It’s now available to buy, so let’s take a look at the fabulous new Blackberry Storm, and ask the question: is it really the best email-centric mobile phone ever made?

Fruit-based fact-file – the history of Blackberry mobile phones

Blackberry mobile phones have been available for many years, now, and right from the very start of their of their existence, they’ve been known for one feature above all others: email. The name Blackberry has become synonymous for instant email, wherever you are, right from the early days of their little, monochrome-screened devices that weren’t actually very good as mobile phones, and weren’t actually that appealing. However, since then, it’s fair to say that Blackberrys have taken off in a big, big way. It’s also fair to say they’ve evolved from pure email devices into proper, full-blooded smartphones. Their portfolio’s now filled with top-end mobile phones like the Blackberry Bold, the Blackberry Pearl…

…and the phone we’re here to look at today: the most advanced Blackberry ever made, the stunning Blackberry Storm.

Blackberry Storm – a touch of genius

There’s one glaringly obvious thing about the Blackberry Storm, and that’s the complete lack of a physical keyboard. That should give the game away, that the Blackberry Storm has a touchscreen; in fact, it’s the first of the wealth of mobile phones to come from Blackberry to ever have a touchscreen. Ah, but, it doesn’t just stop at the touchscreen, because it’s a special one. You see, the Blackberry Storm has a screen that can be pressed down into the body of the mobile phone, with a satisfying clicky action. In essence, it’s designed to feel like you’re pressing a real, physical button, and believe me, when you’re typing out an email using the virtual keyboard on the Blackberry Storm, that kind of physical motion and click is absolutely invaluable. No other touchscreen mobile phones can touch (pun ever so slightly intended) the Blackberry Storm, when it comes to tactile feedback.

The Perfect Storm?

The question, though, is whether the Blackberry Storm is the perfect email device, and whether it can be the perfect smartphone. It certainly has a massive list of features, beginning with the touchscreen, and taking in such varied things as a 3 megapixel camera, and superb video playback, meaning you have your very own pocket entertainment system, with the Blackberry Storm. And, of course, with HSDPA internet access and WiFi, as well as a massive screen, the Blackberry Storm (or Blackberry Storm 9500, to give it its full name) really is one of the better internet mobile phones out there. So for email and internet access, as well as for entertainment, it really is brilliant. But… there are a couple of flaws, and things to consider. First, the software interface on the Blackberry Storm has some, well, let’s call them idiosyncrasies, and it can be a bit finicky at times. Also, your may find it disconcerting have a screen that moves. It’s a brilliant, brilliant feature, and it will benefit you no end, but the first time you feel it moving and wiggling, the screen on the Blackberry Storm IS going to freak you out. If you can get past its relatively minor flaws, though, you’ll that the Blackberry Storm is one heck of a good mobile phones, and one that I really can’t recommend enough!