The Blackberry Storm 1 9530 (or 9500) is Blackberry's first attempt in producing touchscreen phones. What makes it different from other touchscreen phones is the ability to click the screen, mimicking the hardware press on a keypad. Having tested one, I'll point out some things that makes this phone stand out (if there are) and the bad things that will make you think twice before getting this unit.
By the way, the Storm 9530 and the 9500 is the same in every aspects save for the radio: The 9500 is GSM only; the 9530 is a world phone (with CDMA).
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A quick look on the specs:
| Network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSDPA 2100 CDMA 2000 1x EV-DO |
| Body | 112.5 x 62.2 x 14 mm |
| Weight | 155 g |
| Display | 360 x 480 pixels, 3.25 inches (~185 ppi pixel density) |
| Internal memory | 128 MB RAM, 192 MB ROM, 1 GB built-in |
| WLAN | None |
| Bluetooth | v2.0 with A2DP |
| USB | v2.0 microUSB |
| Camera Primary | 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, LED flash |
| Secondary | None |
| OS | Blackberry OS 5 |
| Input and Navigation | Capacitive touchscreen |
| CPU | 528 MHz ARM 11, Adreno 130 |
| Battery | Li-Ion 1400 mAh |
| Stand-by | Up to 360 h / Up to 5.5 hours talk time |
The Good:
Big screen: For a Blackberry phone, this is in an entirely different league. Known for its QWERTY keyboard, the Storm 9530 has opted for full touch input. Blackberry incorporated their SurePress technology in this phone: the screen is one big button. Touching the screen highlights your choice (or scroll through the screen), pressing the screen activates it. It's a different feel if you're accustomed to the mainstream touchscreen phones today, but once you get the hold of it, typing is a pleasure. Nothing beats a hardware keyboard though. The big screen is also a plus when watching movies, browsing pictures or surfing the web.
With built-in 1GB storage: Even without inserting an extra microSD card, the 1 GB built-in storage can very well serve your purpose for picture taking, and carrying some (OK a few) music. Until you've purchase a microSD card, this is quite enough for everyday tasks.
The Bad:
Dirt and water portal: The screen, due to its click-able nature, has gaps around it. Dust can enter and accumulate inside, not to mention water can sip its way through this gap.
No Wi-Fi: There's no way you can browse the Internet without subscribing to a Blackberry Internet service. And if you have a poor 3G coverage, you'll have to settle for EDGE or GPRS speeds, which is not that fast. Too bad for a phone with a big screen which is perfect for web surfing.
Battery: Having a big screen than most Blackberrys, it's a shame it has a low capacity battery (The 9700's battery has a bigger capacity than this one: 1500mAh vs 1400mAh for the Storm). Don't expect it to last the whole day if you make frequent calls, text, web surfing etc.
Camera: at 3.15MP, it's a little lower than the 9700, and mediocre compared to the 8MPs and 12MPs of today's phones.
OS Support: The latest OS for the Storm 9530 (and 9500) is Blackberry OS 5. Due to its low internal ROM, it can't be upgraded to OS 6 and later versions.
Overall:
The Blackberry Storm 9530 was an ambitious attempt to enter the touchscreen market. It's innovative, but not future proof.
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