Oct 08 2008
RIM officially announces BlackBerry Storm; still vague about when in November salespeople can buy it
After months of rumors and leaked glimpses, Research In Motion (RIM) officially announced that their new BlackBerry® Storm™ mobile communication device, their first offering without a physical keyboard, will be available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers in the U.S. and to Vodafone customers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand sometime in November. RIM’s press release provided no specifics about the exact release date(s), saying only: “Additional details related to availability and pricing will be announced in the coming weeks.”
According to RIM, the Storm features “the world’s first tactile touch display that responds like a keyboard and combines multi-touch and gesture support for intuitive selection and application navigation”, referring to the device’s haptic feedback interface.
The Storm is designed to operate on a wide variety of communication network types. In the U.S., the Storm can utilize Verizon’s EV-DO Rev. A/CDMA – technology – and HSPA/UMTS as well as quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM for global use. The Vodafone version supports HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks. This flexibility means that the Storm is truly a phone that can be used worldwide, and which will support relatively fast speeds for full HTML Internet browsing. Both wireless providers will also support text messaging (SMS), picture messaging (MMS), and instant messaging on the Storm.
RIM also says that the Storm’s removable and rechargeable battery will provide about 5.5 hours of talk time and up to 15 days of standby time.
The BlackBerry Storm’s most unique feature is its large (3.26”), 360 x 480 resolution touch screen interface, which according to early user reports, provides a distinct ‘click’ confirmation when depressed, providing a similar experience to using a real keyboard. This is very different from other virtual touchscreen interfaces, such as the Apple iPhone’s, which provide no physical feedback. The Storm touchscreen reportedly supports “multi-touches, taps, slides, swipes and other gestures, so customers can easily select, scroll, pan, and zoom for smooth navigation”, according to RIM. The tactile touch screen display gives customers a choice of virtual keyboards, using either RIM’s SureType® layout in portrait and a full QWERTY layout in landscape orientation - and users can switch between the two keyboards, even in the middle of writing a text message or e-mail, just by rotating the device. Also, unlike the Apple iPhone, the BlackBerry Storm will support “cut and paste” functionality across applications.
Other features of the Storm will include:
- Support for seamless integration with corporate email systems
- Enterprise IT policy and security controls
- The ability to edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the handset
- 3.2 megapixel camera, with variable zoom, auto focus, and a flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video; the camera records video in half-VGA resolution (480×320) or at 176×144 for MMS
- 1 GB of memory storage and an 8 GB microSD memory card included in expandable memory card slot
- A media player for displaying pictures and slideshows, playing movies in full screen mode and playing music
- A sensor automatically adjusts to ambient light for ideal screen viewing and an orientation sensor allows customers to use the handset in a portrait or landscape position
