When the original BlackBerry Storm was introduced last year there was no shortage of  positive (though not glowing) reviews. At least one major web site proclaimed the device as Verizon’s best smartphone. My how quickly fortunes and opinions can change in a year. Despite the almost universally hated SurePress touchscreen input method and  lots of smack talk about the original Storm in reviewers’ private twitter feeds (where the REAL reviews happen),  most sites seemed happy to recommend the original  Storm  (three cheers for David Pogue who was one of the few to loudly stand up and call the device “BlackBerry Dud”). Fast forward a year and the love affair seems to be over. Not only does Verizon seem to be turning it’s marketing muscle away from the device toward the Droid but RIM appears to have taken a page from Hollywood’s playbook and skipped sending review devices to several influential sites.  Phone Arena is a site that obtained a Storm 2 and they’ve just posted their  review with photos of the new screens and samples from the camera.

BlackBerry Storm 2 Review