Welcome to the end of 2010, and RIM has finally attempted to bridge the gap between the ‘Type-and-Click’ old world and the ‘Touch-and-Swipe’ new world. The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is the first slider in the brand’s history, combining a 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen with a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. In the UK, it is the ‘great compromise’ handset, aimed at the BlackBerry faithful who are eyeing the iPhone with envy but can’t bear to give up their physical keys. At 161g, it’s a heavy, substantial device that feels like a piece of high-end office equipment.
Technically, the Torch 9800 is the debut for BlackBerry 6 OS. This is a massive technical shift for the brand, introducing a WebKit-based browser that finally makes surfing the web on a BlackBerry a pleasant experience rather than a chore. It features ‘Universal Search,’ allowing you to just start typing a name or a term from the home screen to find it across your emails, apps, and the web. The screen is a 3.2-inch LCD with a 360 x 480 resolution; while it lacks the ‘pop’ of an AMOLED, it is remarkably clear and responds well to finger gestures.
On the imaging front, the Torch features a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash, the best camera ever put on a BlackBerry at that point. It records VGA video and includes built-in GPS for geotagging your snaps. Under the hood, it’s powered by a 624 MHz processor with 512MB of RAM. While these specs seem a bit modest compared to the 1GHz Android giants, the BlackBerry OS is incredibly efficient, making the interface feel snappy and responsive. It includes 4GB of internal storage and a microSD slot for expansion up to 32GB.
The keyboard is classic Curve-style: well-spaced, tactile, and perfect for the ‘BBM’ generation. But the real technical win is the ‘Social Feed’ app, which aggregates all your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn updates into one stream. Connectivity is solid with 3G/HSDPA, Wi-Fi b/g/n, and Bluetooth 2.1. The 1300 mAh battery is a decent performer, though the large screen and the sliding mechanism mean it won’t quite match the marathon endurance of the older Curve models. The Torch 9800 is the ultimate ‘transitional’ phone; it proved that you could have a modern touch experience without sacrificing the heritage that made BlackBerry a global icon. It is a versatile, professional, and deeply satisfying tool for the modern communicator.