BlackBerry Torch 9800 coming to Canada
In NYC today, Research in Motion officially unveiled its first slider smartphone. While AT&T will carry it stateside, Canadians will get it this fall through Bell Mobility. Here’s the scoop.
In case you haven’t felt the groundswell of hype surrounding the BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone, Canada’s own Research in Motion (RIM) took the wraps off its first smartphone that has both a 3.2-inch touchscreen display and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (and touchpad) at the bottom of the unit.
More importantly, perhaps, is the fact the Torch will be RIM’s first smartphone to run its much-hyped BlackBerry 6 operating system, that promises iPhone-like features including a more graphical user-interface, a better web experience (now with tabbed browsing), universal search and an aggregation of social network profiles in one spot for easy updates.
You might’ve heard AT&T will carry the Torch 9800 beginning August 12, for $199.99 on a 2-year contract, but Canada will also get this smartphone by the “fall” through Bell Mobility. Sync asked for a price confirmation but was told the carrier isn’t able to disclose any details just yet.
Other specs of the 9800 include a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, 4GB of internal memory (and a 4GB microSD/SDHC card included in the box, as well) and integrated 3G (HSDPA), Wi-Fi N, GPS ad Stereo Bluetooth. Nothing overly unique, it seems, but lets hope they can improve in navigation, web browsing (something I’ve complained about for years) and media playback.
Oh, and there’s one more huge area of improvement required to compete with the iPhone: the Torch 9800 will also be the first smartphone with the new BlackBerry App World 2.0 pre-installed, a key weapon in its struggle to keep up with Apple’s App Store (with roughly 250,000 applications) and to a lesser extent, Google’s Android Market (now with more than 100,000 apps). By comparison, BlackBerry App World has approximately 7,000 downloadable applications, which are harder to find and more expensive to buy, generally speaking.
Despite the fact RIM last week registered the domain BlackPad.com, no word of a BlackBerry 6-powered tablet was announced today. No “iPad-killer” — yet.
Here’s a look at the BlackBerry 6 operating system in action:
Sync readers, what are your thoughts on the BlackBerry Torch 9800? Do you think they can (or should) compete with iPhone, Android, and others? Will they lose their core audience while trying to gain new ones?
sorry RIM I this isn’t exciting enough for me to switch back- I shall stay with my android.
wow…thank god i didn’t get the bold 9700 yesterday. Too bad us Canadians have to wait longer for our Canadian phone..jeeez
I have to completely agree as a K-W girl born and raised I have wanted RIM grow and its very sad that we don’t get this stuff first :(
not fair usa get every thing frit
That is because we have a much bigger population than you do. You guys are a lot like a big North Dakota.
Sorry
I sort of think of us as a California with two coasts, but pot-ay-to, pot-ah-to. ;-)
Just kidding. Will be making first trip to toronto on nov 15th. I am glad u have a sense of humor.
Can we upgrade our older blackberries with the new RIM operating system that is used in Torch?
i will always be a rim fan theer knons are more reliable and drop resistant than most esasianly the iphone my cousin has gone through 3 befose of small dropps
boy, i hope you didn’t type that on a RIM! :)
Learn how to spell/talk, how about that buddy
You didn’t even write much but that was a tough read!
Hi MH,
It depends on what BlackBerry you have.
Here’s more detail:
http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/08/03/rim.promises.bb.6.updates.to.older.phones/
Best,
Marc
If this is RIM’s answer to the iPhone then they have missed the mark by the widest of margins. RIM does not need to be another iThing. Rather modernize the OS and OS6 looks like a dog at this point, greatly improve memory handling, develop some applications that actually work and are not over priced. Allow full HTML download of e-mail without having to ask for “More All” and “Get Images”. Web pages that load before it is time for bed, who the hell wants a portrait keyboard. I want more screen real estate with a landscape full QWERTY slider. Play whatever downloaded movie or Youtube video I want to watch. I want a BB that does not need a battery pull every week so that the memory resets correctly.
The exciting promotion that was not, what was that a lecture from professor iSnore? Please someone show RIM how to promote with AMERICAN style overt kick-ass excitement. I AM a geek and would have slept through the press conference.
Two years into a three year contract and although I really like the secure e-mail, the fact that I can use my phone in many countries is nice. My expectations are much higher and RIM is not producing bone-crushing results.
RIM had better hire some exceptionally strong designers to help them at the very least meet the competition.
I bought a Storm for the screen size and leading edge technology that was promised. Once bitten twice shy. The Torch might just be an iCry.
As a Canadian I am disappointed that RIM is launching its new phone in USA and we will get later on this year. RIM – why are you torching Canadians?? It does not make sense. They could have launched at same time!
For this vary reason, I will buy iPhone 4 and not Torch.
