The BlackBerry Storm 2 has to be one of the worst kept secrets in Waterloo. This device has posed for pictures, made video appearances, and shown up in wireless network operator inventory systems. Now, it's been given one last extensive video review and has a possible street date.Phone Arena managed to get its hands on the Blackberry 9550 Storm 2 and gave it an in-depth look. The key take-aways from their review are that the screen technology is much improved compared to the original Storm...but it still isn't perfect.

Phone Arena writes:

The wiggle is gone, and we can no longer see the circuit board along the edges of the display. It is less tiring to use (or perhaps our thumbs have just gotten stronger!) and the multiple input sensors make typing much more accurate. This time around autocorrect was able to fix most of our mistakes, but not quite all. In a typical message we'd have to manually correct one or two words, which is leagues better than the original. It also does a better job of replicating the feel of a physical keyboard.

That's all welcome news indeed. It's a shame, however, that RIM has chosen to integrate the four main control buttons into the design of the touch display. Phone Arena points out that these buttons were barely functional, which severely hampered the usability of the device.

In other good news, the Storm 2 now has threaded SMS messaging, which is long overdue, and the browser is much improved.

Also, get your wallets ready. The Storm 2 may be available as soon as October 25. According to Best Buy inventory screen shots, the Storm is set to hit the street on October 25. The unsubsidized price looks like it may be as high as $600.

Here is a great video walk-through of how the device works: