BlackBerry Storm2 9550 - 2GB - Black (Unlocked) Smartphone

My reasons for my recent purchase of the above Blackberry was to aquire the latest model Storm 2 which is still unavailable in Uruguay.
I have owned the earlier Storm1 but was unhappy with some of it's inherrant problems especially the single contact screen which made mis dialling almost inevidable and its aversion to moisture. However it is difficult to go back to the earlier type Blackberry once owning a Storm.
The selection of Storm2's available on Ebay at the time of bidding and eventual purchase was vast with pricing all very similar. The phone i selected was well represented with clear photos of all the accessories included, with enough clarity to see that the phone truly was almost new as advertised. When I finally received the phone it actually exceeded expectations both in its physical condition which was practically new with it's accessories still unopened and how the phones functioned with all the upgraded features that worked so much better than the earlier model. I was truly impressed with it especially the camera function which has made my cumbersome digital work camera obsolete. Honestly I cannot say enough about how pleased i am with my Ebay purchase.

It is the second generation BlackBerry with a touch-sensitive screen, successor of the highly-anticipated Storm. The keys on the front are now touch-sensitive as well, and the screen no longer uses the SurePress technology, which made the display of the first Storm uncomfortable to use. The Storm2 also adds Wi-Fi, but the other features are similar and include a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS and a full HTML browser.

Personally, it is an excellent phone and I consider it much better than the iphone, I had the pleasure of using both and I much prefer the BlackBerry for its design and ease of use.

I recommend it highly.

The Storm2 9550, a smartphone from BlackBerry, comes with a full touchscreen QWERTY keyboard, to boost typing speeds. Marvel at the exquisite images on the BlackBerry smartphone, whose high-resolution 480 x 360 screen displays over 65,000 colors. The BlackBerry cell phone has an extended memory that allows you to store even more data. Working on the 3G and quad-band GSM, the Storm2 9550 lets you stay connected no matter where you are - home or abroad. Boasting Wi-Fi support, the BlackBerry smartphone lets you browse the web or download content, as long as you are at a hotspot. Executive-ready, you can open and edit attachments as well as MS Office documents with this BlackBerry cell phone.

I recommend this cell phone 100%.

In the hand, the BlackBerry Storm2 now has the look and feel of a polished consumer product. The same can't comfortably be said for the original BlackBerry Storm, which has something of a commercialized science fair project feel about it (harsh, but true). Not all Storm owners will have the same gripes, but for me the Storm's form factor strikes were:
•the "floating screen" - which feels sloppy as you can wiggle it back and forth within the casing.
•the gaps/backlighting - the gaps around the screen and between the send/end/menu/escape keys allow light from within the device to shine through the cracks, making the device feel unfinished. These gaps also make it easy for dust to get behind the screen, which can cause issues.
•the "fish hooks" - that's my nickname for the sliding clasps that hold the Storm's battery door onto the device - they remind me of barbed fish hooks. They're kind of sharp, do catch on stuff and really seemed like a last minute solution (we have the device built, now how do we get the door to stay on?).
•the speaker "feet" - with the speaker port placed on the backside of the device, RIM placed two feet on both sides of the speaker, so that when lying on a flat surface the speaker was lifted allowing for sound to escape and not be muffled. Unfortunately, this gives the device a horrible wobble when trying to actually use it while it's lying on a flat surface - something a lot of people like to do when at a desk (solution: put a skin on your Storm).
•Headset port design - while this gripe was very minor to me, on the original Storm the 3.5mm headset port location sort of juts out from the top right corner of the device vs. being flush to the casing sidewalls, as it is with other BlackBerry Smartphone models.
That's a long list of form factor complaints for the first generation BlackBerry Storm, but RIM must have agreed, as the BlackBerry Storm2 addresses each and every one of these form factor gripes. The BlackBerry Storm2's display has extremely tight tolerances. While there is still some vertical movement associated with the SurePress click action, there's no real wiggle or jiggle to the display. Instead of having physical buttons, RIM has implemented the core send/end/menu/escape keys to be part of the display (and as we have begun to see on other new devices, the green talk/send key now faces up vs. down). These changes combined eliminate the issue of backlighting shining through the gaps and should prevent dust from getting into the unit. On the backside of the device, RIM now has a smooth battery door that is held on by a newly designed single pressure fit clasp underneath. The speaker port has been relocated towards the bottom of the device so that even when lying flat the sound escapes cleanly without the need for original Storm's speaker feet. RIM also managed to flush mount the headset port, which cleans up the Storm2's aesthetic lines.
With a new device like the BlackBerry Storm2, it's going to take some time to work through every feature and improvement to see how they play out with extended use. That is exactly what we'll do, but as you just read my initial impressions are very positive.
The Storm2 fixes many of the BlackBerry Storm's outstanding issues and makes a ton of incremental improvements, all of which add up to something that feels noticeably better. In a way that never quite applied to the original Storm, the Storm2 could legitimately be called the flagship BlackBerry.
Buy one TODAY

The Blackberry Storm 2 (9550) is a much needed upgrade from its previous form. It gives a new type of style to touch-screen, some people need some getting used to but will enjoy it. I was a bit skeptical at the beginning, especially since it took me much longer than usual to text a simple message. After a few minutes of practice, it became such a breeze.

Pros:

- Battery life is very reliable, went for 3 days without charging and was still left with at least 25%.
- Touch-screen is a new feel, but very comfortable once given the chance.
- Camera quality is not exactly on par with that of the iPhone, but it was decent enough for everyday photo taking.
- The phone size itself does feel compelling at first, but it is meant for the business world like all Blackberries.

Cons:
- If your not running the new OS 6, then to me the applications smoothness is still okay, but could be better.
- Restarting the phone takes a very long time, I do not know if the new OS is any better with that but I think it would not change much.