BlackBerry Torch 9800 Smartphone Review

Name: BlackBerry Torch 9800 Smartphone Review
Brand: BlackBerry

by Jennifer Johnson — Monday, September 20, 2010, 10:08 AM EDT

Introduction & Specifications

RIM's line of BlackBerry smartphones has been popular among business users for some time, but the brand has been losing market share in recent years to other platforms such as Android and iPhone. Now, the company is looking to turn things around with its new BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone and the new BlackBerry 6 operating system.

RIM claims BlackBerry 6 "retains the familiar and trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh, approachable and engaging experience that’s powerful and easy to use." In other words, RIM says it has taken everything you like about a BlackBerry and added some cool new features and options that will improve your overall experience with the phone. Many long-time BlackBerry users will tell you this is exactly what they want—familiarity but with a more powerful and faster web browser, more social networking capabilities, better support for multimedia, etc.

One of the touted new features with BlackBerry 6 is the new WebKit browser which can render HTML web pages quickly. The browser also features tabbed browsing, pinch to zoom controls, and an auto-wrap text feature. Like other popular mobile platforms today, BlackBerry 6 also offers a universal search feature which lets you search email, messages, contacts, music, videos, and other files on the smartphone as well as search the Internet directly from the home screen.

Like previous generations of BlackBerry smartphones, the Torch still offers many of the tools that business customers love including the platform's popular messaging tools. But it's not all work and no play: The Torch also offers more social networking and messaging capabilities with integrated access to BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and various instant messaging applications. The Torch also comes with Wi-Fi Music Sync, a feature that lets you view and sync your iTunes or Windows Media Player music libraries with the phone wirelessly or via USB.

In addition to new social networking and multimedia features, the Torch is also changing things up a bit by combining a touchscreen with a hardware keyboard. If you'll recall, many people felt RIM's first attempt at a touchscreen device (the BlackBerry Storm) was awkward. Will the Torch's touchscreen be better? This is just one of the many things we'll take a closer look at as we dive into our hands-on review of the BlackBerry Torch and the new BlackBerry 6 OS.

BlackBerry Torch

Specifications & Features

Display	3.2” HVGA+ touch screen (480x360) Light-sensing and proximity detecting screen
Memory	512 MB flash memory / 512 MB SDRAM 4GB eMMC + 4GB media card included support for microSD card up to 32GB
Camera & Video Recording	5 MP camera with continuous auto-focus, image stabilization, flash, 11 scene modes 2X digital zoom VGA (640x480) video recording Geotagging
GPS & BlackBerry Maps	Built-in GPS functionality Includes BlackBerry Maps
Data Input & Navigation	Trackpad Phone, Menu, Esc keys Touch screen with on-screen keyboard: SureType, QWERTY and multi-tap, landscape QWERTY Slide-out QWERTY keyboard with backlighting
Voice Input & Output	3.5mm stereo headset capable Integrated speaker and microphone Hands-free headset capable Bluetooth headset capable Integrated hands-free speakerphone
Media Player	Windows Media DRM 10 for music & video Video format support: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV3 Audio format support: MP3, AMR-NB, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMV, Flac, Ogg Vorbis
Bluetooth	Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR; Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port Profile, Stereo Audio (A2DP/AVCRP), SIM Access Profile, Dial-up Networking and Messaging Access Profile
Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g/n WPA / WPA2 Personal and Enterprise Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry Enterprise Server Wi-Fi access to BlackBerry Internet Bundle Support for UMA (carrier-dependent)
Wireless Networks	Tri-band 3G UMTS networks: 2100/1900/850/800 MHz Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Battery & Battery Life	1300 mAHr removable lithium-ion cell Standby Time: GSM - up to 18 days, UMTS - up to 14 days Talk Time: GSM - up to 5.5 hours, UMTS – up to 5.8 hours Music Playback: up to 30 hours Video Playback: up to 6 hours
Size & Weight	Height (closed): 4.37in Height (open): 5.83in Width: 2.44in Depth: 0.57in Weight: 5.68oz