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Research in Motion Launches 'Torch' Smartphone and BlackBerry 6 OS
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It's been not even two days ago, that Macrumors featured the news about Android overtaking Apple's mobile OS, with RIM staying on top in the smartphone market.
In enterprise, Blackberries are the default choice.
Also, it's a minor thing but I always liked that leather and the quality finish on some of the Blackberries.
from BoyGenius Report:
emphasis mine.
summary. If you don't have a blackberry now, this won't sway you.
We wrapped up the RIM and AT&T event with some hands on time with the just-announced though hardly-a-secret BlackBerry Torch 9800. Here are some first impressions:
All in all, we came away with mixed emotions. On one hand, OS 6 is a much better UI leap from OS 5 than OS 5 was to OS 4, but it still feels a bit not thought out. On the other hand, the device seems like it will continue to excel at specific functions, mainly email, any sort of text-based messaging, etc. My personal thought so far is: this is a stop gap device for current BlackBerry users and thats an issue. iPhone 4 or recent Android owners wont be lusting after the 9800, and thats never a good thing. We have some images in our gallery for you BlackBerry fanatics to drool over!
- The hardware (casing, build quality, feel) is typical RIM its great. Very solid, actually a bit heavy, but a very good feel. The sliding mechanism is top notch.
- The software is typical RIM uninspired, old, clunky sometimes, and cluttered. Even with the new UI elements in OS 6, we experienced choppiness in the web browser, hangs navigating between screens, and a general feeling of well claustrophobia sometimes. The simplified BlackBerry now sort of feels like too much has been added without thinking of the ramifications.
- The keyboard is perfect just like a Bold 9700, and it seems to not be dug in the slider mechanism, unlike the Palm Pre.
- The internals of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 are disappointing. From the 624MHz CPU to only 512MB of RAM, to the 1300mAh battery, it has us a little worried as it feels like the hardware is pushed to the max. On a brand new phone. Thats not even out yet.
- The screen is laughable. For a company that is always planning three years out they surely didnt get the memo that a 480×360, poor, poor LCD wasnt going to cut it in 2010. Thats the focal point of the entire device, and it makes you feel outdated out of the gate.
All in all, we came away with mixed emotions. On one hand, OS 6 is a much better UI leap from OS 5 than OS 5 was to OS 4, but it still feels a bit not thought out. On the other hand, the device seems like it will continue to excel at specific functions, mainly email, any sort of text-based messaging, etc. My personal thought so far is: this is a stop gap device for current BlackBerry users and thats an issue. iPhone 4 or recent Android owners wont be lusting after the 9800, and thats never a good thing. We have some images in our gallery for you BlackBerry fanatics to drool over!
emphasis mine.
summary. If you don't have a blackberry now, this won't sway you.
Simple. They can get some growth in that market but they need to grab a little in that area to protect their business market. Apple is trying to make inroads in business threw pushing threw consumers. RIM is more interested in protecting its bussiness side by making inroads into the consumer world.
RIM: Too little too late. I'm so happy to be rid of my Bold. I'm sure their OS 6 will be better but nothing remotely close to iOS or Android. I still think RIM will be irrelevant in five years.
Boring !
And now ladies and gentleman, I give you the next iphone killer the Blackberry torch...
And now ladies and gentleman, I give you the next iphone killer the Blackberry torch...
what the hell are you talking about? the iphone was the first ever 100% touch smartphone in great color and with multimedia as the center of the telephone.
It is not a candybar
multimedia at the center of the phone is a good thing..??
pity they made it so bad at being an actual phone!
this phone reminds me of the Samsung Reclaim on sprint.
how original of Blackberry.
im soo glad i ordered my iPhone.
come on people stop trying to beat the iPhone. nothing is better than an iPhone!
imoFTW!!
If it wasn't for the competition, the iPhone 4 wouldn't have the features it does now. Apple wouldn't have been pushed to do better.
Far from it. Droid is a beautiful platfrom with a lot of promise.
On the demo this phone is a big step up for blackberry, but I want to see it in action. Might be slow. Either way, its not an Iphone 4 competitor.
Based on....? I have the choice - and compared them and choose a BB. Why? Because it's a better phone, it's better for messages and better for email. I have no interest in an iPhone because I don't want those features that the iPhone does infinitely better than a BB... easy choice. People on here seem to thing RIMs only customers are corporates... there are some people who genuinely prefer the phone to what else is out there.
The OS updates look interesting.. wait to see what it looks like for the 9700
Apple has always been pushed to do better,
regardless of competition.
take a look back at all the previous products!
Apple has always been the trendsetter in technology!
Explain me why BB enterprise users need all the fancy multimedia features of an iPhone/Android? The BB is a serious phone for doing mostly 2 things - calendar/email and doesn't break easily.
Are you blind? Do you not see how many blatant rip-offs RIM has pulled straight off of iOS? They are ABSOLUTELY trying to give their phones a more touch oriented feel and since the Storm was a complete and utter FAIL, they are basically copying Android and iPhone entirely.
Yes but sometimes they have been guilty of omitting obvious features only to release them a year later.
Forgive my iPhone bias on the MacRumors website. I spoke too generally. You are right. My point is the same as yours though. And it's ignorant for anyone to intimate that RIM is dead or will die anytime soon by using marketshare as a means of determining its fate.
Considering BB is for serious enterprise users and most don't care about touch-screen, RIM is simply doing their existing users a favor by making it easier. They are not really in competition with Apple or Android.