The BlackBerry Storm, the first BlackBerry with a touchscreen, is now available exclusively in the U.S. from Verizon Wireless.

The Storm outperforms most BlackBerrys with its crisp, innovative touch-button screen. Boasting a 3.2 megapixel auto-focus still and video camera, the Storm impresses by packing numerous features into its sleek and sturdy form-factor.

There is a lot to like about this device, including its sharp display, an auto-focus 3.2 megapixel camera, and applications like Visual Voicemail, but there are still some glaring problems. Even after updating its operating system with Verizon's new patch, there is still lag present in a lot of applications which hinders the phone's functionality in many areas. And the lack of Wi-Fi and QWERTY keyboard, and unrelenting fingerprints detract from the innovative hardware.

There are issues that Verizon and RIM will be able to address via further firmware updates, but there are others (read: lack of Wi-Fi) that can only be incorporated into future Storm versions.

build and design
Touchscreen
The Storm's touch-button screen is the focus of this smartphone.

There are two options for working the screen. Using one of these, you slide your fingers across the screen to select an item or to shift between two items like the iPhone. Switching to the second setting allows you to select items by depressing the screen. Pushing the BlackBerry key (one of four keys on the front of the device) pulls up a list of menu items. You can navigate the menu by dragging your fingers to move across rows or columns and selecting items with a tap.

When I first picked up the Storm, I would just click right onto a button to select something the way I'm used to on an iPhone. I've since learned that I can rest my finger on the button first and then press in the screen to select. This doesn't take much longer than pressing the button right away as you would on an iPhone, and it greatly increases accuracy when selecting or typing. When you rest your fingers over a button to select it, it highlights blue. Although this is helpful in confirming your choice, it is also a little counter-intuitive because the letter or item that lights up is the one that your finger is on. If you have larger fingers, this could be a serious problem.

Though there are some inconsistent screen features that need development, the brightness of the screen is rock solid. The screen is so bright that I reset it to 10% and even at this level the screen is readable indoors and out.

Under ideal conditions, the screen works well, and is pretty fun to use. It's evident that the folks at RIM did their due diligence in researching and designing what the screen should do, how it should do it, and had a clear vision for the Storm's screen experience.

But there are two things to consider about the Storm's screen: One is how it looks and the other is how it functions. Does the screen look good? Yes, absolutely. Does it function the way it should, every time, without any frustrations? Absolutely not.

I haven't experienced any problems with the actual responsiveness of the phone, as the Storm has never missed my click or misinterpreted my finger slide. Rather, most of the problems seem related to executing the instructions. These are so significant that I have devoted an entire section of this review to them, called Bugs and Slow-Downs.

There are a number of other smaller issues with the Storm's display, too.

One of its quirks reveals itself at night. Because there is a gap around the screen -- about four paper-widths' wide -- when it's dark, you can see light around the edges of the screen. It doesn't distract from the Storm's functionality or impact its performance, but it is noticeable. Like seeing a light around the cracks in a door frame, I wondered what's going on behind it, and seriously considered opening it up to find out. In the end, rationality prevailed and I simply accepted it.

An oversight with no easy solution is the inability to use this phone when wearing gloves. The touchscreen is unresponsive, and even pressing the screen to select whatever is currently highlighted doesn't work. This is an issue with the iPhone as well. The hard buttons on the front of the phone mean you can still pick up and end calls, and even call the last person in your call log.

The last question about screen design is how long can it last. It feels as if the entire screen sits upon very few contact points to give it the push-button feeling. If this is the case, then every time the screen is pushed down, these contact points are being worn. On a traditional BlackBerry or other smartphone, there are multiple contact points to distribute the wear over; I can't help but wonder if this touchscreen will have the same longevity as other phones.

Design
The Storm's creators kept its design simple and functional.

It has a trapezoidal shape with rounded edges. The screen dominates the front of the phone, and there are four simple buttons on the bottom: "talk", the BlackBerry menu key, "return", and "end/power". These keys, unlike those on the Bold, are proportional and do not take up more space than needed.

The sides of the phone feature one convenience key on each side as well as volume buttons.

The back of the phone boasts a brushed metallic finish, with the camera lens and flash near the top of the device.

A mute key and lock key crown the top corner of the phone. Unboxing the Storm, it was not immediately clear to me that these were keys but once I got used to them, they were actually pretty cool. Locking the phone can take up to four seconds after depressing the button and leaves room for improvement; unlocking is quicker.

