Reading Jeff Bakalar’s CNET column about the filthy mouths and dark minds he met amongst console gamers, filthier and darker than he ever met playing PC games online, where you also better off being a white heterosexual male, made me wonder about racist, misogynist or homophobic encounters in online backgammon.

In online backgammon, your gender and sexual orientation are concealed (unless your username is susan, or dorothy), but your nation is displayed publicly. Thus, racist expressions are probably more common than misogynic or homophobic ones.

But how common? And how harsh? How do you react to them? Did you ever complaint to the online backgammon room’s support, and if so, what did you think about their response? What do you think would be the best response to these kinds of behavior? Do you have anything else to say about this subject?

Rumors have circulated over the past couple of years that Google is going to release their own phone – separate from the Droid phone – with their Android operating system. These rumors have most recently popped up on CNet. Now, I have heard mostly good things concerning the Droid phones, but I must admit I’m a bit wary of a completely separate phone designed by Google.

Unfortunately for me, I was “blessed” with an iPhone with a 2-year contract by somebody who I no longer have any contact with. Also, my iPhone is mostly redundant, due to the fact that I own an iPod Touch, which is an outstanding music player. So with the iPhone, I get all the great features of the iPod Touch with the added feature of dropped calls. For 80 dollars a month. I have one more year before I can get out of my contract.

So, I’ve got a year before I really need to decide on a new phone. At this point, I’m almost ready to assume any smartphone will be better than the iPhone. I mean, they have to be better…right? Please? For the love of God, please?!

My new entry over at CNET Asia Community Blog is up. This week’s entry, “The Hit-and-Misses of Oxford’s Word of the Year 2009″. Click here for the full read.

Today I installed CNET’s TechTracker and while I do love the concept, it’s likely to get uninstalled. Primarily, it’s not actually tracking the bulk of the software I would like to track because it seems to only pay attention to /Applications. In the fine tradition of sysadmin file system organization (or simply my own personal mental organization) I try to keep most of the apps away from the system’s /Applications directory, so I have a /Local hierarchy where I keep, well, local stuff (so there is such a thing as /Local/Applications where most of the apps I use live; there are exceptions for those that insist on living in /Applications, such as CS4 or Fusion). Looking into the preferences pane, there doesn’t seem to be an option to add other locations.

I realize most people install applications in the system location, which is fine. It simply means TechTracker isn’t of much use to me at this point in time.

It seems like just yesterday that Yahoo! Messenger 10 entered beta, showing off new video chat and social networking features. Now it’s all grown up, out of beta, and replacing Y! Messenger 9 as the default version on Yahoo’s download page. Folks upgrading to version 10 get the benefit of several nice new features, including video calling and integration of streams from social sites.

Yahoo! has made some big improvements to its webcam feature, adding better video quality, synched audio and a full-screen mode. You can also move your video call windows around and place them side-by-side. It also supports video effects. To make video calls, both sides need to be on Yahoo! Messenger 10.

The other big addition is a social streaming view called Y! Updates, which lets you see your contacts’ updates from several social sites, including Twitter, Last.fm, and Yahoo!’s own Buzz. Of course, it also shows your friends’ Messenger status messages. However, CNET suggests you do a custom install of Yahoo! Messenger 10 rather than the default installation, so you have more control over toolbars and other additional junk that comes with Messenger.

So….the biggest news of late regarding the iPhone is probably the release of the Motorola Droid mobile blower, which utilizes Google’s Android operating system (OS).

The press has been very, very favorable with some making the bold claim that Android (at least as it is presented in the Motorola phone) is actually a bit better than the iPhone as evidenced by this quote from a CNET article written by Kent German, who states, “…but it bests Apple’s device in overall performance. And really, the iPhone won that Prizefight by the thinnest of margins.” *

Of course the article rightfully places this impression (it is their impression after all) within the context of telling the reader that the iPhone is a great phone.  And so is this new one from Motorola.  Ultimately it is the end user who will determine which phone is better for them personally.  The author makes, and with some humour I think, a comment about how many positive postings in comments and such can be found around the web that are by folks who as yet do not own the Motorola Droid.  It would seem a tad premature to sing its praises without having actually owned and used one for some period of time.

After all, look at this blog.  I started posting only after I made the purchase and began to use the phone.  And I certainly haven’t been completely swayed by the idea that the iPhone is the end-all, be-all of mobile phones.  Is it great?  Yes, I believe so.  Is it perfect?  No.  Is it perfect for me?  Probably.  The jury is still out on this issue.

But there are plenty of other mobile blowers on the market, each with strengths and weaknesses that lend it to be the right (or wrong) phone for any given individual.  And this is where I have such difficulty with the fanboy syndrome, whereby some folks become completely obsessed by brand loyalty.  Granted, a given product can be, by general and/or specific measures, a truly great device, but it may not be the right device for everyone under all conditions.

For example, my daughter desperately wants an iPhone.  I find this rather amusing considering she has made it quite clear she does not like Apple computers, which she used previously in school.  She hasn’t been able to articulate why exactly it is she doesn’t like Apple computers, but she is resolute in her dislike for them.  Yet she wants an iPhone.  From Apple.  Which uses a re-tooled version of the Leopard OS.

Whatever.

However, I do not think it to be the right mobile for her.  I don’t think she really needs a well-developed MP3/video player.  I don’t believe she really needs Internet access.  What I think she really wants and/or needs is a phone that provides great texting capabilities as well as solid social networking site integration (for sites like Facebook, etc.).  That is what I believe she needs and while the iPhone can do all these things very nicely, there are other less expensive phones that could also satisfy these needs.

Another point the above-referenced article makes is this, “Last June, I complained about the overused phrase “iPhone killer.” I argued that it elevates the iPhone to a place that it doesn’t deserve. Yes, it’s a great device in many ways, but it’s not the pinnacle of cell phone achievement.”  I’ve heard this very same argument made elsewhere by other authors, but I have to wonder: what has been the pinnacle of cell phone achievement up until the release of Android-based phones?

I personally cannot think of one other mobile phone that has made the impact, rightfully or not, that has the iPhone.  No, it’s not perfect.  But what cell phone is?  I suppose some could make an argument for some of the various RIM Blackberry products as being really great mobile phones, but ask yourself this question:  how many folks own a Blackberry cell phone that isn’t related to their job?  I can only think of one person.  One.  One person has a Blackberry and opted for the Blackberry even though it wasn’t for work.

I suppose some folks in the consumer electronics media do not want to say what is, I think, obvious to the rest of us; the iPhone is “THE” phone.  Not perfect, but highly desirable and well-executed on the whole.  I think some may simply be afraid of the backlash such a pronouncement would likely create, but isn’t part of their job to say it how it is?

As much as I like my iPhone I’m not convinced I need be tied to it forever.   This is a device and if a better device comes along at the right time for the right price then why wouldn’t I make the jump?  Well, I could remind myself of one of the things I said early on in this blog…the notion I want to find a system that will allow me to do what I want well into the future without having to completely change paradigms.  Our mobile phones are far more than mobile phones.  They are PDAs as well and it is this side of the cell phone that leads me to want consistency, year after year.

But I’m quite happy to watch and see what becomes of Android.  It looks like an incredible operating system and the open source community could likely lead to some phenomenal products.  But we’ll have to see.  Nothing is etched in stone.  Nothing should be taken for granted.  That is, I hope, a lesson Apple takes to heart as well.

* http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-10397095-251.html?tag=TOCmoreStories.0

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I came across an excellent article on CNET today. I liked, no, better yet, loved it because it wasn’t just your everyday “Windows-bashing article.”  It doesn’t go off on why Windows sucks and Apple is better like most articles/blogs do today.  It actually explains the good and bad things about Windows.

To summarize the majority of it, Dong Ngo of CNET talks about why Windows 7 isn’t as simple or intuitive as most people think. Again, it’s not bashing on Windows because it’s still a great OS, especially 7. He’s saying because there are so many different versions (i.e. Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate etc…) Windows can’t take off like Windows 95 did. I couldn’t agree more. It took Microsoft almost 15 years to change the task-bar. Granted it “looked” different but the basic functionality remained the same.

He makes some other really good points so here’s the rest of the CNET article.

3 years ago cnet posted an article on how any Apple made phone will fail. The author wrote that no other new device by Apple is going to repeat the success of the iPod, and especially so with a phone, due to the numerous number of experienced players already in the field.

It is amusing to see how wrong he was.

His side of the story was that phones were already good enough, which is to say they can make phone calls really well. And that’s about it.

A point he mentioned was that Apple could never get the same call quality as the bigger players. What he didn’t realise, was that Apple likes to Think Different.

