The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is the latest smart phone to be released by RIM and is something of a hybrid being a touch screen phone with a full slide out Qwerty keyboard, in keeping with Blackberry tradition. The slide out keyboard is slim and compact, whilst at the same time robust making it far easier to send longer email and text messages. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is robust and well built in keeping with the reputation of the brand. The Torch 9800 phone runs BlackBerry OS6
Connectivity on the Torch 9800 is better than many other current BlackBerry models as it Quad Band supporting 3G HSDPA (as well as GPRS/EDGE) which combined with Wi-Fi access makes this phone much more suitable for internet use than some of its predecessors. For entertainment on the move there is a built in multimedia player supporting all popular music and video file formats and a standard 3.5mm audio (headphone) jack. Memory can be expanded up to 16GB which will allow you to store a decent amount of media.
BlackBerry Torch 9800, 50 minutes to any network and 250 texts. 250MB data per month.
Tariff Name: 50 mins 250 texts (24m), Network T-Mobile, 24 Month Contract, 50 Anytime Minutes, 250 Free Text Messages, BlackBerry Torch 9800, Phone Price 100, Total Cost After Discounts £352
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 also includes GPS with BlackBerry maps and office / social networking applications.
The spec of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 is as follows:
- BlackBerry OS 6.0
- 2GGSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
- 3G HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 /800
- Size 11 x 62 x 14.6 mm weighing 161 grams
- TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
- Vibration, MP3 ringtones
- 4 GB storage, 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM + Micro USB
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, UMA (carrier-dependent)
- Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
- Battery Life Standy: Up to 432 hours (2G) / Up to 336 hours (3G)
- Battery Life Talk Time Up to 5 hours 30 mins (2G) / Up to 5 hours 40 mins (3G)
- Battery Life Music Up to 30 Hours
BlackBerry RIM are really trying to give customers the best of both worlds with this handset, after many of their customers still prefer to type on a standard Qwerty keyboard as opposed to a touch screen. Being a user of a BlackBerry curve myself, I can understand that, you can work a lot faster on a qwerty, (even if the keys are tiny) than you can on a touch screen, however, navigating applications is a lot easier on a touch screen phone. With this handset you simply open out the keypad to send mails, and close it again when you want to use applications. The following video gives a great overview of the Torch 9800:
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 hase come in for some criticism though, mostly because of its relatively slow processor speed. With competing phones offering 1Ghz processors many are asking why RIM chose to go with a 624 MHz which is already quite dated, and the phone has not even gone on sale yet.
Another criticism is the smaller screen size than rivals. These criticisms really assumes that users are all app and processor driven, whereas the BlackBerry has built its reputation on build quality, reliablility, email access etc. Regardless of how the Torch 9800 compares to other smart phones in terms of playing videos, the Torch will remain a great all round business handset, whilst giving users more flexibilty outside of work.
If you look at the current market the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is one of the most popular handsets on the market despite not being as featureful as other smart phones. The reason, it does what its users want. Having recently played with an HTC desire it felt very convoluted and less user friendly than BlackBerries, so for those whose first priority is to get the job done the BlackBerry Torch is likely to become a popular choice, I for one will be getting one when I upgrade.