BlackBerry Torch 9800 Review from About Cellphone.com :

Price and Availability

The BlackBerry Torch is out there completely on AT&T’s network, and prices $199.99 once you sign a replacement two-year service agreement. AT&T needs that you simply subscribe to 1 of their knowledge arranges additionally to a voice plan.

Design

RIM has tried to introduce touch-screen BlackBerry phones within the past, however the response to those devices — the Storm and therefore the Storm two — has been tepid, to mention the smallest amount. With the Torch, however, RIM is taking a unique path: where each Storm phones replace the quality BlackBerry keypad with slightly screen, the Torch offers each. And, thankfully, the Torch conjointly lacks the SurePress technology found on the Storm, that caused the screen to truly depress once you tapped it. The result’s a additional user-friendly style than either Storm may provide.

Making Calls

The Torch measures four.4 inches tall by two.4 inches wide by .6 inches thick when closed, that is how you may hold it when creating calls. The phone was pretty comfy to carry throughout calls, however it is a bit hefty at five.7 ounces.

Software

RIM did not simply redesign the surface of the BlackBerry Torch; the software on the within options a replacement look, too. The Torch is that the 1st phone to ship with version vi of the BlackBerry OS, that has been fully redesigned to compete with today’s best mobile OSes, like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. and therefore the new BlackBerry OS may be a winner.

One of the foremost notable changes to the BlackBerry vi OS is that the new home screen, that includes a fully new look. At the top, you will see a notification bar that alerts you to new messages, calls, and events. you just faucet on the bar to expand this read, where you’ll be able to see additional details, together with the sender and subject line of latest e-mails.

Browsing the online

The new BlackBerry vi OS comes with an all-new WebKit-based browser, that is meant to supply faster and “more robust” performance. I tested the new browser side-by-side with an older version of BlackBerry’s browser on a Curve 8530 smartphone, and therefore the new browser was noticeably faster. Pages rendered rather more quickly, and displayed additional accurately.

Messaging

The Torch retains the wonderful messaging options and e-mail handing found on previous BlackBerry phones. company users can just like the acquainted ability to sync with BlackBerry Enterprise Server, whereas home users can just like the ability to sync up to 10 business or personal POP3 or IMAP4 e-mail accounts using BlackBerry web Service. You get each a unified inbox, further as individual inboxes for every account. I found the Torch’s three.2-inch screen provided rather more land for reading messages and scrolling through my inbox than did the two.4-inch screen on the BlackBerry Curve 8530.

Camera

The BlackBerry Torch options a 5-megapixel camera with some advanced options, together with a flash, auto-focus, zoom, scene modes, and image stabilization. It conjointly includes a geo-location feature than will place the name of the town where your photo was taken into its file name. In my tests, image quality was smart, though some snapshots looked alittle dim. The camera conjointly captures video clips at resolutions up to 640 by 480 pixels.

Multimedia

According to RIM, BlackBerry vi OS offers an enhanced multimedia expertise, and its options are pretty smart. They embrace AT&T’s new net Video Search, an app that enables you to look for video content from over seventy websites, further as an obsessive YouTube app, a replacement Podcasts app, and access to a range of third-party apps, like Slacker Radio and Prime Time two Go, that allows you to download TV shows to your phone. whereas the multimedia offerings are spectacular, they are held back alittle by the Torch’s screen; if the show offered the next resolution, several of the video apps would profit.

Bottom Line

The BlackBerry Torch is an attention-grabbing smartphone, and it’s one that clearly proves a BlackBerry may be over simply a staid business-friendly phone. If you are loyal to BlackBerry phones and are searching for an upgraded device, the Torch is well value some time. If solely it had a rather larger and higher show, the Torch would be able to rival additional of today’s best smartphones.