Research in Motion’s first touch-screen phone, the BlackBerry Storm, was developed, it appeared at the time, as a knee-jerk reaction to the threat posed by Apple’s then new iPhone.

It was clear that the Storm was rushed to market. Its processor was slow, resulting in a frustratingly unresponsive device, the software was far from polished, and the touch screen left much to be desired. I recall a top executive at one of SA’s mobile network operators describing it to me in private as a “piece of junk”.

In short, the device was more drizzle than storm.

Well, Research in Motion has redeemed itself with the 160g BlackBerry Storm 2, more accurately known as the BlackBerry 9520. It has fixed many of the problems with the original Storm and added a few features to make this a compelling smartphone.

First up, and most importantly, is the much-improved processor powering the new Storm. Unlike the original, which was sluggish, the Storm 2 is lightning quick (no pun intended).

Then there’s the new features, like support for Wi-Fi, that should have been included as standard in the original Storm. And all the usual features are still there, including integrated GPS and 3,2-megapixel digital camera.

Another big area of improvement is in the SurePress technology — inputting text on the touch screen a cinch compared to the first Storm. And, unlike the iPhone 3G S, the Storm 2’s battery seems to manage a full day’s work before having to lap up more juice from Eskom.

The SurePress technology, which mimics a tactile keyboard, isn’t to everyone’s tastes. It was poorly implemented on the original Storm and is much improved on the Storm 2. However, iPhone users are likely to find it a little counterintuitive, at least at first.

There’s also more storage available on the new Storm: 2GB of media memory from 1GB before and there’s a 16GB memory card included in the box.

And there’s plenty more by way of more subtle refinements. The software is slicker and faster and the Web browser is a big step up on want went before. And the phone’s design is better as well. It seems more robust.

With BlackBerry App World — Research in Motion’s answer to Apple’s iTunes Store — now available in SA, the Storm 2 is a compelling option for someone looking for a touch-screen phone that also packs in the e-mail management tools and unmetered Internet access that makes BlackBerry devices so popular. — Duncan McLeod, TechCentral