise, Apple can just sit there, and not make it better!



    Just off the top of my head, since Apple released the original iPhone a little over two years ago, they've added: third party apps, a robust SDK, the app store, cut and paste, MMS, GPS, video recording, a greatly improved Mail app, Exchange support, push notifications, parental controls, wireless music and movie purchases, Spotlight search, voice memos, a better camera, faster CPU, more memory, and a slew of smaller usability enhancements like more pervasive availability of landscape keyboard. I'm sure I've left a few major improvements out.



    Maybe those things aren't on your wish list, or you think some of them "should" have been included originally, but it doesn't seem reasonable to say that Apple has been sitting still with the iPhone, competition or no.
  • Reply 12 of 95
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by justflybob View Post


    Meh.



    Move along, move along.



    There's nothing to see here.



    I just noticed. Brilliant sig.
  • Reply 13 of 95
    hudson1hudson1 Posts: 800member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    Does the Storm2 still use the same sucktastic browser that ships with the other Blackberrys?



    I believe it will have a new browser. What the article failed to mention is the OS is seeing a major overhaul/upgrade with the release of the Storm2.



    Unfortunately, I can't get an iPhone for work... only a Blackberry. I've held off but the Storm2 might be the one that causes me to finally pull the trigger.



    Like others here *should* do, I'll withhold judgment of the Storm2 until I actually put it in my hand and try it.
  • Reply 14 of 95
    takeotakeo Posts: 445member
    The fact that the screen actually clicks when you press down is kind of interesting.
  • Reply 15 of 95
    ortalortal Posts: 25member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    No apps

    No iPod

    No Music store

    FAIL!



    runs on Verizon (eventually)... WIN.

    you guys need to understand that even a die-hard apple fan like myself needs to have other options until this whole exclusive ATT deal is over. I love my storm.
  • Reply 16 of 95
    ortalortal Posts: 25member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Takeo View Post


    The fact that the screen actually clicks when you press down is kind of interesting.



    you should see me on my ipod trying to 'click' the screen cause im so used to the storm.
  • Reply 17 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ortal View Post


    runs on Verizon (eventually)... WIN.

    you guys need to understand that even a die-hard apple fan like myself needs to have other options until this whole exclusive ATT deal is over. I love my storm.



    Not to rub salt in that wound, but the situation up here in the GWN really is pretty good. Rogers/Fido has the exclusive now, but that's OK because their service is nothing short of spectacular. I have to drive at least an hour outside of Toronto before I lose 3G. Oddly, my GF's house is one location where I sometimes do.



    But if that were not enough, the other two major carriers, Telus and Bell, are both scared crapless that the Olympics meant everyone that visited with a GSM phone would go right onto their sworn enemy's network, Rogers. So they spent the last year moving every major urban location across the country to HPDSA+ In less than one year they did a cross-country rollout of 21 Mbps! The iPhone becomes available from both of them next month.



    The good news here is that the switchover from CDMA/PCS to GSM doesn't appear as difficult as the pundits said. I expect the same sort of switch will happen within the next year or two in the US as well. Then Apple has some real room for movement.



    Maury
  • Reply 18 of 95
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Research In Motion Thursday officially introduced the BlackBerry Storm2 Smartphone, the company's latest salvo in its fight for smartphone supremacy with Apple's iPhone. ...



    Personally, I think tech writers and sites like this focus on the "iPhone killer" aspect of the Storm far too much and I think it kind of skews reality.



    In my part of the world (Canada), Blackberries are by far the most popular smartphone other than the iPhone, and the iPhone is a fairly recent (this year) development. Far from the popular wisdom tech sites promulgate about the Blackberry being a "business phone," most of the tween, teen, twenty-something smartphone users in my area have long been enamoured of the Blackberry for texting and email.



    Out of these hundreds of young, trendy, Blackberry users I see every day almost no one has the Storm because it's generally agreed upon to be a POS. I've been at a couple of parties where everyone brings out their Blackberries and the lone person with the Storm is ridiculed by the other Blackberry users.



    The Storm is not and never will be an "iPhone killer."



    It may be that if you compare product feature lists, that the Storm most easily compares to the iPhone as a product offering, but the Blackberry Bold, and the Blackberry Pearl are the ones that people really choose when they choose RIIM over Apple.
  • Reply 19 of 95
    satchmosatchmo Posts: 2,699member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by teckstud View Post


    No apps

    No iPod

    No Music store

    FAIL!



    I wouldn't quite go that far.

    It plays music, you can download music through VCast Music (whatever that is), and stream music.



    It has over 3000 apps, not quite 85,000, but it would be unfair to say it doesn't have apps.

    I'm not switching, but for those who absolutely need keyboard feedback, it's a decent option. Especially if your corporation is BB friendly.
  • Reply 20 of 95
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by John.B View Post


    Does the Storm2 still use the same sucktastic browser that ships with the other Blackberrys?



    Yes - although RIM is finally working on a new browser.



    The difference here is .... you can download other browsers like Opera, Bolt etc...which are all quite good. RIM just purchased a company that makes Webkit based browsers for mobile devices so soon this will not be an issue hopefully.
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