Introduction
Yes, the BlackBerry Storm 2 is a vast improvement over the original BlackBerry Storm smartphone. However, that isn’t saying much because, as befitted its name, the latter handset was pretty much a disaster. Worth noting, though: The Storm 2 does have a capacitive touchscreen with software that mimics tactile resistance, unlike the clunky mechanical screen found on its predecessor. Inside, the cell phone also has more features and memory. But even if the Storm 2 steps its game up, so what? If you’re looking for a new Verizon wireless smartphone and your company doesn’t require you to own a BlackBerry, you’re much better off with one of the far superior Motorola Droid phones.
Features and Design
Inside the BlackBerry Storm 2 is a vast array of by-now-familiar BlackBerry and Verizon features such as the V CAST subscription video and music service (with Rhapsody) and Verizon Navigation, which you also have to pay for. (By comparison, on the Motorola Droid for Verizon Wireless you get Google Maps Navigation for free.)
A welcome addition to the Storm 2 is WiFi connectivity. The Storm 2 is also a dual-network world phone and comes with a SIM for GSM UMTS/HSPA 3G access outside the U.S.
Cosmetically though, the handset is nearly identical to the Storm 1, with a 480×320 3.25-inch capacitive SurePress touchscreen. It’s a heavy phone, weighing in at 5.64oz, and, like the Motorola Droid, has no physical control or navigation buttons, just four touch buttons – Send, Menu, Back and End – located along the bottom of the touchscreen.
The original BlackBerry Storm (Storm 1) had a clunky mechanical screen – when you pressed it, the entire screen toggled. Thankfully, manufacturer RIM has replaced this silly arrangement with a software-controlled touchscreen. Now it just feels as if the screen is moving behind your touch.
That said, however, touch presses on the new SurePress screen don’t feel as localized as haptic feedback, and the Storm 2’s screen still requires a firm push. First the selection lights in blue under a light touch, letting you know your firmer push will complete the touch transaction. But when navigating a tightly-packed menu or Web page, we often ended up accidentally activating an adjacent item. And, before realizing the wrong choice lit up, we’d often complete the SurePress push before we could stop ourselves. Worse, your violent pushes quickly smudge up the screen, resulting in an interface that’s messy and annoying in more ways than one.
Like most BlackBerrys, the volume toggle is located on the right spine of the phone, with the camera activation/shutter release button above it and the 3.5mm headphone jack found below. On the left side is the voice dialing/command control, located just above the microUSB power/sync jack. Up top/left is the on/off toggle opposite a handy mute button. On the back is housed the 3.2MP digital camera lens; the microSD slot, with a 16 GB card pre-installed, is found under the battery cover.
Multimedia Features
BlackBerry’s primary advantage over all Android smartphones is its Desktop Manager desktop client, which lets you easily sync PIM information and load photos, video and music. Better yet, the manager even enables you to load unprotected music files from iTunes. As for the Storm 2’s screen ratio, it’s an almost analog TV-like 4:3 rather than the widescreen 16:9 (and wider) models found on competing Motorola Droid phones. This squarer shape doesn’t work well for either widescreen videos, which get letterboxed, or Web pages – you get wider text lines, but shorter pages.
Sound and Call Quality
Voices come through crisp and clear, despite a bit of echo and hollowness. However, those we called from the phone ourselves made frequent requests for us to repeat ourselves – an unusual and odd sign since we’re loud talkers.
Phone Functionality
You get three touch keyboard choices – a Pearl-like keyboard and a multi-tap alphanumeric dial pad in portrait mode, or a full QWERTY in either portrait or landscape modes. Why anyone would choose anything but a full QWERTY option confuses us, but that’s besides the point. Typing on any of these selections takes a bit of getting used to – you have to press unusually hard to register a character or action, which slows down messaging. Worse, the main QWERTY keypad has only one punctuation mark – a period, which isn’t even necessary since a double space bar tap produces one. To get a comma, @, question mark, etc., you have to access the numeric keyboard – a pain in the rump. Additionally, once on the numeric keyboard, you can only press one character before the Storm snaps back to the alpha array. If you need to type a string of numbers, you have to press the key to access the numeric keyboard for each numeral, which we found unreasonably annoying.
Web
Perhaps more distressingly still, even though the BlackBerry Storm 2 accesses Verizon’s usually speedy EV-DO Rev. A network, the Web is unusually sluggish to access. Mobile-optimized pages such as CNN and The New York Times take 5-6 seconds to load, nearly twice as long as on Droid handsets. Non-optimized pages take 25-30 seconds or more, depending on the amount of visual content featured, also loading slower than on a Droid, or most other of Verizon’s wireless smartphones. There’s no multi-touch browsing either – you have to use the soft zoom button to increase text size, which you’ll definitely need to do. Further slowing you down, you’ll also need to access and scroll down the pop-up menu to get to your bookmarks, instead of there being a soft menu option for this oft-used function.
