The Ultimate BlackBerry Ninja, Solomondrin, has gotten his hands on the most recent build of the Verizon BlackBerry Storm 9550 with OS 5.0.0.287 and he says that this mix of hardware and software, if not already ready for prime time, is awfully close to it.
The latest update I did to the phone made the phone a solid device. This is exactly what RIM had in mind when they decided to put out the phone. We are back to the screen becoming solid when its off, but now the buttons on the bottom of the phone (send, end, app, return) are able to bring the screen back to life as well.
It shouldn’t be too long before the Verizon BlackBerry Storm 9550 is officially announced and then released. I am torn, however, on whether or not I want to get one of these the first day it comes out. I, personally am not dissatisfied with the touchscreen on the original BlackBerry Storm and Wi-Fi is not the killer feature for me that it is for a lot of people looking to get their hands on this device.
I may actually hold off on getting the BlackBerry Storm 2 until after OS 5 is officially released for the Storm that I already have… Of course, I say this today before I am able to actually walk into a Verizon store purchase the darn thing. If past history is any indication, I will probably get the Storm 2 around lunch time on the day that it is released.
Nice overview of highlights. But, for those of us who depend on these devices for things other than games, video, and music could you please discuss critical factors like memory management. The 9530 had 1gb and the 9550 has 2gb. However, the application memory on Storm1 gave you 30mb to start the day and depleted by noon. Battery pulls became way too normal. Applications could not be loaded onto a memory card. The touchscreen on Storm1 was actually nice. However, often the screen was insensitive to commands and you had to press several times. Finally, syncing was based on Desktop Manager which was written shortly after the gospel of Mark. Any improvement here? Your perspective on these areas will either give me hope, or give me reason to sell my RIM stock. Thanks.