AT&T and Research In Motion took the stage in New York City to
introduce the 9800 Torch, a slider smartphone that has a touch
screen and a QWERTY keyboard. The device is the first to run
BlackBerry 6, and goes on sale August 12 for USD 199. This first
impressions article focuses on the hardware. I'll follow up with a
piece on the BlackBerry 6 operating system.
The device is slick. It is about the same size as a 9650 Bold,
though perhaps a little thicker. RIM has always done a good job
designing and manufacturing hardware, and the 9800 Torch looks to
be no different. It feels solid in the hand and well built, with
good materials.
It has a 3.2-inch capacitive touch display that was responsive,
though I found the 480 x 360 resolution to be a bit disappointing.
RIM's competition is firing off HD displays with 800 x 480 pixels
left and right. RIM needs to step up the display tech. There are
four physical keys underneath the display (Send, BlackBerry, Back,
End), and an optical trackpad for on-screen navigation.
There are but two buttons on the right side of the device, one for
the camera and a second for the volume controls. They both work
well. There are also the two now-familiar silence and lock keys
built into the top edge of the 9800. They work fine.
The slider mechanism is very solid, though getting it open with
your thumb is a bit difficult. There isn't a good "ledge" for your
thumb to catch hold of to help provide leverage. Once open, you
have access to the full QWERTY keyboard.
About that keyboard... It is excellent. I'd rate it one of the
better keyboards from RIM in recent memory. The additional real
estate provided by the slider form factor gave RIM a little extra
breathing room. It put that extra space to good use when designing
the keyboard.
I am generally not a fan of vertical slider phones. RIM has done as
good a job as it can with the 9800. The hardware is top-notch.
Nothing about it felt cheap or under-designed. Those who like the
idea of a touch screen but still need that physical keyboard should
be happy enough. It's a little heavier and bulkier than previous
BlackBerry hardware, but that extra size has been put to good
use.