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Research in Motion Launches 'Torch' Smartphone and BlackBerry 6 OS

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Apr 12, 2001
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With much fanfare, Research in Motion (RIM) today announced the launch of its BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone, running the company's new BlackBerry 6 operating system. The launches are a key milestone in RIM's effort to reverse sagging interest in the pioneering smartphone platform in the face of continued strong growth in iOS and the surging Android platform.

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 offers a full 3.2" touchscreen, although it offers only 360x480 resolution, considerably lower than the iPhone 4 and other smartphones hitting the market at present. The Torch retains the traditional BlackBerry physical keyboard, however, tucking it away in a slim slider design. It also offers an optical trackpad for navigation, 5-megapixel camera, and 4 GB of onboard storage with an additional 4 GB media card and support for cards up to 32 GB included. The Torch will launch exclusively on AT&T, Apple's exclusive partner for the iPhone, on August 12th and will be priced at $199 with a two-year contract.

Perhaps more significant than the Torch hardware is RIM's new "BlackBerry 6" operating system, offering a refreshed user interface that should still feel familiar to current BlackBerry users. One of the major additions in BlackBerry 6 is a new browser based on WebKit, the same engine behind the iPhone and Android browsers. The new BlackBerry browser offers tabs, auto-wrapping text zoom, and pinch-to-zoom features. It also drives the platform's email application.

BlackBerry 6 also offers a new "Social Messages" application that aims to integrate instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook and other social tools across services. Finally, the new operating system brings enhancements to multimedia performance with enhanced music and podcast services.

The new BlackBerry 6 operating system launches on the Torch 9800 handset, but will soon be available for the existing Bold 9700, Bold 9650, and Pearl 3G (9100/9105) handsets, as well as on future BlackBerry devices.

Article Link: Research in Motion Launches 'Torch' Smartphone and BlackBerry 6 OS
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/08/03/research-in-motion-launches-torch-smartphone-and-blackberry-6-os/
The OS looks as far beyond iOS4 as did iOS1 looked compared to Windows Mobile in early 2007. Makes my iPhone 4 look stale.
 
exclusively AT&T
$199 with new contract
iOS 4 > Blackberry 6 OS
In what way is RIM corrupting peoples minds to buy Blackberrys instead of iPhones?
 
Full of Win said:
The OS looks as far beyond iOS4 as did iOS1 looked compared to Windows Mobile in early 2007. Makes my iPhone 4 look stale.
Click to expand...

Just looks like a reskinning of the same old RIM UI to me....


I've never had any interest in blackberries. I hate my sister's, really annoying to use.
 
Goodbye RIM

Are you kidding me? Is that the best they could come up with? Lame coverflow imitation; poor low-rez graphics, so-so screen quality. Well I guess it's up to the Galaxy S and Droid to pony up some competition.
 
at least they had the cojones to put in a respectable 5mp camera (a la iPhone4) rather than a frat boy's dream 8mp camera with crappy contrast
 
As someone trying to upgrade to a smartphone this year, this report holds...zero value for me.
 
ModestForumName said:
at least they had the cojones to put in a respectable 5mp camera (a la iPhone4) rather than a frat boy's dream 8mp camera with crappy contrast
Click to expand...
Is it similar to the iP4's camera? I didnt see anything about having one of the better sensors, just that it was 5mp.

Anyone have any details?
 
appleguy123 said:
Same old rim. Not interested.
Real keyboard
Low resolution
Tacky os.
Click to expand...

Some one who does not understand hardware keyboards at all.

While the res is kind of low the OS from waht I have seen is pretty promising and still holds true to the core of the OS.

As for the hardware keyboards RIM blackberry are the the gold standard when it comes to them. Touch screen keyboards have a lot of draw backs. One is ZERO tactile feel so you more need to look at the when typing on it. Also when the keyboard is in used on a touch screen it eats up a LOT of screen space to be used. The slider hardware gives the advantage of keeping all the screen space and still having a keyboard.
 
Come on you are all a smart bunch of people. You do realize that RIM is not in the same market as the iPhone and Android. They are geared more towards enterprises who utilize BES.
 
I dunno... I think RIM should stick to where it's good and respond more to it's customers needs and not make Quasimodo-like iphone/blackberry spinoffs.

This phone, apart from the OS, doesn't seem to offer anything that would win over the hardened iPhone, Blackberry, or Android user.
 
Just like there is people that follow the iPhone & many of the different Android phones, there are people that follow the BlackBerry. My son-in-law likes his BlackBerry that he uses with Sprint.
 
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