BlackBerry Storm 9530

The BlackBerry Storm for Verizon Wireless is the first touch-screen BlackBerry, with a 360x480 touch screen that you can actually physically press down, as if it was a physical keyboard.

The Storm works in both right-handed and left-handed modes. It has the same software applications as the BlackBerry Bold, but a new interface that focuses on touch.

To highlight items on the BlackBerry Storm, you run your finger lightly over the screen. Press down - and yes, it feels like you're really pressing down - to select something.

The Storm is still a BlackBerry, and has the traditional BlackBerry buttons and controls. On one side, there's a camera button, the volume buttons and the 3.5-mm headphone jack.

On the right side of the BlackBerry Storm is a user-programmable button and the Micro USB syncing/charging port.

RIM has made the traditional lock and mute buttons into touch buttons on the top of the BlackBerry Storm, though you still have to actually press them to activate them.

On the back of the BlackBerry Storm are the speakerphone and the 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash.

The Storm has a unique keypad/screen design. The touch screen (at left) floats inside a magnesium frame (top right), which sits on top of a pressure-sensitive board (bottom right.) When you press on the screen, the frame depresses and tilts, giving you true tactile feedback.

The BlackBerry Storm's CPU board contains a new Qualcomm chipset with a 528 Mhz processor and both EV-DO and HSDPA modems.

You can get alternatively-colored backs for your BlackBerry Storm; the metal backs are easily replaceable.

This is what the bezel and back of a Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Storm look like, detached from the phone.

The BlackBerry Storm has a "big clock" mode which turns it into a bedside alarm clock.

The BlackBerry Storm comes with RIM's BlackBerry OS version 4.7, which includes the Dataviz DocumentsToGo editor for Microsoft Office documents.

The BlackBerry Storm has the traditional BlackBerry e-mail client, rewritten for touch. You press down on messages to read them, and common functions are handled by touch buttons at the bottom of the screen.

The BlackBerry Storm has two virtual keyboards. This larger, landscape-format one has large QWERTY keys. The Storm leaves the top third of the screen free, so you can see what you're typing.

BlackBerry Pearl fans can use the BlackBerry Storm in portrait mode with a two-letter-per-key SureType keyboard.

Hold down one of the keys on the BlackBerry Storm's keyboard and you can type international accent marks.

The BlackBerry Storm has a pretty desktop-faithful Web browser. RIM says they've solved the JavaScript delays on the BlackBerry Bold, and pages load much more quickly.

Rotate the BlackBerry Storm, and your Web pages changes orientations.

Clicking on the menu button below the BlackBerry Storm's screen pulls up this familiar BlackBerry-style menu.

RIM has touch-ified every element of the BlackBerry interface. Here's the contact book.

You dial the phone on the Storm using this large virtual keypad.

The BlackBerry Storm has a built-in GPS that works with both BlackBerry Maps and with Verizon's VZ Navigator driving directions application, shown here.