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May 4, 2009 3:28 PM PDT

BlackBerry Storm 2 confirmed by RIM CEO

by Bonnie Cha
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RIM BlackBerry Storm (Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

Research In Motion confirmed on Monday what many have speculated to be in the works: a BlackBerry Storm 2. While it may not ultimately be called the Storm 2, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie confirmed the news to Reuters, saying that sales of the BlackBerry Storm remain strong and that it's working on next-generation devices in the hopes of continuing to tap into the consumer market.

Balsillie did not provide any specifics about the device, other than to say that the Storm has been a success "in terms of sales and adoption" and that sales remain strong, which contributed to its decision to develop the line. The BlackBerry Storm was RIM's first touch-screen device and was quickly pegged as the company's (and Verizon Wireless') answer to the Apple iPhone.

Balsillie added that more than half of the company's 25 million subscribers now fall into the noncorporate category, and just today a report by The NPD Group revealed that the BlackBerry Curve 8300 series surpassed the iPhone 3G as the top-selling consumer smartphone in the United States. The BlackBerry Storm came in third and the BlackBerry Pearl came in fourth.

Yet, despite swift sales, the Storm received mixed reviews from the tech world and there were numerous customer complaints about buggy software and system failures. Currently, the Storm sits with a pretty lowly CNET user rating of 2.5 stars out of 5 based on 700 reviews, which begs the question: Should RIM stick to what it knows best and stay with the QWERTY/SureType messaging phones? It seems to be doing just fine with the Curve and Pearl series.

Bonnie Cha is a senior editor for CNET, covering smartphones and GPS. When she's not testing the latest gadgets, you can find her chasing after her crazy lab or surfing in the chilly waters of Northern California. E-mail Bonnie.
Topics:

