Blackberry; Inside the Eye of the Storm

So after months of rumours, leaks and feverish media hype, Research In Motion's Blackberry Storm was unveiled last month, emerging in a cloud of dry ice and expectation as a handset finally capable of posing a serious challenge to the iPhone's mobile throne. Originally known as the BlackBerry Thunder, RIM announced that the new BlackBerry would go on sale from October 22nd in the US, reaching the shores of our weathered isle by early November.

There's a Storm Coming...

However, after the media fanfare has subsided and the champagne has been packed away, how does the Storm fare in the cold light of day? To their credit, RIM have realised the importance of building upon tried-and-tested templates, reacting accordingly to the various feature omissions that have frustrated iPhone users yet eschewing the temptation to just roll out another iClone.

The Storm has a wealth of impressive features and ambitiously seeks to cater for both niche interests as well as mainstream concerns, packing multimedia capabilities that are the equal of its business and communication components.

It's certainly a bold move to try to be all things to all men, but by choosing to follow innovation rather than imitation, the BlackBerry Storm succeeds in providing a palpable alternative to Apple's umbrella ubiquity.

An intuitive user interface is complemented by a responsive touch screen and solid hardware, although the myriad of bells and whistles do not serve to clutter the sleek and elegant BlackBerry design. Recognising that style never goes out of fashion, the Storm's understated design is devoid of cumbersome buttons and more than matches the much-vaunted minimalist aesthetic of Apple's iPhone.

Vital Statistics

All very impressive, but enough about the form; what of the content? Frankly, the Storm is an embarrassment of riches: 3 megapixels, 3G, Bluetooth, GPRS, GSM, HSDPA, microSD, MP3 player and USB all coming as standard.

The BlackBerry Storm can play the majority of common video files, including MPEG4 and WMV formats and, like most BlackBerry predecessors, recognises all MP3, WMA and AAC encoded files. A 3.5mm jackplug socket has also been handily added for headphones. The Storm's camera is 3.2 mega pixels and boasts both a flash unit and an auto focus application that ensures high-quality pictures and video. Aside from the customary BlackBerry brilliance for email on the move, you can also compose SMS and MMS messages, a feature lacking on the iPhone.

RIM vs Apple

The hardware is similarly impressive and stands as another bold play for the iPhone's crown. A large screen of over 3.25 inches displays a resolution of 360x480. The Storm also includes a battery, which will be removable and therefore user-replaceable, offering roughly 360 hours standby, and over 5 hours talk time. A 624Mhz processor completes the package alongside 128MB of RAM, which is sure to keep the Storm ticking over swiftly. Internal storage is admittedly only 1GB but the Storm carries a slot for MicroSD cards, which can go up to a whopping 32GB.

In short, the critical and consumer consensus is that the Storm is the best of the iPhone rivals released this year, comfortably ahead of the Google Android and the Nokia 5800. Whether this is enough to pose a serious challenge to the iPhone remains to be seen - the Storm will have to carry enticing tariff rates and customer support if it is to surmount Apple whilst riding the tides of the economic downturn.