Calls? Who gives a shit about call quality? It should be a given! On top of that, I barely talk on the phone. But a phone with full internet connectivity wherever I go? Now we’re talking. I don’t spend my day blabbering on the phone with the next door neighbour. I check my mail, chat with friends on MSN, post on twitter and Facebook, find out when the next bus is coming, watch YouTube videos, read things up on Wikipedia, view and update my calendar, frag n00bs in Eliminate Pro, the list goes on.. on my phone. What Kanellos didn’t see, was the potential of a cell device outside of simply taking calls. Previously, one had to tote a MacBook with a USB 3G dongle to do all the things above. With the iPhone, you no longer had to.

I found this paragraph particularly humorous:

Samsung has scoured the world’s design schools and hired artists on three continents to keep its phones looking good. Motorola has revived its fortunes with design. KDDI, a Japanese carrier, has a design showcase in the teen shopping area of Tokyo just to be close to trends. And Sharp doesn’t skimp when it comes to putting LCD TVs on its phones.

He forgot Apple had Jonathan Ive.

So when consumers get to that counter at CompUSA, they will debate buying the Apple phone, and even hold it up for a look. But when they whip out the credit card, they’ll probably opt for a Motorola. – Michael Kanellos, cnet

Sure.

It was a controversial new addition: Twitter had just started rolling out a new feature that built "retweets," a user-created way to quote other tweets, into the main Twitter application. But on Wednesday, plagued by errors, Twitter appears to have pulled the feature for further maintenance.

A post on the Twitter status blog late on Wednesday morning reads that it was "working on (a) high number of errors." The Next Web dug up some discussion from Twitter’s developer IRC channel and found that "retweet is temporarily unavailable while we deploy a bug fix." There is not yet word on when it will be back.

The feature was so new that some Twitter users, myself included, never had it in the first place. But it promises to significantly change one part of the Twitter experience: with official, integrated retweets, gone is the signature "RT" in front of a quoted tweet. Instead, a retweet button pushes the original tweets into the retweeter’s followers’ streams of messages. Like so many Facebook redesigns and restructurings, that hasn’t gone over so well with existing users. The blog Twitter Watch called integrated retweeting "the worst ever."

"While current users may get used to the feature, it’s going to alienate new users," the Twitter Watch blog asserted. "Twitter isn’t like Facebook; it can’t boast the same network effect that makes Facebook indispensable. So it needs to keep things simple for new users. But now each new user will need to understand why much of their early friend feed will consist of messages they didn’t subscribe to."

But there are advantages, too: with built-in retweets, it gets much easier to track exactly how popular or influential a given message or user is.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.

Twitter issues mulligan on new ‘retweet’ feature | The Social – CNET News

A few interesting things happened since the first event. There have been two stories in the media about the event, one in the local Arlington Advocate, and one on CNET.

We also neglected to give credit to the folks at Feinmann Inc. who donated the pre and post blower door tests.

Every week the editor of cnet.com, Jeff Bakalar, joins The Morning Moose with game reviews, the latest gadgets, and everything geektastic!  The show is also offered as a podcast on Lazer1033.com

Image by _ES via Flickr

Okay, this post is going to be quick and dirty. The premier one-or-two-service gadget makers Peek recently released the TwitterPeek.

It comes with a lifetime service plan but only does Twitter.

That’s right. No email. No internet. Not even WAP support.

Just reading and sending status updates.

Which you can do, by the way, via SMS text message from any phone, with or without internet connectivity.

There is no reason for anyone to spend $200 on this device when they can get a killer smartphone for the same amount of money, or a dumbphone and 6 months of basic service.

I hate the TwitterPeek and everything it stands for. And I am not alone:

[ Engadget ] – [ jkOnTheRun ] – [ cnet news ]

Make the jump to see Engadget editor Joshua Topolsky rocking the TwitterPeek on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. And, if you’re lame enough to want to buy one, you can get it at Amazon.

Web tehditlerinden korunma yolları
Yazan:Cnet Türkiye Pazartesi, 09 Kasım 2009 16:22
Geçtiğimiz on yıl içerisinde kötü amaçlı İnternet aktivitesi inanılmaz bir değişim gösterdi ve dünün “zararsız” hacker’ları yerlerini tüm dünyaya dağılmış, iyi organize olmuş ve tamamen finansal kazanç kovalayan suçlulara bıraktılar. Her gün milyonlarca kullanıcının finansal işlemlerini İnternet üzerinden gerçekleştirdiği günümüzde, kazanç fırsatları hiç de az değil.

kaynak mynet

Page 2

In addition to voice coverage, the BlackBerry Storm 2 supports the 2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA band, so you can get 3G support overseas, while working on Verizon’s EV-DO Rev. A network domestically. In all, you’ll get voice coverage in 220 countries and data coverage (e-mail and Internet) in 175 countries. As always, be sure to check the international roaming rates for voice calls and text messages before you head off on your trip: Verizon’s rates can get pretty pricey in some areas, ranging from 69 cents up to $4.99 per minute. You can find the carrier’s international plans here.

