Right up there with the iPhone. Powerful and efficient

My wife's iPhone is the coolest thing around, or it had been, until now. Because of AT&T's pathetic coverage I have stayed away from the iPhone, but longed for something similar. The first Blackberry STORM looked like it would be perfect, but early reviews kept me away and we all know it turned out to be a disaster

However, I have taken the plunge with the STORM2 and it is not only my first Blackberry, but I no longer envy the iPhone. I've been with Verizon for more than a decade and was able to get the phone with a 2 year renewal for $49.95. That really is an insane price for what is Blackberry's most premium phone.

Let's get the bad out of the way. The touch screen is more prone to attracting fingerprints and skin grease than the iPhone. I am constantly cleaning it. The iPhone still cannot be touched as far as internet browsing with its easy and precise zoom feature. With the Storm2 you can zoom in stages and that is not all that hot. My only other gripe is when you flip the phone to landscape it sometimes takes too long for the keyboard to flip as well. A minor gripe.

What I do like is everything else. Net browsing seems faster than my wife's 3GS iPhone. The ease in which I set up my email was a surprise. Kudos to Blackberry for the simple interface and how easy it is to learn. The touch screen is different than any other on the market and I love it. Having to press down for applied pressure results in my not screwing up while typing or clicking the wrong buttons. It took some getting used to, but the learning curve was not long and hard. Nope, despite this being my first Blackberry, I am in love and no longer desire an iPhone.

Ringtones are a snap to move to the phone and the 16gig sized card means I will never run out of space. Picture quality for the camera isn't all that hot unless lighting conditions are perfect, but that is to be expected from any camera phone. Shooting video is a snap and yes, it's only YouTube quality, but again, no surprise.

I already called Verizon and had them unlock the phone for when I travel internationally. No need to pay Verizon's sky high foreign rates. Just slap in a local SIM and you are good to go. Awesome feature!

Because this phone would not survive a drop onto a hard surface I have purchased the Otterbox Commuter case. It's the best fit for me. Not too thick and certainly robust enough to protect the phone. I dropped the phone yesterday and it just bounced (corners of the case are all exposed rubberized). No harm done.

Battery life on phones such as this is always a subject of complaint, but seriously, for a power user, this phone will suffice. It's flat out superior to the iPhone. No, it won't last as long as a non-touch screen phone like the Razr, but how could it? I typically charge the phone at night and it lasts me all day. I have yet to run out before it's time to pass out at night. Not even close. In fact, if I don't go crazy all day with the Storm2, I can go two days without charging.

Over the next two years I hope Blackberry makes the few changes needed to be the complete iPhone killer. Fix the internet browsing issues and I truly do feel that this baby will be the bomb.

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