Hey:
Even though RIM sells later in Canada, it is a minor irritant. Obviously the Canadian market is yankee controlled. This delay is intentional (caused by usa) so that people get sucked into buying the iphone/android. Don’t forget about the iphone antenna problem. Apple’s pathetic solution is to wrap it in a condom. Apple phones have serious security issues too.
Buy Canadian. Support Canadian products >>> RIM.
Disregard all smart phone reviews. They attempt to make it appear that RIM is somehow not as good as the others.
RIM TORCH IS PACKED WITH MORE ADVANCED GREAT FEATURES!
Even though I am a long time BB user RIM really blew it on the Torch. The reviews are right… there is nothing “more advanced” on this phone at all. It has the same slow processor from 3 years ago. The same low res screen as the Storm from 2 years ago. The only thing new is the slider… big deal. They should have really stepped it up but didn’t.
I agree with you. We should be supprting the Canadian marketplace. RIM is a Canadian company and needs our support to be competitive. I am waiting to upgrade my Blackberry to a Torch as soon as it becomes available.
Will SaskTel be getting this phone as well?
Stupid Rogers. They miss out again. What a bunch of morons. If I could cancel my contract with them I would. They are focusing on the iPhone clearly ignoring their customers with BlackBerries.
Rogers is getting the Torch.
Having examined the phone in an ATT store yesterday, I think it is a significant improvement over my current Tour. What I rarely see mentioned is the fact that Blackberrys synch accurately with Outlook whereas iPhones do not. For those of us running MSOffice on a laptop, travelling constantly and predominately concerned with email, Blackberry is the only choice and any improvement is welcome.
RIM continues their long history of repackaging the exact same phone in a newer, sexier package. Its been working alright for them… but as a die-hard BBMer, I’m getting big eyes for the competition. This vertical slider should have been their initial touchscreen entry, rather than the all-or-nothing Storm.
Step up the game…
Fast processor? High res screen? Modern OS? (should have bought WebOS, lol)
Right now they provide a service that is in demand (security for business + BBM for the average user) and you have to buy their very pricey product to get those services. Interesting business model… but their devices are lagging in capability… by a long shot
I have always been loyal to the blackberry, and I am proud to tell everyone about my Canadian phone. Now i dont feel that special….and as my the life of my Bold 9000 is coming to an end, I need a new phone.
Cmon RIM why release a Canadian Device in the US sooner than home? If it doesnt come out in time they might loose me as a customer….
Yep kinda tired of Canadians getting second seat to everything tech. Not just the hardware but the plans and so on.
RIM should be embarrassed. They take the best off their last couple phones and put it into a new one without making some important market appeal decisions in their designs.
It’s not fair to say there are no improvements. I’m gonna say the increase to 4GB internal memory is welcome and probably fine for most. And if not the additional 4 GB card should put you over the top.
The new OS is likely a large improvement in many ways.
A touch screen is going to greatly improve web browsing and the phone’s interface (Mentioning the Storm here as a joke. There shouldn’t really be any comparison :) as it was a complete flop)
Keeping the real keyboard, which I personally love on my Bold for texting. I’ve had zero success with touch screen keyboards (though I hear Google’s Nexus touch keyboard is pretty sweet!)
The full size screen is going to be a big improvement as well. I don’t need glasses yet but browsing with my current screen makes me feel like I do.
I’ve gotta assume RIM’s R&D department either has no budget or is purely getting their thoughts from old news. One feature I’m unsure is on this phone is the landscape screen when you flip the phone over. If it’s not then WTF? I’m liking the idea of flipping my phone over and maybe getting fewer lines in exchange for larger font when reading news/books and such.
This whole thing reminds me of the PC wars in the 80s when Commodore had the Amiga and IBM well…was IBM. For a long time IBM was all business and Amiga kicked it’s arse in the gaming world. Eventually the 486 brought in real hardware and some cool chopper games along and now well…we have pretty cool all purpose PCs with awesome capabilities.
RIM has the business market in it’s pocket. It’s what government is buying their employees when they need a phone for work and it just “does it all” in that department. But it’s one sided. If RIM ever starts thinking high school, without losing their email/phone quality advantages then they’ll own it all.
My wife is shopping for a new phone and although I’m biased because my Bold, I’ve actually been pushing her to get her hands on Google’s machine or Palm’s Pre Plus. But I think Canadians are getting the unavailability shaft there too.
out.
wow made by canadians…and we still cant get the dam thing in advance…this country sucks!
Depends…. Canadian companies selling to Americans is good good, good thing! ;-)
Hey Apple, we you listening……oh I forgot, you probably dropped the call!!!!!
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Bell? Really? Could they have picked a sh*ttier provider to debute their first hybrid phone?
I, for one, am really looking forward to RIM releasing their Torch. I was thinking between an iPhone and Bold, but now that the Torch is almost ready for our market, I will wait. Or will I?