BlackBerry Storm 2 coming soon (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- RIM are soon to release their updated BlackBerry, the Storm 2 smart phone, with a more streamlined design and touch-sensitive buttons instead of the hardware buttons of the first version.

The Storm 2, from Research In Motion (RIM), is almost the same size and weight as its predecessor, but looks more up-to-date, with a brighter, sharper screen and more responsive interface. The disconcerting "crack" between the display and the keys has gone, as has the mechanical SurePress interface. This has been replaced by an electronic version, which is more accurate because it has three more activators beneath the screen to sense when you are pressing on it than the first generation BlackBerry had.

The touch keyboard has also been improved to make typing faster, and it still includes SureType, which predicts your entries and speeds up typing. In the old Storm, the screen moved as you typed, but in Storm 2 it stays still and there is electronic feedback instead of mechanical. The interface now allows multiple key presses, which facilitates typing combinations such as Alt/key or Ctrl/key.

The inertial scrolling is also better, and more responsive to flicking than the first version. As with all BlackBerry models, the Storm 2 has all the expected messaging and email capabilities, but it also has Wi-Fi, which its predecessor did not. Pages load quickly, especially over Wi-Fi.

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