BlackBerry Storm 9520 - Review

“The Storm 9520 fixes many of the problems that plagued the original model and includes some nifty new features. Sadly the Storm 2’s clickable touchscreen and web navigation still leave much to be desired”

Touchscreen versus Qwerty keypad

Storm 9520's moving touchscreen is odd

The BlackBerry Storm 9520 (aka Storm 2) supersedes the original BlackBerry Storm, which critics labelled odd because it didn’t support wi-fi and had a strange ‘clickable’ touchscreen.

Thankfully wi-fi has been added to the Storm 9520. This won the redesigned smartphone its first star from me because it allowed me to check emails on the device from locations where 3G signals (which the phone also supports) weren’t available.

The Storm 9520’s clickable touchscreen only responds when you physically push it down with your fingertip. The same type of screen featured on the original Storm but was widely criticised because pocket fluff crept into gaps around the screen. Many also claimed the moving screen slowed down typing speeds.

These criticisms have clearly been taken onboard because the Storm 2’s screen responds to much lighter prods than the original model did. By reducing how far the screen moves, less fluff, if any, gets between the display and body - another plus.

But the 9520’s screen still isn’t perfect.

Heavy handed smartphone users, such as myself, will inadvertently open applications when all they wanted to do was scroll through the menu. The clickable screen also makes typing slower than on normal touchscreen phones, such as HTC's Wildfire, because you must wait for the screen to move down and up again before typing the next letter.

BlackBerry Messenger

Storm 9520 feels well-built and sturdy

Icons for making calls, ending calls and jumping to the main menu have also been integrated into the phone’s glass screen, but again the clickable screen makes accurately pressing them troublesome.

If you’re willing to look past the Storm 2’s frustrating screen though, then the smartphone is actually a pretty decent device.

It feels heavy, but in a solid and well constructed way. I also really liked the phone’s metal back cover.

In terms of features the Storm 9520 isn’t very different from the BlackBerry Bold 9700, or most other BlackBerry smartphones for that matter.

Most BlackBerry phones have very similar features: they manage enterprise email and send instant messages to other BlackBerrys over BlackBerry Messenger. The Storm 9520 does both of these.

One feature that makes the Storm 9520 more distinctive than other models is its 3.2Mp camera.

Quality camera

The smartphone's camera takes decent pictures

The camera is twinned with a flash that results in pleasingly crisp and clear photos in the majority of mainstream shooting conditions (bars, living rooms, parks, offices, etc).

Mobile internet was a swift affair over wi-fi or 3G wireless connection. However, the phone’s browser lacks the fluidity and simplistic interface already afforded to the HTC Desire or iPhone 4.

For example, the 9520 makes you press a dedicated zoom key on webpages instead of allowing you to double tap the screen. The process is annoying and often inaccurate.

Music playback is satisfying on the 9520, if a little washed out. It was nice to see an industry standard 3.5mm headphone jack on the phone - I only wish it was built into the phone’s top instead of its side.

It’s also worth mentioning that the 9520 can’t multitask when it comes to music, because songs pause themselves when you open, say, the camera or play a game.