Digital Camera Features
The BlackBerry Storm 2 has a below-average 3.2 MP camera (both Droid phones are equipped with above-average 5MP imagers). Color consistency varies from shot-to-shot and leans toward the green end of the spectrum. Details often are fuzzy, as if the camera has poorly interpolated the image. Indoor shots lack color and it’s difficult to keep the camera still enough to get a crisp shot as well.
Battery Life
Fortunately, you’ll be able to chat for hours – more than 6 during our hands-on evaluations, longer than the phone’s official total, which is set at 5.5 hours.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if the BlackBerry Storm 2 is a good phone or a bad one – hint: per the above, it’s an average performer at best – because it will appeal only to a narrow, captive constituency: Verizon BlackBerry users who don’t mind using a touchscreen keyboard. If you’re not a BlackBerry user and even remotely choosy though, take a pass. The reality is that you’re far better off with one of the vastly superior Droid smartphones instead.
Highs: BlackBerry with a touchscreen, Large, bright display, WiFi connectivity, Long battery life, Pre-installed 16 GB microSD card included
Lows: Annoying user interface, Slow Web connection, Below-average camera performance, Heavy, Poor voice quality at caller end
Be business not only when it comes to your wardrobe but also when it comes to the communication devices you use. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 phone is an ideal device for those who mean business and whose life revolves around his work, with some fun on the side.
The BlackBerry Curve 8530 phone is a great phone not only because it follows the great looks possessed by its predecessors, but most importantly, because it comes with a Wifi connection not seen even on the Blackberry Curve.
There is a lot to love with the Curve 8530 phone including the 2.0 megapixel camera with camcorder capability. It has EV-DO and is powered by a 528MHz next generation processor. The phone comes with 256MB of flash memory which is practically useless so you will appreciate the presence of a microSD/SDHC card storage with up to 16GB of memory.
This is a business-like phone with a QVGA display and a full QWERTY keyboard for easy typing. Get the $100 mail-in rebate and you will be able to get the BlackBerry Curve 8530 phone for only $99 when it drops on November 20th. That comes with a 2-year agreement.
If you can live without a hardware keyboard, the HTC Droid Eris is an affordable and feature-packed alternative to the Motorola Droid.
The HTC Droid Eris marks the second in Verizon Wireless’s parade of the Droids. Also due this week from Verizon, the Droid Eris ($100 with a two-year contract, price as of 11/5/2009) shares the Droid moniker and many features of competing Android phones, but it also adds some touches that improve the experience for business users.
The Droid Eris touchscreen handset (a CDMA version of the HTC Hero) has dimensions similar to, and much of the same functionality as, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G GSM unit, also made by HTC. Side by side, the first thing that jumps out is the Eris’s brighter, sharper-looking display. While both handsets have a 3.2-inch, 480-by-320 pixel screen, the Droid Eris supports 262,000 colors while the myTouch 3G has just 65,000 colors.
Unlike the myTouch 3G, which has six hardware keys on the front plus a roller mouse button, the Eris replaces the top four buttons (Home, Menu, Back, and Search) with embedded softkeys. In practice, the four software keys were usable, but not as easy to activate as their hardware counterparts. I’ve found the myTouch 3G’s real Send and End buttons and roller mouse (which glows if you have an incoming text message or other notification) more useful than the Droid Eris’s softkeys when fumbling around in the dark. (The Motorola Droid lacks any front-panel hardware buttons.)
The Droid Eris has a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM 7600 CPU, while the myTouch 3G has a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM 7201A chip. The Eris has a 5.0-megapixel camera (up from a 3.2-megapixel camera), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0; includes a GPS receiver; and supports the 800MHz and 1900MHz bands on the Verizon Wireless network. It also has a standard headset jack, something the myTouch 3G lacks.
Under the hood is the Android 1.5 operating system, not the Android 1.6 (Donut) update or Android 2.0 (on the Motorola Droid). (T-Mobile has already pushed out the Donut update to its G1 and myTouch 3G customers.) However, some of the improvements tossed in with Donut are in the Eris anyway. For example, the updated Google Maps application, which includes transit directions, comes with the phone; and the video and still cameras are accessible through the same interface, as is the case with Android 1.6. Not present here is the Google Maps Navigation turn-by-turn application that comes with Android 2.0.
What sets the Droid Eris apart is how it caters to business users. For example, it allows direct calendar and contact synchronization with Microsoft Outlook. This means that, unlike Google-branded Android phones, you don’t have to sync your data with your online Google account first before downloading it to the phone–a boon for users. Also, Verizon has preinstalled an Adobe PDF file viewer, a link to Verizon’s Visual Voicemail, a “Stocks” link to financial market information from Yahoo Finance, and support for Microsoft Exchange corporate e-mail.
Also preinstalled: A Peep application for Twitter and Footprint, which allows you to capture an image, attach comments, and use the phone’s GPS capabilities to log its location and create a map, all of which can be shared.
Interestingly, the Droid Eris has the now-familiar pull-down Android notification screen, but the home screen behaves differently. Instead of having a pull-up menu containing all of the applications, the home screen instead offers a link to the application menu display.
While the unit can’t match the Motorola Droid’s 420-by-854-pixel display, the HTC Droid Eris performed well with standard and high-definition YouTube videos, depending on the quality of the data connection.
The 5-megapixel camera lacks a flash but performed adequately, capturing reasonable images under adequate ambient light. The virtual keyboard, which offers haptic feedback if desired, worked well in portrait or landscape mode. At just 4.2 ounces and measuring 4.5-by-2.2-by-0.5-inches, the unit fits comfortably in a shirt pocket.
If you want a cheaper Android-based alternative to the Droid and can live without a hardware keyboard, the Droid Eris is a good choice at $100.
If you are looking for a phone that can meet your requirements for high-end communications then this sleek and powerful cellphone will do you proud. Take a look at the RIM Blackberry Bold 9700 Smartphone and you will see how its compact design will appeal to your basic communication instinct and more.
The RIM Blackberry Bold 9700 Smartphone will greatly appeal to those who need a highly reliable phone for work and for a personal purpose.
The phone comes with a 2.44-inch screen display and a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and video recording capability. The screen display is light-sensing and comes with a resolution of 480×360 pixels.
The QWERTY keyboard allows you to type faster and more efficiently thanks to its finely sculpted keys. The trackpad is also touch-sensitive, thus allowing intuitive and responsive navigation. This phone is powered by a processor with a speed of 624MHz. It comes with a disappointing 256MB memory, but supports a microSD/SDHD memory card slot with up to 16GB of memory and possibly up to 32GB when it comes available.
If you have the HTC HD2 phone already but do not want to be saddled by a specific provider then here’s just the pone for you. We are talking about the HTC HD2 phone which will finally reach consumers unlocked.
Te unlocked HTC HD2 phone will be seen first in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom and then in Spain. American consumers would have to wait longer though as the phone will come to the US shores by next year. Starting November 11th, you can already get the phone unlocked for only $740.
The phone may come in a slightly higher price but then again you wouldn’t have to think twice when you realize what it can do. Those in the US can get it when it drops next month but only with EDGE connectivity. But with a little patience, you can already get the HTC HD2 phone with 3G connectivity in 2010.
The HTC HD2 phone comes with a Windows Mobile 6.5 appropriate for the touch screen. If you are a stickler for size then you will realize that the 4.3-inch screen of the HTC HD2 phone dwarfs even the iPod touch. Everything is in fact an improvement in this phone, from the screen size to the processor power, as it now sports a Snapdragon processor with a speed of 1GHz. 3
HTC’s popular Touch Pro2 has been released for T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. It offers a large touch screen, great 3.2-megapixel camera and the company’s revolutionary dual-microphone, dual-speaker “Straight Talk” technology for boardroom-like conference calling.
The handset runs on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5 platform for plenty of business-friendly features. Users can edit and view Office documents, read PDF email attachments, follow email and threaded instant messages from up to five accounts, create presentations, check stocks and the weather, plus check the time around the globe and search the Web on one of two browsers through 3G Internet or Wi-Fi.
The Verizon version has the advantage of EV-DO Rev. A for faster Internet speeds. The Sprint version has the advantage of Sprint TV service to make the most of watching videos on the high-resolution screen. The T-Mobile version, which is reviewed here, has web2go services, such as application downloads, a home page editor and Internet browsing access.
The Touch Pro2 is great for business, but doesn’t have a lot to offer in the entertainment realm. It has mostly quick Internet service but can get held up on occasion, and there’s not much memory available at the start. Its size may be a drawback too. In the end, consumers will have to decide if they’re all business or looking for something a little more slim and fun.
Design HTC Touch Pro2 ClosedThe Touch Pro2 is a big and heavy phone. It won’t fit into a pocket easily but the size does come in handy when it’s time to write long messages, edit documents, watch videos in full screen or browse the Internet — all viewed on its large 3.6-inch screen.
The back of the handset features a 3.2-megapixel camera lens, dual speakers and a key that activates dual microphones for conference calling.
There’s a USB/wall charger outlet on the bottom, with volume keys and a microSD memory card slot on the left side. A power on/off button sits on top.
Sliding out from under the screen, a QWERTY keyboard with large, easy-to-hit keys that are backlit can lay flat or be propped up at a slant.
The handset’s large touch screen is ideal for consumers looking for a bigger, sleek device. But the keyboard is almost too big and the heft may be too much for some people.
