Perfect combination: Globe and BB Storm

MANILA, Philippines – “It is easier to scroll through the menu,” said Paolo Lacuna, product manager for enterprise product management of Globe Business, as he ran me through the BlackBerry Storm. “Rather than to use the standard trackball, scrolling has made viewing large documents much easier.”

Lacuna did the talking. I did the configuring. Although I did try my best to keep my attention focused on Lacuna it was not easy. More so since I had the BlackBerry Storm, the one cellphone that I had been waiting a year for in my hands.

Lacuna rattled off the basic features of the Globe connected BlackBerry Storm:

• Sleek, stylish design with chromed frame, contoured corners and stainless steel back;

• Large (3.25-inch), “click-able” touch screen with 480 x 360 resolution at 184 ppi, delivering sharp and bright colors; 

• A powerful media player that can play movies smoothly in full-screen mode, display pictures and slideshows quickly and manage an entire music collection (including the ability to create playlists directly on the handset);

• Support for high-speed network connectivity;

• Full HTML browser that works in either portrait or landscape orientation and support for mobile video streaming on sites such as YouTube (mobile.youtube.com) and other mobile entertainment portals;

• Purpose-built applications for easy access to popular IM and social networking services such as Facebook, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk and Flickr;

• 3.2-megapixel camera, with variable zoom, auto focus and a powerful flash that also provides continuous lighting when recording video;

• Ability to synchronize with iTunes and Windows Media Player to enjoy music on the move or through a home stereo using Bluetooth and the BlackBerry Music Gateway;

• A 3.5-mm stereo headset jack, support for the Bluetooth stereo audio profile (A2DP/AVRCP) and dedicated volume controls;

• An ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlighting and an accelerometer that allows the BlackBerry Storm to be used in either a portrait or landscape orientation;

• Built-in GPS that supports location-based applications and services, as well as geotagging photos;

• One GB of onboard memory storage and a microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 16GB of additional storage per card, with an 8GB microSDHC card pre-installed;

• Preloaded DataViz Docu-ments to Go that allows users to edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone;

• Support for a wide range of lifestyle and business applications;

• Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides approximately six hours of talk time on 3G networks and 15 days of standby time; and

• Support on BlackBerry Internet Service and BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

Techie jargon done, it was time to move on to the fun stuff that I like about the BlackBerry.

My turn

The Storm is a neat-looking device. I liked what I saw as soon as I saw it. The majority of the front panel is display, a large 3.25-inch (480 x 360) touch screen sitting just shy of flush with a silver bezel that runs around the sides, top, and bottom of the device.

Below the screen are four familiar BlackBerry keys (phone, menu, back, and end/power), and on the right side are another convenience key, volume rocker, and 3.5-mm headphone jack.

Around the back, the battery cover is made from a solid piece of brushed aluminum, and the camera and flash sit atop the plate, covered by a glossy plastic strip.

The touch screen took a little getting used to. After all, there are quite a few touchscreen cellphones available on the market — and the Storm seems to be the one that took a little more time getting used to.

But for me, the greater the challenge when it comes to gadgets, so too the greater the reward.

The touch screen is where most of the attention on this cellphone is. It utilizes a unique “click” technology called SurePress, which allows you to click the screen down like a mouse button. The purpose of this technology is to provide two aspects to touch screens which are currently lacking in most devices: the ability to “hover” without selecting or moving an on-screen element, and the physical sensation of “clicking” when you type or navigate. 

I am still trying to get the hang of the touch screen of the BlackBerry, and I must say the experience has been fun so far.

Because the phone is being marketed as a convergence device, it’s got an extra emphasis on media functions. The media players/browsers are almost identical to 4.6’s options, though again there’s some nice visual flair added. The bigger screen allows for larger artwork to be shown off, and it’s a match made in heaven for video playback — although there is no flashy Cover Flow or anything.

It’s clear from the device itself that the Storm is a threat to similar cellphones in its class. The selling points of the Storm are: the phone is gorgeous to look at and hold, it’s designed and backed by RIM and connected through Globe Telecom, and it’s packed with features that make it really the gadget of the moment.

Now, wait while I check my e-mail. – Kathy Moran