Phones,

Smartphones

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RIM BlackBerry Storm 2,

Jim Basillie,

smartphones,

cell phones

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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (71 Comments)
by iroq321 May 4, 2009 3:59 PM PDT
a slide-out QWERTY would be nice. in a messaging/emailing device, there is no substitution for a good old fashioned QWERTY, imo.
Reply to this comment
by Hep Cat May 5, 2009 12:07 AM PDT
The iPhone has a "good old-fashioned QWERTY" as well. <br /><br />Oh, wait - you meant physical keys? Well, that's different altogether.<br /><br />A contextual keyboard like the iPhone and Storm's means one phone can be shipped worldwide, since there aren't several languages worth of keyboards to inventory balance. It also means that you don't sacrifice display area with a tarmac of tic-tacs that serve four functions each because they're not malleable.
by BIG_BOI_CEO May 5, 2009 1:14 PM PDT
yo guy what iroq is saying is true and your just jumping to conclusions cuz a old fashion qwerty keybord is better
by iroq321 May 5, 2009 2:16 PM PDT
@ hep cat: <br />"The iPhone has a "good old-fashioned QWERTY" as well. <br />Oh, wait - you meant physical keys? Well, that's different altogether." <br /> <br />- hence "a slide-out QWERTY..." <br /> <br />"A contextual keyboard like the iPhone and Storm's means one phone can be shipped worldwide, since there aren't several languages worth of keyboards to inventory balance." <br /> <br />- that still does not mean that the physical qwerty is not better for messaging/email devices. <br /> <br />"It also means that you don't sacrifice display area with a tarmac of tic-tacs that serve four functions each because they're not malleable" <br />- a slide-out wouldn't sacrifice any display real estate at all.
by fshea May 5, 2009 5:23 PM PDT
The comment on the lack of qwerty keyboard and being able to use in multiple countries is the first time I've heard the argument for the lack of qwerty keyboard. <br /> <br />From that point of view it does make a lot of sense but I have had both iPhones and can really say I hate the onscreen keyboard and the horrible execution by Apple of auto correct. Yes, I can turn it off and type even slower. <br /> <br />Apple. Can't you remember words I type all the time? It's getting old after 2 years.
by vitamincm May 4, 2009 4:15 PM PDT
I hope they do a better job with the user interface. The current interface is a disaster.
Reply to this comment
by Tenorsaw May 4, 2009 4:17 PM PDT
The reason the Storm is doing so well is because Verizon customers don't have much a choice in terms of smart phones. These are the same people who want an iPhone but refuse to leave Verizon.<br /><br />The Storm is an awful device. We got a few at work and no one wanted them after trying them out for a couple of days.
Reply to this comment
by norcalrivercat May 4, 2009 10:42 PM PDT
haha yep, ATT just sucks. It's too bad...
by gopnick May 5, 2009 5:32 AM PDT
The Storm is awful compared to the iPhone. That said, most everything is awful compared to the iPhone.<br /><br />As you mentioned, it's all about the network. AT&#38;T sucks big-time, and RIM is making money because of it. If the iPhone ever comes to Verizon, watch out, RIM.
by Anon1980 May 5, 2009 3:44 PM PDT
I have a storm and I don't appreciate all these people talking about a phone they have not used day to day whining about it. I have been a smartphone user since early this decade and the storm currently is only slower in changing the orientation and that is not be much to the iphone. In regards to it been slow doing anything else the camera needs work but for email and browsing it is fine and it does not crash anywhere as much as the iphone or any of the other phones out there. At nothing else is it slow. In regards interface it has big icons to press so I can't see how it is much different to the iphone. <br /><br />I actually think the storm is fine and the iphone is actually buggy with it crashing so much. mind you I want a iphone/touch to play games.
by darkpoet25 May 5, 2009 6:02 PM PDT
Anon, I have the iPhone 3G and haven't had any crashing problems with it at all.
by aodowdus June 2, 2009 5:16 AM PDT
Anon, I have had 3 different cell phone providers in recent years, 2 of which I purchased touch screen phones from. I personally say that the Storm is the WORST phone I have ever bought, it locks up about twice a day forcing me to have to pull the battery to reset it and then takes a good 10-15 minutes just to start back up again... <br /> <br />Palm phones would work better cause at least with them you could use a stylus if you wanted or if you had long nails you could tap the screen with your nails and still get a response. The storm's screen is not that responsive. <br /> <br />I had the Samsung Behold from T-Mobile, it NEVER locked up, NEVER crashed, had a fast startup time, had a good camera, could browse the web... in my opinion was just a better all around phone than the Storm but was forced to give it up cause i live in a T-Mobile no coverage area. The only thing keeping me with the Storm right now is that I can't afford the early termination fee for Verizon.
by marcher20 June 6, 2009 4:40 AM PDT
OK like with everything, some people just have good experiences with certain pieces of tech. and some people have bad experiences. Especially when talking about 2 items that are in different stages of advancement. I have owned the iPhone and I currently own the Storm and I will say neither are that bad a phone. Yes the storm has problems(which are getting better and better with each update) but so does the iPhone. Ok so you didn't experience problems and he did and she didn't and so on and so on. <br /> <br />One last thing, aodowdus, that is a really sad excuse for keeping the "WORST" phone considering the early termination fee for verizon is less than two months of phone bills for the storm.
by Random_Walk May 4, 2009 4:21 PM PDT
...in other news, weather experts in Minnesota predict that this coming winter will bring snow to the Twin Cities region - and CNET breathlessly reports it! ;)<br /><br />I had to. Seriously, who expected RIM to stick with version 1.0 forever?
Reply to this comment
by Hep Cat May 5, 2009 12:09 AM PDT
I don't know. Among the two Storms in our office, we have "full I.T. support", yet they've been sent back a total of five times between them.<br /><br />And yet, in our big "company", there is no "official" support for the iPhones which work more easily with our Exchange server than the BB Storm.<br /><br />I guess it's true - IT gravitates toward the mediocre because the efficient would put them out of business.
by fshea May 5, 2009 5:31 PM PDT
Give me a break. The iPhone gravitates towards the gamers and web surfers. <br /> <br />There is no comparison to BB for business use. <br /> <br />Hence RIM having a better Q1 and 3 of the top 4 phones in the most sold. <br /> <br />iPhone is the Motorola Razr of 5 years ago. Let's get on with the future and it's not with Steve Jobs and his need for total control of everything. <br /> <br />Wait. Don't put that button on the phone. I know it's the "make a call button" but it doesn't look good. We'll go without it. <br /> <br />Apple, I don't need you to tell me what I want or need like you have for the past 2 years. <br /> <br />Bring on RIM and Palm Pre. I'm done with Apple.
by DetectiveBooby May 4, 2009 4:27 PM PDT
As long as they can make the UI a lot more quick, cool, and add feature the eventual iphone 4G wont have...then go RIM!<br /><br />I still like the Bold, so sexy.
Reply to this comment
by BlitzBoy1120 May 4, 2009 4:31 PM PDT
It needs to be a lot quicker, and less messy. Even a tiny trackball at the bottom of the screen would do well. And the click through interface wasn't as amazing as advertised (kinda given), the whole screen pressed down.
Reply to this comment
by julianstaniewski May 4, 2009 4:38 PM PDT
of course the 8300 has more sales, the iPhone is available exclusively to ATT, you can get the 83oo any where, litereally.
Reply to this comment
by ProzacJM May 4, 2009 4:59 PM PDT
Please add wi fi to this thing... oh and a better interface.
Reply to this comment
by zonicbabbler May 4, 2009 5:30 PM PDT
RIM has got to go with touchscreen. It would be dumb of them NOT to pursue that as an option. That said, they do not need to abandon the qwerty keyboards entirely. I personally have a World Edition (love it) and like the iPhone but love Verizon more than Apple/ATT. I would be tempted to upgrade to a Storm if it were better. I would also be interested in a hybrid 9900 (bold/storm crossover) rumor that i've read about.
Reply to this comment
by f-castrillo May 4, 2009 5:32 PM PDT
As a Storm 9530 user, I am looking forward to a future Storm 2 release that would somehow still incorporate RIM's SurePress touchscreen technology. I am mostly happy with how the Storm works, with my only complaints having to do with low memory issues. The SurePress screen works like a charm, though it wouldn't hurt to have a physical QWERTY keyboard available as an option.
Reply to this comment
by robwill53 May 4, 2009 5:42 PM PDT
The Storm was a financial disaster for RIM's mobile operator partners. Sales peaked early adn then fell off quickly as word of mouth turned negative. Returns were high. It did not take long for the buy one, get another one free ads to start appearing on TV. Why would you want to go through that again? At a minimum, the product would need a new name that distances it from the Storm V1. Perhaps they should call it the Perfect Storm
Reply to this comment
by darkpoet25 May 4, 2009 6:08 PM PDT
If they do make a revamped Storm, they should should call it the Black Storm in case this one crashses as much the Storm does now.
