The Blackberry Storm is an affordable touch screen smartphone that has several capabilities. In order to fully use all of the phone’s features, it is recommended that the user connects to a service network that provides a data plan and traditional phone services such as calling and texting. Blackberry Storm users can also customize their phones as it offers different color themes, wallpapers, and many other options for personalizing the phone.

The Blackberry Storm has about a 5.5 hour talk life or 360 hours of standby. It gives average users 150-200 hours of battery power. Using the phone for purposes other than sending voice communications reduces power consumption. Being connected and transferring data use up more energy than simple standby power consumption. Using the phone’s functions is as simple as selecting their icons from the phone’s menu.

Messaging

Messaging on the Blackberry Storm is simple. Choosing the “Messages” icon takes the user to an available messages screen. The available options include messages sent as text/SMS and messages sent via the Internet. Instant messaging is also available through a variety of options such as Yahoo!, Windows Live, AOL, Google Talk, and Blackberry Messenger.

Browsing the Web

Selecting the “Browser” icon from the menu opens up the browser. The browser is simple to use and has a field for inputting the URL for the web page that the user wishes to visit. A search field that Google powers is also available and it allows quick and simple search results. Underneath these two fields are the Bookmarks that contain the bookmarks for websites that users want to have easy access to. Under the bookmarks is the browser’s recent history, which displays the websites and addresses previously visited.

Alternative browsers are available and can be downloaded. BOLT is a popular, free alternative browser that can be found at www.boltbrowser.com It is faster and has more functions than the Blackberry Storm’s default browser.

Managing Contacts

Contacts can be added/removed quickly and easily via the “Contacts” icon. Contacts can be managed and ringtone, vibration style, etc. can be customized for each contact.

Using the Camera

Selecting the “Camera” icon opens the camera menu. Users can choose to take photos or create videos with the camera. The amount of photos and videos that can be stored on the phone depends on whether there is an external storage device available and the size of the card already in the phone.

Media

Media such as photos, videos, and music that are stored on the Blackberry storm may be accessed through the “Media” icon. Media are stored in alphanumeric order and can be accessed with a few simple touch selections. Advanced options might be available depending on the type of media being viewed or listened to.

Applications

Different types of Applications are available through the “Applications” icon. Users can download new applications through the Blackberry Apps store or through a variety of app software websites. There are free apps and apps on sale to choose from. Only the amount of storage available limits the amount of apps that can be put on the phone. Games can also be downloaded and added to the Blackberry Storm through either the official store or alternative websites.