Smartphone Review ITS/ Blackberry Comparison: Bold Vs Storm. Blackberry Comparison: Bold Vs Storm

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1 Smartphone Review ITS/

2 Specifications Bold Storm Curve Dimensions (H x W x D) 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.6 in. 4.4 x 2.5 x 0.5 in. 4.2 x 2.4 x.06 Weight 4.7 oz. 5.5 oz 3.9 oz Screen size/screen resolution 2.75 in - 320x480 pixels 3.26 in - 480x360 pixels 2.5 in 320x240 pixels Keyboard & Input Full QWERTY & Trackball Software touchscreen QWERTY /Suretype Camera 2.0 megapixels (1600x1200 pixels) without autofocus 3.2megapixels (2048x1536 pixels) with autofocus Full QWERTY & Trackball 2.0 megapixels (1600x1200 pixels) without autofocus WiFi a/b/g N/A On T-Mobile model GPS Internal GPS Internal GPS Internal GPS on AT&T & Sprint model Bluetooth 2.0 Yes Yes Yes Internal memory/external memory 1 GB internal / external microsd slot supports up to 16GB additional storage 1 GB internal / external microsd slot supports up to 16GB additional storage Blackberry OS MB internal / internal microsd supports up to 8GB additional storage 2

3 Blackberry Bold The Bold, with its elegantly black exterior, satin chrome finish and leatherette-bound back is clearly a luxurious upgrade from its predecessors, the Curve. The vivid inch half-vga resolution 480x320 pixel color display is also a noted upgrade, as it showcases both photos and videos brilliantly. Big, sharp, vivid, and bright do not do justice to the Bold s screen. It easily outshines any screen on the market, including the iphone, due to its resolution and pixel density. Below the screen can be found the signature Blackberry trackball as well as the start, current menu, previous screen and stop buttons. The Bold s lower half is equally impressive. The improved QWERTY keyboard, which is backlit for use with those late-night s or text messages, features raised keys that afford the ability to type without looking at the pad. Like recent Blackberry models, the device also features two volume keys and a camera quick key on the right and a headphone jack, sync/charge jack/mini USB, and micro SD for storage on the left. While the Bold is larger than the Curve in almost every dimension (and a fraction heavier, 4.7oz versus 3.9oz), you quickly stop noticing the size differential one the Bold is parked in your hand. With its soft textured leatherette backing, it grips and sits in your hand almost like it belongs The Bold has a keyboard reminiscent of the 8800 blackberry with keys that have no gap between them but RIM has somehow finessed the design to make it far more usable. Each keypress is soft without being squishy, and a little quieter than when you re tapping away on the Curve. As for multimedia, the smartphone is equipped with a 2-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities and up to 5x zoom. The media player also continues to support numerous audio and video formats and the phone is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Bold has some powerful speakers for playing multimedia or placing a call on speakerphone, and even at the loudest setting, the Bold remains clear with very little distortion. To round off the features on the Bold, You also get integrated Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 with full A2DP support, and built-in GPS (enhanced and assisted). The Bold also sports a 3G high-speed internet loading web pages and s quickly and along with a faster processor, the new blackberry is in one word fast! As fast as you can click or type, the Bold keeps pace and responds instantly. Gone are the days of the hourglass finally. 3

4 Blackberry Storm With the Storm, RIM took a large step away from the standard QWERTY Blackberries we ve come to expect. In it s place we have a gorgeous display that, while, isn t as crisp and vibrant as the Bolds, it s definitely at the top of the list in terms of comparing it to other high-end smartphones. The most interesting feature of the Storm is the Sure Press touchscreen - using clickthrough. When you click something on the screen you actually click down on the screen, providing some feedback. While this may seem different, it works and you will quickly get used to it. Typing is as accurate as the iphone s keyboard and it supports a similar autocorrect feature. You can touch and hold a letter for additional letters specific to a language, like ñ for example. When in vertical mode, the Storm displays a SureType keyboard like that found on the BlackBerry Pearl. The Storm also supports multi-tapping for highlighting text. You can simply spread your fingers around a paragraph and push down to highlight the whole area of text, and then you can copy/paste that text elsewhere. Much like the Bold, the storm comes packed with multimedia features. Sporting a 3.2-megapixel camera, which features autofocus and flash, one can snap clear pictures or record movies. While the Bold s screen is sharper and more vivid, the larger 3.26-inch screen on the Storm is a treat to watch movies and videos on. Surfing Web pages is much faster and easier and the new browser is beefed up to accommodate the larger screen. The media player also continues to support numerous audio and video formats and the phone is equipped with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The speakerphone isn t as loud as the Bold but this could be because the speaker is placed on the back of the Storm. The Storms other features include 3G connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 with full A2DP support, and built-in GPS (enhanced and assisted). Lacking however is Wi-fi so if you are somewhere where you can t get a signal but you do have Wi-fi, you cannot send and receive s, text, or place calls. This is a Verizon restriction and when the Storm is released on other carriers, Wi-fi may be re-introduced. 4

5 The Bold or the Storm? Both devices come packed with many new features for this newer generation of Blackberries. 3G connectivity for high-speed connectivity is a much-needed upgrade that gives the bandwidth to load web pages and a slew of s quickly. s now include spell checking which was sorely missing till now and the ability to read AND edit Word, Excel, and Powerpoints with the included Dataviz s Documents-to- Go application. HTML s will now properly open in and pictures in messages will also display. The Blackberry browser has been significantly re-worked, sporting a mouse-like cursor and renders web pages very crisply and easy to read compared to the previous browser included on the older Blackberries. The browser is also able to stream videos (I.E. YouTube) and audio, though Flash is still not supported. The new Blackberry 4.6+ OS is much slicker, more modern, and lightning quick with the help of the faster processors on the Bold and the Storm. Moving around on the main screen, bring up menus, opening messages, and navigating between applications appears near instantaneous. Both Blackberries have added focus on the multimedia side by including an external microsd slot on the side that accommodates up to 16GB for music and videos; the ability to record videos and take voice-notes like a micro-recorder, stereo Bluetooth 2.0, and interactive GPS that gives turn-by-turn directions with voice. Overall, while the upgrades are not revolutionary, they are much needed improvements that and very effective in polish and execution without affecting what Blackberry does best push . So which Blackberry to get? This would normally be a difficult choice but for now it s a simple choice the Bold. This deciding factor is the Storm is plagued with numerous bugs right now. The bugs range from lags opening menus, several second delays switching to landscape mode when the device is flipped, sluggish typing where words are lagging behind the typing, random resets, batteries draining quicker than it should, the ringer volume muting randomly, and numerous other ailments. The good news in most of these bugs will be fixed in future software updates over the next couple of months but for now, if you want the reliability and stability that Blackberry is synonymous for, the Bold is the choice that will keep you connected and productive with minimum of hair pulling. 5