Out of the box the HTC Touch Pro2 comes with a Li-Ion battery, SIM card, USB cable, audio/charging cable, stereo headset, carrying case, start guide, tips & tricks guide, user guide CD and terms and conditions pamphlet.
If you want a multimedia-centric smartphone that’s powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 then get your hands on this phone as soon as it lands. The HTC Imagio phone supports Verizon’s V CAST Mobile TV based on MediaFLO which is available to subscribers for only $15 monthly. The TV service can be accessed using the double duty antenna of the phone, which also acts as a viewing kickstand.
If you’re a TV addict then you would welcome the 3.6-inch touch screen display of the phone which will provide you larger images compared to the smaller-screened phones. Aside from clearer images as a result of the phone’s resolution of 800 x480 pixels, you will also get excited about the more than 19 networks to choose from.
The HTC Imagio phone is the only phone you’ll ever need with its 5.0 megapixel camera for your digital photography news. The camera comes with camcorder capability so that makes it twice the fun.
If you’re in the habit of traveling then the HTC Imagio phone is a must-have since it is a quad-band phone that comes with world roaming support, on top of the speedy EV-DO Rev.A 3G network of Verizon. It also has WiFi connectivity so connecting to your network of family and friends, not to mention business colleagues, is not a problem at all.
The HTC Imagio phone will initially set you back by $199.99 but of course that’s after the $100 mail-in rebate and the attached 2-year contract. Start looking for this phone when it drop son October 20th in various Verizon Wireless retail stores.
The Presso Espresso is a manual, non-electric espresso machine that produces the pressure required, to make cafe-style coffee at home. The elegant design, it’s made from polished aluminium. It’s very nice.
Are you evil? Probably not. Maybe you’re a little naughty from time to time. It’s likely you’ve done some bad things. Perhaps you can display a touch of viciousness at the water cooler or on the golf course. But it’s not as if you’ve killed a guy, taken candy from babies, or produced American Idol.
Nevertheless, you may want to indulge your darker impulses now and again, and say some things you’re really thinking. For that, TechPad Productions’ iMEvil app for the iPhone and iPod touch is your unholy solution.
IMEvil is an entertainment application that boasts 36 of the most chillingly fiendish sound clips you’re likely to hear this side of the Hot Place. Simply tap one of the icons and the wicked sound plays. And that’s it.
What saves iMEvil from being just another dopey novelty app—mind you, it’s a still a novelty app, just not a dopey one—are the exquisite production values and exceptional voice talent. And for that, you will kiss the ground David Sobolov walks on, or he will destroy you where you stand.
You may not know the name but you might know the voice. Gamers have heard Sobolov’s work in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Halo Wars, Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Justice League Heroes, among others. Sobolov’s voice is so deep, so resonant and so diabolical, he makes John Di Maggio sound like Tom Kenny.
Listening to Sobolov utter such bone-chillers as “Quiet!” “Don’t do something stupid,” “Someone must pay for your failure,” and “Think harder,” it’s easy to imagine iMEvil’s applications in management and education. But it’s probably most appropriate at bars and parties, particularly around October 31. Sobolov is so good, though, you’ll want to hear him say mundane things like, “Yes, I would like fries with that,” or “Excuse me, do you have the time?” Maybe in a future update.
Introduction
Be business not only when it comes to your wardrobe but also when it comes to the communication devices you use. The BlackBerry Curve 8530 phone is an ideal device for those who mean business and whose life revolves around his work, with some fun on the side.
If you can live without a hardware keyboard, the HTC Droid Eris is an affordable and feature-packed alternative to the Motorola Droid.
If you are looking for a phone that can meet your requirements for high-end communications then this sleek and powerful cellphone will do you proud. Take a look at the RIM Blackberry Bold 9700 Smartphone and you will see how its compact design will appeal to your basic communication instinct and more.
If you have the HTC HD2 phone already but do not want to be saddled by a specific provider then here’s just the pone for you. We are talking about the HTC HD2 phone which will finally reach consumers unlocked.
HTC’s popular Touch Pro2 has been released for T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon. It offers a large touch screen, great 3.2-megapixel camera and the company’s revolutionary dual-microphone, dual-speaker “Straight Talk” technology for boardroom-like conference calling.
If you want a multimedia-centric smartphone that’s powered by Windows Mobile 6.5 then get your hands on this phone as soon as it lands. The HTC Imagio phone supports Verizon’s V CAST Mobile TV based on MediaFLO which is available to subscribers for only $15 monthly. The TV service can be accessed using the double duty antenna of the phone, which also acts as a viewing kickstand.
The Presso Espresso is a manual, 
Are you evil? Probably not. Maybe you’re a little naughty from time to time. It’s likely you’ve done some bad things. Perhaps you can display a touch of viciousness at the water cooler or on the golf course. But it’s not as if you’ve killed a guy, taken candy from babies, or produced American Idol.