Peformence
RIM has long been praised for its reliable, well built devices aimed at the business market. With the advent of the Pearl Flip, Bold, and now the Storm, these perceptions are changing. Although the newest RIM products (specifically the Storm and Pearl Flip) are more consumer friendly, there are still some kinks to be worked out. The most noticeable glitch in the Storm is lag present across a range of functions.

When I first powered up the Storm, the persistent lag gave me ample opportunity to appreciate the sharp screen. The screen would take on average up to four to five seconds to switch between landscape and portrait modes when turning the phone, with only the base applications running.

Late last week, RIM and Verizon officially released an operating system update for the BlackBerry Storm 9530 -- Firmware 4.7.0.75 -- and I immediately installed it on my review unit. There is often still a couple of seconds of lag with the updated OS, but it quickly and more reliably switches than the original version did. I discovered that with a suave flick of my hand I could prompt the phone to switch quicker, but the novelty of that trick got old fast.

The updated OS addresses the major lag problems associated with the Storm, but it still doesn't work as seamlessly as it should. Before, the lag while flipping through pictures took so long I sometimes wondered if the unit had frozen. Now, the pictures flip more reliably, but there is still lag when trying to flip through a whole scroll of pictures.

Using the Keyboard
With the touchscreen and letter/item highlighting, typing on the Storm is easier than the iPhone, but not nearly as easy as typing on a hardware keyboard.

There are inaccurate strikes inherent with any small keyboard, but the button-screen is, in some ways, a major downfall for this phone. If you're typing quickly on the phone, it's possible for your fingers to move too quickly for the screen to come back up before you need to press it in again. This results in a cap on how fast you are able to type on the Storm regardless of how accurate you become.

this won't be a problem for an occasional user, but if you're a power-user on the fast track to arthritic hands, stick to the Bold. In short, even when correcting misspellings on the fly, the touch screen is no replacement for a regular keyboard.

Browsing the Web
The Storm's web browser is leagues ahead of other BlackBerrys. Although it still lacks support for certain streaming services, it is more robust and capable than the ones on many smartphones. It renders pages well, supports sites such as the mobile version of YouTube.com, and even allows you to select emulation modes to help pages with rendering issues.

When using the browser, it's easy to display a page at a comfortable zoom level in landscape mode. You can navigate the page by dragging your fingers across the screen. Resting your fingers on hypertext will highlight the link, and you can select it by pressing in the screen. The ease of navigation for the Storm showcases the best browsing experience I've seen on a BlackBerry, and is better than what I've experienced on most other smartphones.

You can tell the browser to represent itself as the BlackBerry browser, Firefox, or Internet Explorer. I haven't come across a situation where I've had to use this feature, but it could come in handy under the right circumstances.

The Storm's lack of Wi-Fi is most obvious when browsing the Web. While having a capable browser is great, it needs to be paired with a capable connection. Verizon's EV-DO network is usable, but is consistently slower than AT&T's 3G network in my experience. The exclusion of Wi-Fi bars the Storm from consideration as a truly capable device.

Texting and messaging
The Storm's list of applications and messaging services is another testament to its consumer-centric orientation. Included with this smartphone is Flickr, Facebook, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and BlackBerry Messenger.

Combining these with texting, MMSing, and email, it's easy to see why you'll likely spend most of your time on the keyboard rather than on the phone.

Other applications
Visual Voicemail - The Storm boasts Visual Voicemail, which displays on the screen who left you a voicemail and how long it is. The application takes about 10 seconds longer than normal to report the voicemail, but it's usefulness is worth the short wait. Under the Visual Voicemail menu, you can choose to compose a new text/MMS, call back the caller, erase the message, or reply to the caller via SMS or voice message.

VZ Navigator - The Storm features BlackBerry maps as well as Verizon's VZ Navigator. The VZ Navigator give spoken turn-by-turn directions, and incorporates traffic into its narration. It works as claimed, but beyond the voice narration, it probably isn't worth the $10/month. Alternatives such as Google Maps are free (though lacking in audio directions). Google Maps also offers transit directions and walking directions, neither of which VZ Navigator offers.

DataViz Documents to Go - As with the Bold and the Pearl Flip, the Storm boasts DataViz' Documents to Go suite, which offers a mobile solution for managing, editing, and creating Word documents, Excel files, and PowerPoint presentations. You can easily view, download, and edit files, but creating a file and more advanced editing and formatting options are available only with a $70 update to the premium version.

