Yes, the biggest improvement in the Storm 2 is the typing technology and the ease at which you can type on the touchscreen. Typing on the Storm 2 is a more reassuring feeling versus the 9530, and it is far easier than typing on other touchscreen devices such as the iPhone. Another huge improvement is the addition of WiFi.
In our first series of posts comparing the BlackBerry Storm 2 (Storm2) and the Storm 9530, we’re going to compare the relative typing experience.
I have been using a BlackBerry Storm for some time now, and while the typing experience is incredibly slow compared to something like the Bold, it’s not a fair comparison. A more fair comparison would be with the other touchscreen devices on the market.
I have loaded the official OS 5.0.0.328 on my BlackBerry Storm 9530 and my themes are broken. There has been some buzz about this in the forums and I’ve tested the theory using an Elecite theme on my Verizon 9530.
What happens when you load a theme with the latest official OS 5 build, is very worrying. If you go into landscape mode from the homepage, and scroll, you get the dragging window effect (see the above screenshot). Also, some of the buttons in my theme, such as the “media” button, no longer work.
The Verizon BlackBerry Storm 2 is shipping tomorrow with OS 5.0.0.320 (according to the device I’m holding in my hands now) and now I’m worried the whole themes business is crushed for Storm users.
Stay tuned as we test this themes bug on the Storm 2.
I have to say, Verizon made my day/weekend with their official BlackBerry Storm 9530 OS 5.0.0.328 update. While I am not using the latest OS build on a Verizon 9530 (actually TELUS), installing it on any 9530 is very easy.
Just before the BlackBerry Storm 9530 was officially launched, Verizon rolled out the official OS 5.0.0.328 for all their Storm users.
The software is a much needed upgrade for 9530 users and it will be great to see it launched across all devices, not just the Storm 2, 9530 and 9700. RIM has officially committed to launching OS 5 other devices (likely only ones launched with 4.7+), before 2010.
Now that the new BlackBerry Messenger is out, it’s worth taking the time to put some BlackBerry OS 5 downloads in one spot. Many of the leaked versions of OS 5 have been missing the new BBM, but now that it’s released, you may want to get OS 5 for your device and have the whole package.
More responsive experience and includes usability and visual enhancements such as inertial scrolling, spin boxes that make it easier to set dates and times, gradient shading on buttons and more use of animation.
Typing accuracy and selection have been significantly refined.
BlackBerry Browser improved with faster JavaScript and CSS processing as well as support for Gears and BlackBerry Widgets
Customers running BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 will gain the ability to:
Set follow-up Flags on the handset like they can in Microsoft® Office Outlook®
Manage Microsoft Exchange email folders (Add, Rename, Move, Delete) on the handset
Access remote files shares (Windows Shares); Save, View, Edit, and Email documents from remote file shares
Forward appointments and view calendar attachments on the handset
Benefit from wireless sync improvements for Contacts, including sync for multiple contact folders, personal Distribution Lists and contacts in Public/Shared folders
The BlackBerry Storm2 9550 still does not have any specific availability, but the it’s interesting to see the current prices of the Storm 9530.
Some of the prices include:
Bell: $299 on a 3 year contract
Amazon: $0.01 on a new service plan
Let’s Talk: Free on a new service plan
Verizon: $49.99 on a new service plan and includes a Buy One Get One Free promotion.
WireFly: Free on a new service plan
MTS: $249.99 on a 3 year contract
TELUS: $99.99 on a 3 year contract
These prices are reflective of carriers and vendors trying to offload their original Storm stock but still some carriers have some relatively high prices. Is anyone seriously still paying $249.99 on a three year contract for a year old device? It just goes to show that carriers are dropping the ball when it comes to offering good deals on devices. When the Storm2 launches, it will probably be in your best interests to skip the carrier and find an online vendor who will give you a better deal.
On Thursday, RIM will be reporting results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 after the close of the market. We’re expecting some good news from RIM in light of the current competitive smartphone pricing environment.
With the $99 iPhone and the Palm Pre launch, the smartphone wars have become much more intense. This is forcing RIM and other smartphone manufacturers, who wish to capture more of the consumer market, to lower their prices to increase sales. We have recently seen the Bold and the Curve 8900 drop around $50, and this, along with other carrier promotions, have helped sales tremendously.
Last quarter, RIM managed to beat expectations with sales increasing 84 percent to $3.46 billion compared to the same period a year ago. But gross margin was down to 40 percent from 51.4 percent a year ago, and 45.6 percent sequentially.
The issue therefore, is margins. By reducing device prices, you can increase sales, but profit margins are becoming increasingly slim in this environment.
The BlackBerry Bold costs around $169.41 to manufacture but this price does not include IP and a variety of other costs the carrier needs to pay. This means margins must be tight if AT&T sells the Bold for $199.99. By comparison, the BlackBerry Storm 9530 which carries a combined materials and manufacturing cost of $202.89, sells for $49.99 on Amazon.
RIM has a brilliant team of economists on board so while I’m sure they have assured the profitability of these devices, one can only hope that price wars don’t drive down profits enough to affect R&D and device improvements.
I feel awkward writing about unofficial BlackBerry OS releases because the thought of someone’s BlackBerry exploding and them losing all their data is unnerving. If you’re going to try this OS update, remember to take all the necessary precautions and back that BlackBerry up.
Google Search for BlackBerry now uses voice search. I put it on my BlackBerry Storm 9530 and it recognizes speech fairly well. On the Storm it brings up the keyboard which you can’t get rid of. This I found slightly annoying. Also, it isn’t obvious how to scroll through the selections. Google Search looks great on my Storm and I’m curious, how does it look on your device?
{ED NOTE: The title said Storm because that is what the author was using. It did not mean to imply a version specifically for the Storm.]
