HardTalk: Is RIM Playing it too Safe With the 9700 and Storm 2?

The current Bold and Storm are very different devices and that’s for good reason. The Bold was a solid evolution of the traditional BlackBerry form factor and the Storm was a more revolutionary move for RIM, taking the company head-to-head with Apple.

Whilst the Bold was a winner in its sector, it’s not perfect; and heck the Storm is far from perfect. So what do we need from the 9700 and Storm 2?

Let’s start with the Storm 2 because some things spring immediately to mind. SurePress, whilst being a great concept never quite caught the media’s attention in a slobberingly positive way and consequently the public never went for it either. It appears that RIM has started again with the Storm 2’s click-screen implementation and this will be critical to its success. We all know how much BlackBerry owners love to write!

The software initially seemed to be too close to the rest of RIM’s offerings to stand out as an iPhone competitor with its beautiful transitions. Whilst RIM needs to work on this to capture more excitement around its touch device, it also needs to retain the functionality that can make the Storm 2 a success in the workplace.  The form factor also needs a bit of work to make it as slick as the likes of Samsung’s Omnia, Palm’s Pre and of course Apple’s iPhone which are all direct competitors for fashion conscious money. Whilst I’m not yet convinced the Storm 2 will really bring it in the design department, hopefully it will feel sexier than the original. Just be prepared that the world might have to wait for the next-gen to see some real strides here.

On the subject of design, the 9700 is unmistakably Bold 2.0, albeit a little smaller. I like the Bold, I use one every day. There are clearly some nice evolutionary touches which the 9700 shrinks onto the reduced frame. The optical trackpad, carried over from the 8520 is one. But while I was hoping to be psyched on a revolutionary device, I’m left feeling just good that the family genes have been well received enough to carry the appealing look largely unchanged into 2010.

What would I have liked to see? Well I had some hands-on time with Nokia’s E71 in Vegas last week and honestly the design and physical feel of that phone is sweet. It’s like holding a sculpted piece of silver. When I picked up an 8900 and 9000 straight afterwords, they felt hollow in comparison.  As more consumers gravitate towards smartphones the feel of the device becomes ever more important; and more players like the newly energized American branch of Nokia mean more competition.

You might say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”. That’s a fair comment for this economy, where manufacturers are probably reluctant to spend mega-bucks changing products which are solid sellers…and the 9700 does still look great. But now that RIM has embraced design in a good way, I’d like to see the company becoming a pioneer with each new generation.

Feature-wise I was also hoping for a 5-megapixel cam on the 9700, 3.2MP feels like treading water behind the likes of Nokia’s N97 and Samsung’s finest which sport 5MP or more.  We all know that RIM is as solid in the corporate market as it ever was, and now the Storm 2 and 9700 it has an opportunity to capitalize on the more consumer-friendly media and web features popularized by the recent 8000 and 9000 series models.

I would like to see the 9700 and Storm 2 as RIM’s halo devices giving us a view of what’s to come…I just hope they’re not playing it too safe.