Some people absolutely thrive on the mobile phone industry. These are the people who had Bluetooth headsets months, if not years, before the rest of us. They pounced on the iPhone or, conversely, told everyone around them how inadequate it was. To these people, the words Blackberry Storm don’t invoke an image of fruit flying around. For those of us who don’t live and break phones, here’s a brief overview of what the Blackberry Storm is and some of the things it can do.

The Blackberry Storm, sometimes referred to as the Blackberry Thunder, is what’s considered a smartphone, meaning it’s much more than just a device to make calls on. Smartphone’s include a full operating system such as Windows Mobile or Palm OS. This operating system allows users to read and send email, make appointments and set reminders on their personal calendar, read PDFs or Microsoft Office documents, play music and video files, view pictures, and much, much more. Basically, a smartphone is less like a traditional phone and more like a tiny computer. You can even purchase new software and program upgrades for them.

The Blackberry Storm, created by RIM (Research in Motion) falls under their 9500 phone series. However, it’s unlike the other 9500 series phones in a number of ways. First of all, it doesn’t include a physical keyboard. Instead, the Blackberry Storm is the first RIM product to feature a touch screen. Everything is done using the stylus or your finger, although some of the icons are may be too small to effectively touch without the stylus.

The Storm is one of the leading smartphones on the market, and it has been directly compared to Apple’s iPhone and HTC’s T-Mobile G1 and HTC Touch Pro, all very high tech gadgets that are considered on the cutting edge of mobile phone technology. In fact, the Blackberry Storm and the iPhone are nearly the same shape and size—the Blackberry is just a bit thicker and a little shorter.

The Blackberry includes a ton of different applications. Like all smartphones, you can make calls, get your email, set up a contacts list, and add appointments to your calendar. You can also easily browse any website you want, play music and video files, and even pull up maps if you’re lost or on a trip. The Blackberry Storm includes a built-in camera as well, allowing you to take not only still images but also video. You also have the ability to synchronize your Storm with your PC or laptop. This means your Storm can instantly download all of your contacts, email, and appointments so you don’t have to re-enter all of that information. You can also transfer media files back and forth between the two devices as well.

Of course, the Blackberry Storm has many more features than just those listed here. If you’re looking to purchase a Storm or seeing what else it can do, you can do so through Verizon Wireless, the only Blackberry Storm distributor in the United States.