Other phone features include a speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, smart dialing, conference calling, speed dial, and text and multimedia messaging. With BlackBerry OS 5.0, text messages now have threaded chat view and RIM has even added emoticons for your use. The Storm 2 also supports Visual Voice Mail, but be aware that this service costs an additional $2.99 per month. The phone book is only limited by the available memory with room in each entry for multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, work and home address, job title, and more. For caller ID purposes, you can attach a contact photo, group ID, or a custom ringtone.

Bluetooth 2.0 is onboard with support for wireless headsets, stereo Bluetooth (A2DP/AVCRP), hands-free kits, phone book access, serial port, and dial-up networking. The latter allows you to use the Storm 2 as a wireless modem for your laptop, but to use the feature, you will need to sign up for Verizon’s Mobile Broadband Connect plan, which ranges from $39.99 per month for 250MB of data up to $59.99 for 5GB of data.

The smartphone has GPS/A-GPS and ships with BlackBerry Maps, where you can get maps, text-based turn-by-turn instructions, and search for local businesses. We’ve always found BlackBerry Maps a little frustrating to use because of the slow map redraws and panning capabilities. BlackBerry OS 5.0 improves the app just a bit, but we much prefer using Verizon’s VZ Navigator service, since it also adds real-time voice-guided directions. If you go this route, just be aware that the location-base service costs an additional $9.99 a month.

Like other BlackBerry models, the Storm 2 can sync with your company’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), with support for Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Domino, or Novell GroupWise, to deliver corporate e-mail in real time. For those who work for businesses running BES 5.0, you’ll be able to get more e-mail functionality with the Storm 2 and OS 5.0 since you can now manage e-mail folders, access remote file share, forward and view calendar appointments, and more.

With BlackBerry Internet Service, you can also access up to 10 personal/business POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail accounts. There’s also an attachment viewer for opening Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, PDF, JPEG, GIF, and more. Thankfully, there’s more instant-messaging support as well, so in addition to BlackBerry Messenger, there are also preloaded clients IM for Windows Live, Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, and AIM.

To supplement the attachment viewer, the smartphone ships with DataViz Documents To Go Standard Edition, so you can now edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files as well. If you want the ability to create new documents, you will have to upgrade to the Premium Edition, however. Staple personal information management tools, like a Calendar, a task list, a memo pad, a voice recorder, a calculator, will also help keep you on track.

There are also download links for popular social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and Flickr, through the Application Center on the Storm 2. Bing also comes preloaded by default, though this proved to be more of a hassle than a benefit, which we’ll discuss in the Performance section. You can download plenty more apps to the device through the BlackBerry App World. The catalog has a basic, but easy-to-use, interface and features a fairly comprehensive database of applications, which you can view by category, top downloads, or featured items. You can also search by title. You can’t save apps to the microSD card, so you’ll have to download them to the phone’s main memory, but the good news is that RIM has doubled the memory on the Storm 2. The smartphone now offers 256MB Flash memory and 2GB of onboard media memory.

The microSD expansion slot can accept up to 32GB cards, so you can sideload plenty of music and video files onto the BlackBerry Storm 2. The built-in media player supports MP3, WMA, WMA ProPlus, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+ files, and MPEG4, WMV, and H.264 video clips. There’s a search function, playlist creation, shuffle and repeat, and you get a full-screen mode for video playback. You can purchase and download songs over the air through V Cast Music or stream music from various sites. The included software CD also contains a copy of Roxio Easy Media Creator, so you can create MP3s from CDs and add audio tags.

Last but not least, the BlackBerry Storm 2 offers a 3.2-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities. It also offers a flash, geotagging capabilities, image stabilization, and the standard camera tools, such as white-balance settings, variable resolutions and qualities, and so forth. Picture quality wasn’t too bad. Images could have been slightly sharper, but the colors were nice and rich.

