subject: Rim Puts A Lot Of Firsts In The Blackberry Torch [print this page] Finally, after almost a year stagnating in the doldrums behind the Android which has already overtaken it in the US smartphone markets, Canadas Research in Motion is keeping up the fight with the new Blackberry Torch 9800. Indeed, the name says it all as the new Torch should light the way for RIM to compete better with a lot of firsts on it.
Its the first truly innovative Blackberry after the Storm 2 it released about a 2 years back. Its the first in the slider form factor marrying touchscreen convenience with Blackberrys signature portrait QWERTY keyboard. It is also the first Blackberry flagship to carry a 5-megapixel camera. Finally, its the first smartphone to use the newly updated Blackberry OS v6.0 platform.
Features Up Close
With a unique slider form that reveals the signature Blackberry QWERTY ergonomics when open, the new Blackberry Torch 9800 measures 111 x 62 x 14.6mm when closed and weighs a hefty but solid 161g. It is offered only in black but carries a distinct chrome trim styling around the edges on both halves.
Powered by a 624 MHz processor, the Blackberry Torch 9800 is a smorgasbord of radio connectivity options from its quad band radios in the UMTS for 3G to its GSM for 2G. It also has a wealth of data connectivity with its HSDPA/HSUPA data speeds on 3G and class 10 GPRS/EDGE data speeds on 2G.
You get broadband internet surfing speeds on both. Local data transfer technologies include Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0. In addition, SatNav is supported with its integrated GPS radio with A-GPS that comes preloaded with Blackberry Maps.
Onboard memory is capped at 512 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM reserved for OS and application file while user memory gets a generous 4GB backed by microSD external storage expandability for up to 32 GB.
Theres even a 4GB microSD card included in its sales kit. With its 1300 mAh li-ion battery, you get up to 5.5 hours of talk time on 2G, slightly higher on 3G and 432 hours on standby.
Apart from its famous BES access to secure corporate emails, the Torch enjoys social networking skills with RSS and social feeds, integrated Facebook, Twitter and MySpace as well as a document reader to make it an ebook.
Multimedia Features
Display on the Blackberry Torch 9800 gets a 3.2-inch TFT resistive touchscreen with 480 x 360 resolution. Theres no accelerometer but you get a proximity sensor for touchscreen auto-off when held against the ear in a call.
Blackberry imaging takes its first camera with 5-megapixe resolution that enjoys LED flash, geo tagging, image stabilization, continuous autofocus and VGA video recording.
There is still no FM radio like other Blackberry smartphones, but its media players makes it a capable music phone. It plays audio files in the MP3, WMA, eAAC+, FLAC and OGG formats as well as video in the MP4, WMV and H.263/H.264 codecs.
It comes with a 3.5mm audio jack for wired stereo headphones and its A2DP profile supports wireless stereo headphones. You also get 30 hours of continuous music playback from its battery.
