BlackBerry Storm 2 video explains how new ‘clicky’ screen is better than iPhone

By Mihir Patkar | Updated on 24-Aug-2009

24-Aug-2009

The biggest disappointment of the BlackBerry Storm, for most people, was the horrible tactile touchscreen that needed to be literally pressed inside for any command to register. However, it seems that Research In Motion has taken the negative feedback and come out with a winner for the next edition of the Storm, the Storm 2, by using piezoelectric technology to create the SurePress screen.

Twitter user ‘salomondrin’ got his hands on a Storm 2 and recorded a cool video explaining the technology, and comparing it to the Storm 1. He says that the Storm 1 basically had a button at the centre of the screen, which needed to be clicked by the whole screen going in when you tapped it. In the Storm 2, the entire screen is powered by piezoelectric currents, thus it gives a more realistic tactile feel.

With the new piezoelectric technology, when you press a button on the screen, it actually feels like you are pressing just that one button in while the rest of the screen remains intact. Salomondrin draws an analogy with the difference between typing on a glass top (as with the iPhone or Storm 1) and typing on a sponge (as with the Storm 2). Only the point you press yields tactile feedback, making it feel realistic.

“It feels like pressing buttons under the screen,” Salomondrin says. This has two advantages.

First, multi-touch input on the Storm 2 is a reality, which was never possible on the Storm 1 as you had to wait for the screen to pop back up before you tapped it again, significantly reducing speed of typing. Second, since it feels like you are actually pressing buttons, you aren’t searching and sliding like you do on the iPhone and the entire process is a lot more intuitive and faster.

What’s more, the piezoelectric tech also means that the screen is protected when not in use. As there is no current running under it, it does not yield any feedback and turns into a hard surface.

Among other things about the Storm 2 that salomondrin confirmed are that the screen is flush with the body – unlike the Storm 1; that the Storm 2 has Wi-Fi; and that it will come for both GSM and CDMA. And yes, he said it’s definitely better than the iPhone for typing. Well done, RIM, well done!

So without further ado, here’s the full video that we strongly recommend you check out: