BlackBerry Torch lights the way
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is a step forward in the smartphone business. Rim introduced the company’s first touchscreen and physical keyboard running the new BlackBerry 6 operating system. The price is $200 with a two-year contract from AT&T.
The torch design is a bit thicker than some of the other top-of-the-line smartphones. The torch weighs 5.86 ounces and measures 4.4 by 2.4 by 0.6 inches. Rim has successfully retained the look and feel of the BlackBerry phone, while adding a touch screen. The front of this version of the BlackBerry has the four regular buttons: Menu, Talk, Power/End, and Back. The buttons are on the side of the optical touchpad, which can be used for navigation. Also, the touch screen can be used for navigation.
The Torch has a vertical slide-out keyboard. The slider is sturdy and the keyboard slides in and out easily and effortlessly. The Torch’s keyboard is a bit slimmer than other BlackBerry models, but it’s still comfortable for users to type on. The keys are a good size and have many useful shortcut buttons. The torch also has a portrait and landscape mode that can be used with the software keyboard.
RIM has finally brought us a smartphone that is on par with the rest of the smartphone world when it comes to the number of megapixels. The torch has a five megapixel camera with 2x zoom, LED flash and autofocus. The smartphone also has new shooting features such as face detection and scene modes. The interface is easy to use and lays out remarkably well.
The image quality is much better than what you’ll get from cameras on older BlackBerry models. Capturing fabulous shots is easy and fun to do, when playing with scene mode. Unfortunately, the camera only records VGA video and is not HD capable.
The web-based browser kit may be one of the most exciting upgrade features in OS 6. The BlackBerry platform has always struggled with having an inferior web browser. The new browser is a vast improvement over the old BlackBerry OS browser. Now you get tabbed browsing, auto-fit text zoom, and multi-touch support for pinch-to-zoom.
RIM outdoes itself with email, and with support for the BlackBerry 6 operating system, it shows that the company is a leader in messaging. With BlackBerry Internet Service, you can have up to 10 business or personal IMAP4 or POP3 email accounts. You can sync with your company’s BlackBerry server with support for Lotus Domino, Exchange or Groupwise for instant email delivery.
The Torch successfully combines the BlackBerry keyboard with a touch screen, resulting in a style that is both familiar to BlackBerry users and truly innovative. If you are a BlackBerry lover, you will be really happy with Torch. The Torch’s performance specs, unfortunately, aren’t on par with competing smartphones like the Samsung Vibrant or HTC Droid Incredible. Although the Blackberry Torch is a significant improvement over later models, the Android opposite may have much more appeal.