Performance
We tested the dual-mode (CDMA 800/1900; GSM 850/900/1800/1900) RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 in San Francisco using Verizon Wireless service and call quality was good. The audio and voice quality on our end was very rich and clear with minimal to no background noise. We didn’t experience any dropped calls during our testing period, and we had no problem using an airline’s voice automated system. Callers didn’t enjoy quite the same quality. They said our voice sounded distorted at times, and activating the speakerphone made us sound muffled. On the other hand, we were impressed by how clean and clear speakerphone calls sounded. We paired the Storm 2 with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones with no problem.

Using Verizon’s 3G network, CNET’s full site loaded in 53 seconds, while CNN and ESPN’s mobile sites came up in 11 seconds and 10 seconds, respectively. Meanwhile, a 2.25MB song from V Cast Music took 24.5 seconds to download. We thought that the BlackBerry browser was slightly faster and easier to navigate than previous versions, but it still needs a lot of work to catch up to the browsers on the iPhone, the Palm Pre, and the HTC Hero.

As far as general performance, the Storm 2 uses the same processor as its predecessor, but with the increased memory and updated software, the smartphone felt snappier. For the most part, the accelerometer was quick to change orientation when we rotated the phone, and we had no problems using applications, with the exception of Bing. Twice during our testing, the Storm 2 shut down and reset itself when we tried to use Bing, but we were informed that the installed app was a beta version and the bugs have since been addressed. Otherwise, we didn’t encounter any of the performance issues that doomed the first Storm.

The phone’s GPS found our location on BlackBerry Maps and VZ Navigator in less than a minute. We also used the latter to plan our standard testing course from the Golden Gate Bridge to CNET’s San Francisco headquarters. The app was quick to calculate a route and we checked the list of turn-by-turn directions and found them to be accurate. Once on the road, it did a good job of tracking our position and provided clear voice-guided directions and showed any traffic incidents along our route. We also purposefully missed a couple of turns to test the route recalculation rate. It was a little slower than we like, chiming in with last-minute instruction right before the turn, but the VZ Navigator always got us back on track.

The RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 features a 1400mAh lithium ion battery and has a rated talk time of 5.5 hours and up to 11.2 days of standby time. The Storm 2 met the rated talk time in battery drain tests.

The end. Make your best decision for your smart phone.

part  < 1 ><  2 >

• Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
• Reviewed on: 10/14/2009
• Updated on: 10/27/2009
• Released on: 10/28/2009

Editors’ note: This review has been updated since the original publish date with ratings after receiving final software for the product.

Let’s be honest. Research In Motion’s first foray in the world of the touch-screen smartphones wasn’t exactly a smashing success. The RIM BlackBerry Storm was riddled with bugs and performance issues, which were resolved with subsequent software updates, but still, the damage had been done. However, there are high hopes that the RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 will wash away all those bad memories and start afresh, and in many ways it does, but we still have our reservations.

In all, the BlackBerry Storm 2 is most definitely an improvement over its predecessor. The Storm 2 offers a revamped SurePress touch screen that, coupled with the updated BlackBerry operating system, provides a better user experience. You also get Wi-Fi, double the memory, enhancements to the smartphone’s core functions, and a more stable system. That said, RIM still falls behind in the areas of Web browsing and usability and will face stiff competition from Verizon’s other upcoming touch-screen phones, including the Samsung Omnia 2 and the Motorola Droid. If you’re a BlackBerry devotee and crave a touch screen, the Storm 2 is a fine choice; otherwise we’d recommend waiting to see what the other devices have to offer. The RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 will be available starting October 28 for $179.99 with a two-year contract and after a $100 mail-in rebate.

Design

At first glance, the RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 doesn’t look that much different from its predecessor. In fact, the Storm 2 even has the exact same dimensions as the original model, measuring 4.4 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick and weighing 5.6 ounces. However, on closer inspection, you’ll notice some subtle changes. For example, the Storm 2 sports a tinted chrome ring around the edges rather than a silver one. Also, the side controls–a customizable convenience key on the left and a volume rocker and a second shortcut key on the right–feature a soft-touch finish, similar to the controls found on the RIM BlackBerry Curve 8520.

The biggest change to the BlackBerry Storm 2, however, isn’t visible to the naked eye. RIM has revamped its SurePress technology, so instead of a mechanical suspension system, there are now electronic activators beneath the display that give off an impulse that simulates the feel of a click. It’s pretty neat technology that provides several advantages over the previous SurePress screen. First, it provides a more uniform feel across the screen and as you press down on icons or use the keyboard, you’ll notice that aside from some slight depression around the four corners, the display doesn’t physically move like before. In addition, when the phone is completely off, the screen doesn’t move at all.

The electronic SurePress technology also allows for key rollover and faster typing. This means you can now press two keys at once, so for example, if you want to capitalize a letter, you can now hold down the Shift key while pressing the letter key instead of having to do it one at a time like before. The Storm 2 also supports multitouch for copy/paste so you can place one finger at the beginning of the text and then the other at the end of the selection and then cut/copy/paste. Some other user interface enhancements include inertial scrolling with snap back and updated spin boxes for the clock, date, calendar, more animated transitions, and so forth. The navigation controls (Talk and End keys, back button, and BlackBerry menu key) are also integrated into SurePress so they’re no longer separate buttons; holding down the BlackBerry menu button will also bring up the application switcher.

You do get a full QWERTY keyboard in both portrait and landscape mode. With the new technology, the keyboard did feel easier to use and more precise than the previous Storm’s, but we still made multiple mistakes when typing messages. With practice, of course, it gets better, and the smartphone offers predictive text and autocorrection.

In all, we’d say the new SurePress interface is better than the previous version, but it still doesn’t feel as precise as some of the other touch-screen smartphones. There were numerous times when we’d try to select something from a list menu, and it ended up picking the item below it. SurePress certainly sets the BlackBerry Storm apart from the crowd, and we understand the concept behind it, as it makes the transition for traditional QWERTY BlackBerry users to an all-touch-screen phone easier. However, it takes some acclimation and similar to the SureType keyboards, we think it’s something you’ll either learn to like or hate.

The display itself measures 3.2 inches diagonally and has a half-VGA resolution (480×360). The glass capacitive touch screen also features a built-in accelerometer and a proximity sensor (RIM calls it face detection) so the screen will turn off when you’re on a phone call to prevent accidental mispresses. Along the top edge of the Storm 2 is a power/lock button and a mute button; there’s a Micro-USB port along the left spine and a 3.5mm headphone jack on the right. Finally, the SIM card and microSD expansion slots are located behind the battery cover.

Our review unit came packaged with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a stereo headset, and a 16GB microSD card. Contents of Verizon’s final sale package might vary, but RIM did say that a number of carriers have signed on to include a 16GB memory card in the box. Hopefully, Verizon is one of those carriers. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.

Features

The RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 brings several notable additions in the features department, including built-in Wi-Fi, more memory, and an updated operating system that brings a number of enhancements to the smartphone’s various applications and some of the aforementioned UI improvements. We’ll discuss some of the highlights of BlackBerry OS 5.0 below as we talk about the smartphone’s functions. We should also note that RIM and Verizon have posted a BlackBerry OS 5.0 software update for the original Storm, which you can download for free from Verizon’s Web site or RIM’s site.

Getting back to the Storm 2, the smartphone is the first CDMA BlackBerry to offer Wi-Fi. There are some who question the need for Wi-Fi when a device has 3G support (the Storm 2 is EV-DO Rev. A capable), and we always say, why not? It provides faster speeds and there will be times when you may be out of a 3G coverage zone, so it’s nice to know that you have an alternative method of getting online. We’re also glad to see that Verizon is offering more Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, since it’s been a little stingy in the past.

BlackBerry OS 5.0 brings some improvements to the BlackBerry browser (no WebKit version yet). It promises quicker page renderings and speed improvements because of faster JavaScript and CSS processing. JavaScript is also enabled by default now. In addition, the browser supports BlackBerry widgets and Google Gears. There was some talk that OS 5.0 would bring tabbed browsing to BlackBerrys, but we didn’t see it on our version. Also, while RIM has joined Adobe’s Open Screen Project to bring Flash Player to its browser, the company said it still has a long road of work ahead. It does support real-time streaming protocol, however, so you can watch streaming videos from sites like mobile YouTube.

Like its predecessor, the Storm 2 is a world phone and ships with a SIM card. The handset’s dual-mode functionality allows it to automatically switch from Verizon’s dual-band CDMA network here in the States to international quad-band GSM networks, so you can still make calls and receive data while traveling. Just remember that your calling freedom remains somewhat curtailed. When in the United States you must use Verizon’s network, while overseas the Storm is locked to Verizon’s roaming partners.

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