Reviews vary widely in verdict, just like the original Storm (CNET gives it two out of five stars, while PC Mag gives it four out of five) but on the whole everybody agrees that it's a definite step up, fixing most of the issues users had with the original (most notably that lag problem). Some of the reviews, particularly PC Mag and IntoMobile, are downright glowing, which is unexpected given the critical response to the original Storm, but certainly welcome. Note: The two British publications, TechRadar and Times UK, reviewed the 9520, which is the Vodafone version. All others reviewed the 9550 (the Verizon version we'll see in the States).

CrackBerry: "The Storm2 fixes many of the BlackBerry Storm's outstanding issues and makes a ton of incremental improvements, all of which add up to something that feels noticeably better."
CNET: "The RIM BlackBerry Storm 2 brings some welcome additions, such as Wi-Fi, updated software, and a better touch interface, but it's going to face some serious competition from Verizon's upcoming touch-screen smartphones."
PC Mag: "The BlackBerry Storm2 9550 finally delivers on the original Storm 9530's promise."
Washington Post: "Definitely an upgrade from the first Storm in design and usability"
Wall Street Journal: "Fixes all those [hardware] flaws [in the Storm]," but "the traditional BlackBerry interface cries out for a major overhaul"
Laptop Magazine: "It's really more like a do-over than a sequel."
IntoMobile: "I might find something to nag about on the Storm2 after putting it through the gauntlet, but right now, I just really like this thing. All of the gaps have been plugged."
TechRadar (9520): "Overall, the Storm 2 is very much an improvement over the original Storm, but it's evolutionary rather than revolutionary, despite overhauling the SurePress interface."
Times UK (9520): "For all its attempts to court a new customer base, the core market for the Storm 2 remains the business user"

USA Today: USA Today's Ed Baig summarizes with this verdict: "Given the compromises, I don't expect anyone to use Air as their only computer. But it is a yummy machine for people who spend a lot of time traveling." Going more in depth, he lauds the Air's thinness, and revels at the little things like the magnetic latch and the backlit LED display. The worst part? He got more than an hour less than Apple's rated battery life.

Baig also notes that this is the weakest Core 2 Duo in the entire Mac lineup, which means you won't be using this for video editing. He knocks points off for the sacrifices, such as the internal optical drive, the scant 80GB hard disk space, the one USB port, lack of FireWire, and the average battery life. Apple rated it at 5 hours, but he only got three hours and 40 minutes just surfing the web, using Remote Disc and writing. It only lasted two hours and 40 minutes when watching a movie. Verdict: Not for everyone (mostly travelers), and definitely not a main computer. [USA Today]

Newsweek: Steven Levy at Newsweek compares the Macbook Air's thinness to ritualistic circumcision, noting that they sliced off just enough to make it meaty, yet super thin. Thin enough for him to spend a good third of his review saying how thin it is, and how it's so great on a lap, on a Starbucks' table, on a conference table, and on an airplane seatback tray. He then decries the obvious lack of features we've been talking about since we heard about the Air: lack of user-replaceable battery, the one USB port, no optical drive, blah blah blah.

It essentially reads like Levy reviewed off the spec sheet, and doesn't have many tales of his first-hand experience with such topics as how snappy the sluggish processor is or how convenient (or inconvenient) using the Remote Disc is (he does note that you have to lower your Firewall to its lowest setting to allow easier configuration). Verdict: Not much of one, but what he does have agrees with Baig: it's thin and even though Apple's removed much of its innards, "the things that Apple left on were the ingredients for a quality computer." Also, he spends much of the review talking in a roundabout way about penises, so it's worth a read just for that. [Newsweek]

Wall Street Journal: Mossberg from the big J also loves the svelteness, owning up to his own Contact moment by saying that "it's impossible to convey in words just how pleasing and surprising this computer feels in the hand." Of course, he hates the non-removable battery, the 1 USB port, the fact that you can't put a bigger hard drive in there and the lack of an optical drive.

In his own tests, he says the machine was "speedy" and the keyboard and screen were a "pleasure to use". His own battery tests gave him three hours and 24 minutes with Wi-Fi on and playing music nonstop. He theorizes that you could possibly get 4 hours and 30 minutes without playing music and just working normally, bug Baig's own test disproves that. Verdict: Great if you love thinness or a full-sized screen and keyboard on a "subnotebook", but he "can't recommend it for all." [AllThingsD]

• Wired Gadget Lab: Kick Ass Media Player in a Well-Rounded Package
• CNET: Though it doesn't bring Wi-Fi or 3G support, the BlackBerry Curve offers a best-of-breed design and a well-rounded set of features to make it an attractive device for consumers and mobile professionals alike.
• Laptop Mag:
A sleek smart phone for much more than e-mail, the Curve sports a sharp 2-MP camera and some serious multimedia muscle.
• NYT: Tied for best smartphone with Treo 700p

Sounds like this is one BlackBerry you won't hate your company for making you use. – Jason Chen

Frankenreviewer says:

"Some users—like me—actually prefer the shiny plastic look of the old iPod nano to the anodized aluminum of the new one."
- Look, if Apple says it's newer, that means it's better. See:
"The 2G Nano is not only less scratch-prone than its predecessor, but also more durable in general...the thing even went through the washer and lived to tell the tale!"
"The 2G nano...screen died on the first drop...the 1G nano took six drops from considerably higher heights before the screen gave out..."
- Doesn't anyone actually listen to their mp3 players anymore?
"As far as sound quality is concerned, we couldn't notice a difference between the old Nano and the 2G."
"Video playback is conspicuously absent, as many Nano competitors have it (the Creative Zen V Plus, iRiver Clix, and SanDisk Sansa e200 series, to name a few...)"
"...other premium flash players such as the popular SanDisk Sansa e200 series still have the iPod trumped on features."
"But then, the Sansa e200 doesn't do gapless, support lossless compression, or support Audible audiobooks."
"...includes a new search feature accessed via a Search command at the bottom of the Music screen."
"Search is smarter than it appears. For example, enter DC and ACDC will appear in the list."
- But what about Journey??
"I looked at the new model's screen next to my old 4GB nano, and it does indeed look significantly brighter."
"We're pleased to note that Apple had a stab at the original Nano's rather paltry 12-hour battery life, doubling that rating to a respectable 24 hours."
"I got 26 hours 10 minutes."
- Much better.

Technical Specifications

Measurements
Size and weight

* Height: 3.5 inches
* Width: 1.6 inches
* Depth: 0.26 inch
* Weight: 1.41 ounces

iPod nano in package
In the box

* iPod nano
* Earphones
* USB 2.0 cable
* Dock adapter
* Quick Start guide

Capacity

* 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB flash drive(1)
* Holds up to 500 to 2,000 songs in 128-Kbps AAC format(2)
* Holds up to 25,000 iPod nano-viewable photos(3)
* Stores data via USB flash drive

Display

* Now Playing screen 1.5-inch (diagonal) liquid crystal display with blue-white LED backlight
* 176-by-132-pixel resolution, .168-mm dot pitch
* Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio

* Skip-free playback
* Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
* Audio formats supported: AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, and 4), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
* User-configurable maximum volume limit

Input and output

* iPod nano Dock Dock connector
* 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack

Power and battery

* Built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery
* Music playback time: Up to 24 hours when fully charged(3)
* Photo slideshow with music viewing time: Up to 5 hours when fully charged(3)
* Charging via USB or FireWire to computer system or power adapter (sold separately)
o Fast-charge time: about 1.5 hours (charges up to 80% of battery capacity)
o Full-charge time: about 3 hours