subject: Introducing The Blackberry Torch [print this page] Availability and Pricing The newest BlackBerry, the Torch, has arrived. The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 is available through AT&T as of August 12th for $199.99 with a two year contract. A data plan is also required, with prices beginning at $15 per month. This is a huge discount off AT&T's $499.99 retail price for outright purchase, without a commitment, that is available for those cannot wait until they are eligible for renewal or simply prefer using prepaid minutes. Although AT&T is the only authorized service provider, Amazon lists the phone from a variety of independent vendors at prices ranging from $599.99 to $789.99 which emphasizes the value of AT&T's offer. The phone comes with the standard accessories: Micro-USB Cable-Power Plug, Stereo 3.5mm Headset, 4 GB MicroSD Card, and a BlackBerry Polishing Cloth.
Hardware Features This sleek new BlackBerry offers a full touch screen experience, including vertical or horizontal viewing and an onscreen keyboard. And for those who are already used to the the older models of Blackberries, there's also a slide-out, full QWERTY, physical keyboard. The phone has 4GB of built-in storage and a 5-megapixel camera. Batteries are designed to give more than five hours of 3G talk time, six hours of video watching or a huge 29.8 hours of music. And with 14-18 days of standby time, you won't have to worry about having a low battery so much.
Upgraded Software BlackBerry has revamped the operating system and 6 OS offers a much more responsive browsing experience with tabs that allow multiple open WebPages. On board apps include GPS and Maps plus Windows Media Player and a Tethered Modem. The Apps Store lists thousands of games, ebooks, and apps of all sorts. The phone is designed to handle everything from photography to email without a strain.
Cool Accessories For users who feel a need for a backup power source, spare batteries can be bought for under $50 and storage geeks can collect as many 32GB hot-swappable microSD memory cards as they want. AT&T offers travel chargers and cases separately in several styles at various prices. However, these items can also be purchased from most any cell phone vendor. Many of them stock a wider variety than AT&T and frequently have better prices. BlackBerry Torch accessories from independent vendors include cases of every kind in black and in color at prices ranging from $12.95 up to $32.99.
A nice feature being offered in the AT&T store is a screen protector that provides crystal clear 4-way Privacy Viewing. Attaching through static cling, this device is simple to install and leaves no sticky residue behind. It provides full multi-directional data protection both horizontally and vertically. An alternative screen protector is a simple protective coating for the screen that does not interfere with the touch-screen operation. These can be bought from most cell phone vendors for around $8 per pack of five. As more BlackBerry Torches are sold, the market for BlackBerry Torch accessories will increase and private vendors will rush to meet the demand.
