BlackBerry Storm2 9520 - 2 GB - Black (Unlocked) Smartphone (QWERTY Keyboard)

As an avid Nokia user, I made an instinctive advancement to the N96 16GB from the N95 8GB and naturally I jumped straight to the features that are important to me to make comparisons. I can honestly say this is pure advancement. Obviously the massive amount of memory, plus you are able to insert a microSD card just to capacitate this mini-mass-storage device to its full. The attention to detail and user friendlyness does it for me. It has taken on the look of the Apple iPhone; the futuristic “button-less” look. PC/Mobile synchronization between the mobile and Outlook is smoothly accurate and there are no software glitches, or additional alterations needed where words/numbers have been missed or miscategorized. Contact labels (e.g. fax, mobile, home...) are fully customizable so you can add your own label if a contact has several numbers (e.g. 2 business nos.) Against the N95, there is more visible detail to view in calendar and contact entries. Everything is fully changeable and customizable on this phone. The camera and settings are so advanced, and the quality amazingly crisp — so much so, that I have never looked back at owning a separate digital camera. I preferred the 6-sec. burst mode on the N95 — the equivalent burst mode on the N96 bursts the shots too quickly with 2-sec. intervals; so the next stage would be to use the “every 10 seconds” mode. The OVI suite is the newest PC-backup organizer software that pairs with this and other models. It’s very good — synchronize all your media. This software has an excellent graphical user interface and you have the option to back up your data to PC. Text messages can be typed and sent from OVI suite. I’m sorry to say that one feature not available on the N96 that is available on the N95 is the option to type text using a Bluetooth keyboard which I loved for the purposes of typing my essay-length texts! Therefore, being able to type text messages in OVI Suite makes up for that. Standby screen options include being able to view upcoming calendar entries/to-dos/WLAN scan/internet and content search. A direct link is available for BBC iPlayer. All shortcuts on the screen and left/right navigation keys are changeable to suit which functions you use most. A low battery triggers the phone into a power-saving mode which doesn’t reveal any lack in function. If you are making an upgrade to N96 from N95, you cannot transfer text messages from a PC backup file (.nbu); you have to have the two handsets and transfer texts across with Bluetooth. To make another comparison with a different model mobile I have owned: I rate having a normal button keypad highly above a touch screen — I made a brief disloyal switch to LG, and something I found irritable about the touch screen on the Viewty was having no alpha display on the keypad during a call, which made automated password prompts difficult to enter — by the time you have figured out which letter is on which number key, you have to start over again, as your password has been recognized as "invalid". Touch screen is not as fast as keypad input. You must keep the software version up to date so the battery life does not fall short of its full potential. Ergonomically fashioned and considerably light, with easy dual slide action — for keypad/media controls — this stylish technology-packed little gem sits neatly in the palm of your hand. The keypad buttons are a bigger stretch for my thumb than that of the N95. Truly for the gadget guru and perfectionist

I have been 'on-contract' with O2-UK for several years now and have used this to my advantage by getting my hands on the latest mobile phone of my choice each time my contract is up for renewal. Obviously there is the up front cost of 'purchasing' the handset but this is relatively inexpensive when you compare it to a right out purchase of a handset without contract.

I have traditionally been using PDA type mobile phones and began with the huge and chunky O2 XDA 2i. After a year or so of use, I then qualified for an upgrade and bought the O2 Orbit, a much more compact PDA-phone with built in GPS...

At the end of that contract, I was considering a smart-phone of some kind when I decided it was time to give the Blackberry a go. Besides, O2 were offering the Blackberry 8900 for free if you signed up to an 18 month deal for £20 per month and this included 600minutes of calls per month plus many hundreds of SMS text messages. I agreed to pay an extra £10 per month and got the Data bundle, which I now realize the phone would be useless without.

The Curve 8900 is a nice phone and it lived up to my expectations. Even at the time it was a choice between the iPhone and the Blackberry and a short research lead me to understand the difference between the two. And that is, the iPhone is a very functional Multi-media device (&phone) an dthe Blackberry is a Communications hub and like mnay others smart-phones, a reasonably goof media unit. That was the rationing behind my choice and I have been very happy with my Curve 8900.

Recently my 11 year old daughter has been eyeing up my Blackberry 8900 and mentioned she'd like one for Christmas. I thought this might be a good opportunity to upgrade my handset and get a Christmas present for her out of the deal by passing on my current handset to her.

It turns out that I had actually signed up for a 24 month deal and it has only been 13months...That ruled out my chances of upgrading to the Balackberry Torch 9800, so I looked further a field and remembered how I wish I could afford the Storm 2 at the time of getting my Curve 8900. So, after considering getting yet another contract which could have cost me in excess of £360 per year, I looked on eBay and found that the Storm 2 handsets were going for around £200. I found a good deal and bought one.

The Storm 2 is a great Smart-phone and I know from using the Curve 8900 that there are many Apps available for the BBs. I already had Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, MyKite, Dictionary and several other applications running on my Curve and knew this would apply to the Storm 2 too.

The handset itself is very good. I read reviews about the Storm 1 (9500) and understand that it wasn't the May West. But the Storm 2 is fantastic...

The best thing about getting a new handset was the fact that I was able to transfer all my my settings and applications to the Storm 2 through the Blackberry Desktop manager by a simple Backup - Restore process...

Gotta go. Will update this soon...

First thing that attracted me to this phone is the size, it's smaller than the I-Phone and most touch screens. And the Clicky Screen makes it feel as if you are pressing down on a real keyboard, the interaction is there.

The quality is amazing, it's very well built, no cheap plastic, slim, looks smart and sexy. Everything is interconnected in the Storm2, the apps connect with your calendar and your home screen etc, so you get your important notifications instantly and can view them at a touch of a button.

The standard headphone jack is a treat, you can use your best headphones to listen to music or watch movies.

In all, it's just a very good, well balanced touch screen smart phone that has it all.