How Does The BlackBerry Storm Compare To The iPhone?

As today is the big day when American consumers can finally get their hands on the hot new BlackBerry Storm with the highly anticipated capacitive touch screen, there’s one thing you’re going to hear and you’re going to hear it often: the capacitive touch screen on the BlackBerry Storm in no way compares to the iPhone’s touch screen. This is completely true. And do you know why this is? Because RIM did not want the capacitive touch screen on the BlackBerry Storm to be similar to that of the iPhone. See, it was intentionally made to be different and, from early reviews, it appears that RIM has been successful.

Of course, there are some that love the iPhone’s touch screen. Many think that it is the greatest thing to ever happen to mobile technology. However, there’s a reason that business users didn’t jump on the iPhone bandwagon in droves. Besides the fact that the BlackBerry is a far more stable, secure email device and many IT departments refuse to give up that security to follow the consumer trend; many iPhone users have complained that their touch screen is sometimes difficult to actually type on as the screen is a little too sensitive to the touch and, therefore, causes a lot of mistakes which can hinder typing time. Time spent back spacing, deleting or re-typing text can hamper a real business user’s productivity. Unfortunately for iPhone, this is a route that many just weren’t willing to take. Not surprisingly, a lot of regular consumers have been a little peeved about this issue with iPhone’s touch screen too.

In hearing these complaints and in understanding the business market that they’ve championed for so long, RIM decided to give business users the cool, trendy touch screen that some of them desired, but they created a more productive one that requires an actual “click” before a selection is finalized. The capacitive touch screen therefore makes it far easier to type accurate messages and, thus, keeps the author’s workflow moving at optimal levels while on the go.

But don’t worry, since newer BlackBerry models such as the Flip and the Bold are also awesome media and web devices, the Storm still delivers a fun, consumer-ish side with its superior media capabilities. Not only does the BlackBerry Storm have an outstanding resolution on its 3.2-inch screen (which is viewable in landscape or portrait view), but it also includes an awesome 3.2 mega pixel camera, blue tooth stereo capabilities and speakers that some early reviews say completely blows the iPhone away.

Clearly, what many have missed in this whole iPhone vs. Storm comparison is that BlackBerry remains at the top of any business user’s gadget list. Period. The iPhone poses no serious threat there. What few realize, however, is that the new Storm with its capacitive touch screen is RIM’s first real endeavor into the consumer market. After making available many attractive consumer applications such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitterberry, etc. for other BlackBerry models, this is the first BlackBerry device itself that is actually designed for both the business and the consumer market. And that is something that no other manufacturer has been able to capture within a single device!

So yeah, RIM hears you loud and clear that the capacitive touch screen on the BlackBerry Storm doesn’t quite compare with that of the iPhone. This simple fact just may make RIM feel pretty good since, after all, the capacitive touch screen on the BlackBerry Storm was never intended to be comparable…only smarter, more productive and better all the way around. Mission accomplished.