by aim1126 May 4, 2009 8:04 PM PDT
the storm is a great device, of course when you buy it sucks because the sofware is so laggy but you can easilly find a better os online that makes the device run smoothly so to everyone that thiks the phone sucks, you just gotta do some research thats all, the storm its a great device
Reply to this comment
by Chaosthoery May 5, 2009 6:01 AM PDT
yeah, most people would rather complain than doing something about it.
by supoman May 5, 2009 7:44 AM PDT
I don't think they come with the crappy firmware anymore. So if you are buying a new one then you won't have the same issues as the early adopters.
by Shaun822 May 5, 2009 8:22 AM PDT
I got my Storm a couple months ago and my only complaint with it is that sometimes it thinks its smarter than me when it just randomly decides to upgrade the software while I'm in the middle of a task and it puts everything else on hold. I have no issues with the interface, speed, memory, crashing, etc. The only physical issue I have with it is that sometimes the accelerometer doesn't register properly, but my buddy's iPhone will do the same thing on occasion so I don't know if that's a BlackBerry thing or an accelerometer thing that hasn't been worked out yet.
by gnrocker May 4, 2009 8:10 PM PDT
my mom can't stop cussing at her phone and wishing she had got the curve.... I think people are just feeding into the hype when someone says a phone is better than the iphone
Reply to this comment
by fshea May 5, 2009 5:33 PM PDT
It's a good thing she didn't get the iPhone. Steve Jobs doesn't allow cursing on his phones. <br /> <br />It goes against Apple policy. Wait it's 5:32 pm PDT. It's against their policy as of this minute. They'll change the rules tomorrow or later tonight.
by GearModa May 4, 2009 9:15 PM PDT
RIM would definitely win over a lot of people if they speed up the interface and make it a little more intuitive. Otherwise its a pretty good phone.
Reply to this comment
by cojoda May 4, 2009 10:34 PM PDT
It's not RIM's fault the Storm software sucks. It's Verizon's. RIM has already approved and released to Verizon far better OS versions than the latest official release from VZ (v4.7.0.75). Verizon has just been slow in testing and releasing them.<br /><br />I agree that the Storm running on v.75 sucks! But my storm doesn't run v.75. It runs v.141 and it is awesome! It's very fast and responsive (especially the web browser). If storm owners would do a little research before they gave up on the device, they would be pleasantly surprised.
Reply to this comment
by Hep Cat May 5, 2009 12:15 AM PDT
" If storm owners would do a little research before they gave up on the device, "<br /><br />This may come as a surprise, but most smartphone users - at least until recently - were people using the devices to /get things done/. Not to screw with firmware and see what works.<br /><br />Do F1 drivers get out and help screw around with broken fairings, fuel stops, or tire changes? That's how executives and even C-level directors think of themselves. You gotta be kidding me if these folks are going to tinker around with firmwares to get their phone to work.
by kalel130 May 5, 2009 11:56 AM PDT
Amen @ Hep Cat. People simply won't mess around with needing to find new Firmware to a device they just purchased. It should just work.
by Shaun822 May 5, 2009 7:40 PM PDT
Man, it's a good thing computers all just work when they are purchased otherwise no one would buy them. Oh wait, uhhh scratch that.
by kewldawg926 May 6, 2009 5:25 AM PDT
cojoda! I agree with you 100%. I am an early adopter of the Storm, it was a gift actually. I recently upgraded to .141 and this thing is incredible. Faster, smoother, i don't accidently hit emergency call anymore, and you are right, people would rather give negative reviews instead of trying to research solutions. Especially with so many good websites, ir Crackberry.com
by jamesz4 May 4, 2009 11:13 PM PDT
I wouldn't trade my Storm (running unofficial firmware update) in for any phone currently on the market. Granted the Storm lacks the stability and speed of the flagship Bold but it has the advantage of a large haptic touch screen. The Storm isn't for everyone but if you are a heavy email user and want the full touch screen and media capabilities then it's a fine choice. Also, if you are technical enough to get the latest unofficial release on the phone then it's nearly as fast and stable as the Bold. RIM is very smart to continue to develop the Storm platform. I'd guess that most people who dislike the Storm are running the initial or current 'official' releases.
Reply to this comment
by Hep Cat May 5, 2009 12:21 AM PDT
I wouldn't trade my 1987 Buick Electra (running a Holley four barrel 750cfm carb) in for any car currently on the market. Granted, the Buick lacks the stability and speed of my Mercedes S-Class, but it has the advantage of really comfortable bench seats covered in velour. The Buick isn't for everyone but if you are too stubborn to get a BMW 2002 for a few bucks more and want a car that constantly steers itself into the ditch, then it's a fine choice. Also, if you are technical enough to locate the latest performance parts and install them yourself, then the Buick is nearly as fast and stable as a propane delivery bobtail truck. Buick is very smart to continue to develop the Electra. I'd guess that most people who dislike the Electra are running the car as it came from the dealer.
by SamirAKBER May 4, 2009 11:30 PM PDT
I hope the have the "Bold" build quality with <br /> <br />1) Slide out qwerty keyboard <br />2) Vertical touch screen number pad with T9 capability <br />3) Stylus input <br />4) Dual SIM Capability <br />5) OLED <br />6) A good speaker phone <br /> <br />Wish list <br /> <br />1) Mini OLED Projector - this must double up as a torch <br />2) 2nd VC Camera <br />3) 1st camera that backs up as a scanner with ocrs <br />4) Satellite phone ability
Reply to this comment
by play7 May 8, 2009 11:48 PM PDT
OMG why do people want every possible feature on a cellphone? or internet commication device? If just that much more that goes wrong. Less features EQUALS less stress.
by play7 May 9, 2009 12:01 AM PDT
In addtion I had the option to either take the BB or none BB type. THE BB i just could not understand why people would take a product that is made with less then high quility parts. The BB was not as costly at first.But the over all cost was way more then the other phone I chose. The viewing quility was greater and i have TV and vedio not just Vedio like the BB or UCK iphone. The tech for some of the wishes you want are just not at the point ofr stable trustable use yet. We are still years away frpm Projector type features taht are relable....Dual SIm well atleast the ones out here has this feature......a and vedio camera? OMG do you want this thing to have EVERYTHING and be over sized and heavey? No thank you
by Hep Cat May 5, 2009 12:12 AM PDT
" just today a report by The NPD Group revealed that the BlackBerry Curve 8300 series surpassed the iPhone 3G as the top-selling consumer smartphone in the United States."<br /><br />So, in order to beat the iPhone 3G, you simply have to produce a phone with fewer features and charge a quarter of the price (or less) for it.<br /><br />PROFIT!
Reply to this comment
by Shaun822 May 5, 2009 8:25 AM PDT
Also you must place it on every mobile plan known to man or beast.
by iroq321 May 5, 2009 2:25 PM PDT
"So, in order to beat the iPhone 3G, you simply have to produce a phone with fewer features and charge a quarter of the price (or less) for it." <br /> <br />- you're saying that the iphone (in its release or current form) has more features than a blackberry? i disagree.
by bvogie May 5, 2009 6:40 AM PDT
In regards to, "Research In Motion confirmed on Monday what many have speculated to be in the works: a BlackBerry Storm 2". Since when does speculation = confirmation? Talk about reaching.
Reply to this comment
by iroq321 May 5, 2009 1:04 PM PDT
you don't make any sense. "research in motion CONFIRMED on monday what many have speculated to be in the works: a blackberry storm 2" <br />it was all speculation until RIM CONFIRMED. sounds like a confirmation to me.
by G-RUBZ May 5, 2009 1:34 PM PDT
HAHA! You pwned yourself!
by bvogie May 6, 2009 9:01 AM PDT
While I don't doubt that RIM is developing a "Strom 2"...now were in the article does Jim Balsillie actually "confirm" that a "Strom 2" is coming. Hence the speculation still stands yet the title clearly reads "BlackBerry Storm 2 confirmed by RIM CEO" when in fact he did not.
by iroq321 May 7, 2009 8:39 AM PDT
"Balsillie did not provide any specifics about the device, other than to say that the Storm has been a success "in terms of sales and adoption" and that sales remain strong, which contributed to its decision to develop the line."
by mixednutz6 September 7, 2009 12:23 PM PDT
RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie confirmed the news to Reuters, saying that sales of the BlackBerry Storm remain strong and that it's working on next-generation devices in the hopes of continuing to tap into the consumer market.<br /><br />what more do you need? Mr Balsille to actually call it the storm 2?
by cardfan1212 May 5, 2009 7:18 AM PDT
Doesn't sound like a Pre killer.
Reply to this comment
by Shaun822 May 5, 2009 8:27 AM PDT
Doesn't sound like they need worry about that until the Pre shows up and actually does what it claims, something a lot of phones (including the Storm) have failed to do recently.
by iroq321 May 6, 2009 7:31 AM PDT
way to early for a comment like this. first of all, the pre is not even out yet and second of all, there is absolutely no details on this storm 2...time will tell
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