Blackberry Torch 9800 Review

A whole bunch of BlackBerry newness is making its debut on the Torch 9800, which for the moment really sets it apart from other BlackBerry devices on the market. It's the first and only slider BlackBerry. It's the first BlackBerry to feature a 'proper' touchscreen (no SurePress clicking on the screen required). It's the first BlackBerry to get the bump up to a 5 megapixel camera. It's also the first BlackBerry device model to have BlackBerry 6, which ushers in a bunch of new features, including the new WebKit rendering engine.

Background
Why would AT&T want a BlackBerry slider?

In the world of smartphones, it is easy to think that the manufacturers make all of the decisions in developing a new device, and once built they start working with the carriers to bring it to market. In many cases that's true, but in other situations the carrier will tell the manufacturer what they want and work together on turning that idea into reality. Such was the case with AT&T and the BlackBerry Torch 9800.
AT&T told me that they conducted massive amounts of market research and identified a large group of people who simply need to have a physical keyboard.

When I was told this the first thought that popped into my head was Why?. After all, AT&T is the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in the United States, which appeals to a large user base and obviously sells well. Wouldn't AT&T's release of a 'SliderBerry' be targeting the same people the iPhone is already appealing to? So why would AT&T want to work with RIM to build the Torch 9800? AT&T told me that they conducted massive amounts of market research and identified a large group of people who simply need to have a physical keyboard. Furthermore, for these users, the killer app on their phone is people - they are are the CrackBerry addicts who are constantly on their device, communicating, socializing and sharing.

Thus, the ask from AT&T to RIM was to find a way to marry their best-in-industry keyboard to a larger touchscreen display. Block models determined the vertical slider to be the form factor to go with due to its efficiency, a decision I'm told was made in 2008, prior to Palm unveiling the Pre at CES 2009 (just in case you were thinking they borrowed the design from them!). Marrying this form factor to the next generation messaging, media, web browser and overall more modern user experience offered by BlackBerry 6, and AT&T is confident they will have a winner on their hands with the BlackBerry Torch 9800 (view AT&T Press Announcement).


What's in a name: why Codename 'talledaga?' Why 'Torch?'

Regular readers of CrackBerry.com will know that the BlackBerry Torch 9800 has gone through quite a name game these past few months. The pre-release codename for the device was 'talledaga' or Mr. T for short. No, RIM didn't go with this codename because they liked Will Ferrell or the A-Team. This device was built for AT&T. Who's the president of AT&T Mobility? Mr. Ralph de la Vega. It wouldn't be much of a codename if they called it de la Vega so they rhymed it with the closest cool-sounding word they could think of, talledaga. Yup, it's Ralph's phone. Pretty clever way to pay homage don't you think?

While talledaga was a cool codename, the actual product name game of this device has been a big question mark for months now. When the slider photos first emerged, another website first labeled them as the Storm3. We quickly followed up saying it's definitely not a Storm3 but maybe could be part of the Bold family given the design of the keyboard. More recently we broke the news to the world that a new name was being considered for the slider, and that name was Torch. Lo and behold we were right on that one and RIM has introduced the Torch brand for their slider devices to join the ranks of the Pearl, Curve, Storm and Bold (Tour family now consolidated into Bold). You know what that means right? Let the Torch2 rumors begin!!

The story behind the Torch name is pretty simple. The word 'Torch' entered everyday BlackBerry vocabulary back in August last year when Research in Motion acquired Torch Mobile, a company that developed the WebKit-based Iris browser. As part of RIM's global organization, Torch was tasked with getting WebKit rendering into the BlackBerry platform. Names are often tossed around RIM HQ, and at some point the word torch went up the chain as being potentially suitable for a product name. The brand teams and upper level guys liked the connotations of torch as a product name and the rest is history!


Which carriers are getting the BlackBerry Torch 9800?

While the story above really shows that this phone was built for AT&T and will launch exclusively with AT&T in the United States, we will also see the device roll out internationally on other GSM carriers. Shortly following AT&T's press release regarding the Torch, we saw Rogers, Telus, Bell and Virgin all confirm they will soon have the Torch available, so it's only a matter of time before a Torch is available on a carrier near you. And if waiting isn't your style, there is always the option to purchase it outright from AT&T and unlock the device to run on your carrier. As for other US carriers getting the Torch 9800, that isn't looking likely right now. However, the Torch is a brand family name, so I'd think at some point in the future we will see Torch family devices hit the other carriers in the USA - just not the 9800 specifically. Though you never know - AT&T is still the only carrier in the USA to have the iPhone, so maybe they've locked down the Torch for the long haul as well - at this point we're not certain.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Key Features and Tech Specs

Size (LxWxD) Closed: 4.4" x 2.4" x 0.57" / 111mm x 62mm x 14.6mm
Open: 5.8" x 2.4" x 0.57" / 148mm x 62mm x 14.6mm
Weight 161.59 g / 5.7 oz (includes battery)
Operating System BlackBerry 6
CPU Speed 624 MHz
Memory
- 512 MB internal flash memory
- 4GB built-in storage memory
Expandable Memory
- 4GB microSD card included
- Supports up to 32GB microSD card
Battery 1270 mAhr removable/rechargeable cryptographic lithium cell
Display High resolution touch screen
Half-VGA+ display (360 x 480 at 188ppi)
3.2" (diagonally measured)
Camera 5.0 MP camera, flash, auto focus, face detection, image stabilization, scene modes, 2X zoom, video recording
Video Camera Normal Mode: 640 x 480 pixels
MMS Mode: 176 x 144 pixels
GPS Integrated GPS with A-GPS (assisted GPS) ready
WiFi Wi-Fi Band: 802.11b/g/n, support for UMA (carrier-dependent)
Bluetooth Bluetooth v2.1; Mono/Stereo Headset, Hands-free, Serial Port Profile, Bluetooth Stereo Audio (A2DP/AVCRP) and Bluetooth SIM Access Profile supported
Headset 3.5mm stereo headset capable
Network SKU1 UMTS: 2100/1900/850/800 MHz (Bands 1,2,5/6)
SKU2 UMTS: 2100/1900/900 MHz (Bands 1,2,8)
GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS networks