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RIM's touchscreen smartphone offers copy-and-paste, video and cool factor
REVIEW
By Suzanne Choney
msnbc.com
updated 11:59 p.m. ET Nov. 19, 2008

Suzanne Choney
BlackBerry fans can rejoice: the Storm, Research In Motion’s first all-touchscreen Blackberry will make even iPhone users salivate just a little bit over some of the features of this very slick and sophisticated smartphone.

Is it an iPhone killer? Depends on whether you lose sleep at night thinking about such things. Folks at RIM and Apple do, of course, and there might be some in Cupertino counting sheep with the release Friday of the BlackBerry Storm 9530, as it’s officially called.

Apple and RIM are in a heated battle to have their phones appeal to opposite ends of their markets. BlackBerrys are a staple in the business world, and Apple wants the iPhone to capture a good chunk of the briefcase set. With the Storm, RIM is obviously reaching deep into the iPhone’s lifestyle territory, not only matching the iPhone in some areas, but exceeding it as well.
The Storm has some features the iPhone could really use in its nifty bag of tricks. Among them: a video camera, and the ability to text or e-mail video files, built-in voice-activated dialing and a virtual QWERTY keyboard that can be used when the phone is held horizontally.

There’s also copy-and-paste functionality with text, something all BlackBerrys have.

Easier for thumb texters
Texters and e-mail users will thrive on the Storm. It’s designed for two-thumb action, something the iPhone isn’t logistically suited for, although it can be done.

Those who relish Web surfing on the iPhone will find it good on the Storm, but not quite as good as on the iPhone. It still commands the lead when it comes to the best mobile Web browsing experience, especially on its 3.5-inch screen.

The Storm’s 3.25-inch screen is sharp and clear, with a 480-by-360 display, compared to the iPhone’s 480-by-320 display.

Photos and video look excellent on the Storm, but Web site viewing falls a little short compared to how sites are rendered on the iPhone. The browsing experience itself — getting from one site to another — is easier and more facile on the iPhone.

iPhone is simpler to use
The newest BlackBerry has dazzle, but it’s also a BlackBerry, first and foremost. That means it’s a solid piece of equipment. But it’s one that requires a bit of time to learn how to operate, making your way through a maze of drop-down menus, options and screens.

The iPhone is just a simpler device to use. I’d mentioned this recently when comparing it to Google’s new Android phone, the G1, saying that with the iPhone, all roads lead back to one button on the front of the phone.

That means no matter how you’re using the phone, or what screen you’re in, if you press the one round button on the front of the phone, your other programs pop back up on the screen, waiting for you to choose where you want to go next. That’s true ease of use.

The Storm is not quite as simple. Similar to the G1, there are four physical buttons on the front of the Storm. One is specifically for the phone, the next offers a drop-down menu of options, depending on the program you’re in; the third is a “back” button, and the fourth is a combination home/end call button.

Touchscreens, ubiquitous now mainly because of the iPhone, aren’t for everyone. Few touchscreens are graceful in the way that the iPhone is, with users needing to only lightly touch, pinch or flick to get where they want using Apple’s Multi-Touch Technology.

The Storm has some flicking, highlighting, tapping and scrolling, but mainly touch with a slight feeling of a dip in the screen and a low-key click sound to let you know you have indeed touched a letter or number or icon on the screen. That can be reassuring. However, it also takes a little practice to remember how to touch what and when.

Practice, too, is required on the three different keyboards available on the Storm, compared to the iPhone’s one. In vertical, or portrait, mode, there’s RIM’s SureType keyboard, with two letters to a key, or a “multi-tap” keyboard that resembles a dial pad. In horizontal, or landscape, mode, there’s a QWERTY keyboard, with one character per key, and my favorite of the three.

As with the iPhone’s keyboard, I still hit many a wrong letter or number on all three of the Storm’s keyboards. Those who are diehard “CrackBerry” proponents and not ready for a touchscreen will want to consider another recent RIM release, the BlackBerry Bold, which does have a physical keyboard.

The built-in voice-activated dialing is outstanding and accurate. (Perhaps it works a little too well. The button to use it is prominently on one side of the phone, and it’s easy to hit it by mistake. “Say a command!” I was commanded by the phone several times until I saw I could say “Turn prompts off” to stop the madness. There's also an option to do so in the "Tools" area of the phone.)