Application Center - The application center offers a centralized place on the Storm to manage OTA updates for applications. This is a convenient solution to opening up individual applications to check for updates.

Camera/Video/Audio Recording
The camera is one of Storm's strongest assets.

When the camera is called up, the screen serves as the viewfinder. Resting your finger on the camera button displays a white box, a feature of the auto-focus. After focusing, the box becomes green, at which point pushing in the screen will take the picture. Zooming in or out is as easy as rolling your fingers across the screen.

The resolution on the camera is great; however the shutter speed is slow, so there is some blur if the subject is moving.

The camera's menus have a logical layout and are user-friendly. The screen displays the approximate number of pictures remaining, zoom level, flash mode (defaulted to automatic), the flash status, and the status of location-aware features. After snapping a pic, the photo is displayed along with options across the bottom of the screen including "new picture", "set picture as a caller ID or home screen", "rename", "delete" , and "send.". Any social networking applications such as Flickr, Facebook, messengers etc. are integrated into the "send" option, in addition the standard email and MMS options.

Opening the pictures folder, you can view your pictures and thumb through them slide-reel style by dragging your fingers across the screen.

Overall, this is among the best of the phone cameras I've used, but it's still no replacement for a digital camera.

The video camera also stands out on the Storm. Videos have fairly good quality, clear sound, and the 8 GB card that came shipped with my unit can hold plenty of footage. The video camera also has the option of a video light, which is bright enough to be useful when shooting in low light. This also doubles as a handy flashlight in a pinch.

Battery Life
With the original version of the operating system and moderate use (mostly data as opposed to voice), I was generally able to get about two days of battery out of the Storm. With the updated OS, I've experienced slower battery drain. After keeping the Storm on for 36 hours with only light use (mostly email), I still have 50% remaining life.

The .75 OS update also resolves the previous issue of not being able to use the phone while it was charging.

I went out of town shortly after receiving my Storm, where I soon discovered the largest design flaw of the phone - it has a micro-USB as opposed to the mini-USB that other BlackBerrys feature. I raised the same issue when reviewing the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, and warned that this could be a potential deal breaker. I reaffirm that sentiment now and warn that if it's not a deal breaker, it's definitely an annoyance. With a phone so new, not all traditional electronic retailers (e.g. Radio Shack) carry the chargers. I was able to pick up a generic charger at Best Buy, but charging the phone was a painful process, as the Storm sometimes didn't recognize the charger.

Accessories
Billed as a "world phone", the Storm includes several European chargers in the box. A pretty neat inclusion, however I nearly instantaneously learned that this was included because chances are you won't be able to find a replacement for this device's plugs when traveling.

In addition to the user manual, quick shortcuts guide, CD, USB cable, adapters and AC charger, there's also a flash drive thrown into the box. Cool.

I've already mentioned the 8 GB microSD card that comes bundled with the Storm, but it bears repeating.

CONCLUSION
The Storm has some unique features that unmistakably mark RIM's attempt to capture some of the strong consumer smartphone market that the iPhone currently dominates. RIM is relying on its name to be able to build buzz around the device, but unfortunately it largely fails to deliver an infallible device that would live up to BlackBerry users' high expectations.

The touch screen is cool, but I'm not sure it's a better solution than alternative navigation methods. However, the large, crisp screen is nonetheless phenomenal and is easily the best feature of the Storm.

The sharp screen with its button-like functionality is a major selling point; the abundance and usefulness of the preloaded applications give users plenty to play with out of the box, and the camera is exceptional. All of these bode very well for the Storm but it is not without its shortcomings. The lack of Wi-Fi, the upper limit on how fast and accurately you can type on the touchscreen, and the current lag are all major downgrades in my book. Although the latter can hopefully be rectified with an update, users should be able to buy a reliable device that performs as promised out of the box with no updating necessary.

As a smartphone enthusiast, I like the Storm because it represents the start of a new generation of touchscreen-based devices from RIM. Those familiar with BlackBerry will find the Storm an entertaining gadget, but hardly the pinnacle of this company's capabilities.

The bottom line is that I've been carrying a Storm and a Bold in my pocket, and when I need to use a phone for something, it's the Bold I instinctively reach for. In my opinion, the Storm is still one revision away from becoming the phone that RIM and most users want it to be.

Pros:

* Large, high-resolution touchscreen
* Mobile broadband

Cons:

* Buggy
* On-screen keyboard only
* No Wi-Fi

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