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Blackberry Storm 2 heats up smartphone competition

The new Blackberry Storm will go on sale through Vodafone at the end of this month, marking its manufacturer's latest attempt to tackle Apple's dominance of the smartphone market.

Coming on the heels of the Palm Pre launch, the arrival of the Blackberry Storm 2 follows the release by Research In Motion (RIM) of the first Storm a year ago.

The manufacturer is said to have improved the original device's keyboard and battery, which were two of many features that left consumers unimpressed with the smartphone.

Available for free to individuals on a two-year, £35-a-month contract with Vodafone, the Storm 2 handset is WiFi-enabled, has a battery with five hours' talk time and features two gigabytes of memory compared to the original Storm's one.

It has a 3.2-megapixel camera with a x2 zoom, a 3.25-inch touchscreen and it weighs 160g – almost 20 per cent heavier than the iPhone. It also comes with access to RIM's online application store, Blackberry App World.

While the Storm 2 is not available until 26th October, Vodafone is already taking orders for the device, although it will lose its exclusive hold on the smartphone when it begins selling the iPhone next year.