The BlackBerry is considered by many to be the grandfather of all smartphones. The device may have seen its heyday come and go, however. In recent months, the BlackBerry (and its parent company, Research In Motion) has been losing ground to Apple’s iPhone and smartphones that use the Android operating system.
Today, RIM unveiled its latest attempt to return the BlackBerry to its past glory. The new handset is called the BlackBerry Torch. It features a touchscreen (with “pinch-to-zoom” capability) as well as a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
Previous BlackBerry phones that used touchscreens (such as the Storm and Storm 2) were met with tepid responses. Consumers complained that the touchscreens on those BlackBerry phones were not as user-friendly as the iPhone. It remains to be seen whether the Torch will correct this issue.
The Torch features RIM’s brand-new Operating System 6. Included in the new OS is a revamped BlackBerry web browser. This update was sorely needed, as the old browser was very slow and annoying to use. The new web browser will be called the Torch Mobile browser.
The Torch also features a 5-megapixel camera with flash and autofocus.
The Torch will be exclusive to AT&T. It goes on sale on Aug. 12 and will cost $199 with a two-year contract.
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