RIM officially announces BlackBerry Torch, its first "slider" smartphone
This morning, at a media event in the Big Apple, Research in Motion (RIM) and AT&T officially announced the Canadian company's latest smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch. The Torch is RIM's first "slider" smartphone, incorporating a physical keyboard, optical trackpad, and a full touchscreen. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS connectivity are built in, as is a 5.0 megapixel camera and 512 megabytes of internal flash memory (plus four gigabytes of built-in storage memory).
The device also sports BlackBerry OS 6, the latest version of the software that runs RIM's phones. BlackBerry users have been waiting a long, long time for OS 6, which includes an overhaul of some of the phone's most important applications.
Like the browser.
The new browser is built on the same foundation that Apple's Safari and Chromium are built on... WebKit, which itself is derived from KHTML, part of the free and open source KDE project. Like the iPhone's mobile Safari, the new BlackBerry Browser renders the Web like a desktop browser would, instead of displaying it in tortured form. The new browser supports tabs and finger gestures, like pinch-to-zoom.
For now, the new phone will only be available from AT&T, starting August 12th. Verizon is expected to get the Torch late this year or early next year, according to enthusiasts who have spoken to Verizon representatives.
The various "industry analysts" quoted in the articles I've read so far about the Torch don't seem impressed. The conventional wisdom is that Research in Motion is "just playing catch-up" with the Torch, so there's not much to be excited about.
As a BlackBerry enthusiast, I couldn't disagree more. The Torch is revolutionary. It marries the BlackBerry's traditional strengths with the features that have made the iPhone so desirable. That makes it a killer phone.
Notice I didn't say iPhone killer ... the Torch won't dent the popularity of the iPhone. But it does have the potential to ensure Research in Motion remains the leader in smartphones. Despite gains by Apple and Google, RIM still has the biggest share of the U.S. smartphone market. Over a third of smartphones currently in use in this country are BlackBerrys. And there's a reason for that.
People didn't stop buying RIM's phones when the iPhone or Droid series came out. The iPhone was already available when I went to buy my first smartphone. I deliberately picked a BlackBerry because I concluded from my research that BlackBerrys are legendary for their messaging capabilities, and I wanted a workhorse, not a toy. I have never regretted that decision, but I have always wished that RIM would bring its browser up to par.
And with OS 6, that's what they've done.
OS 6 won't be available as an upgrade for most of RIM's existing BlackBerry models, but that's okay. There are many folks out there with aging BlackBerrys who will find the Torch's arrival to be well-timed.
I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on the Torch. It's got so much packed inside that owning one will be like having a tiny laptop in my pocket.
In conjunction with today's announcement, Research in Motion has released a Java SDK for application developers, so they can get to work making OS 6-compatible apps that run on the Torch. (Future models in the Tour, Bold, Curve, and Storm lines will also ship with OS 6 software inside).
They've also made a simulator for the new phone available, so developers and enthusiasts can play with the new interface on a desktop computer.
The device also sports BlackBerry OS 6, the latest version of the software that runs RIM's phones. BlackBerry users have been waiting a long, long time for OS 6, which includes an overhaul of some of the phone's most important applications.
Like the browser.
The new browser is built on the same foundation that Apple's Safari and Chromium are built on... WebKit, which itself is derived from KHTML, part of the free and open source KDE project. Like the iPhone's mobile Safari, the new BlackBerry Browser renders the Web like a desktop browser would, instead of displaying it in tortured form. The new browser supports tabs and finger gestures, like pinch-to-zoom.
For now, the new phone will only be available from AT&T, starting August 12th. Verizon is expected to get the Torch late this year or early next year, according to enthusiasts who have spoken to Verizon representatives.
The various "industry analysts" quoted in the articles I've read so far about the Torch don't seem impressed. The conventional wisdom is that Research in Motion is "just playing catch-up" with the Torch, so there's not much to be excited about.
As a BlackBerry enthusiast, I couldn't disagree more. The Torch is revolutionary. It marries the BlackBerry's traditional strengths with the features that have made the iPhone so desirable. That makes it a killer phone.
Notice I didn't say iPhone killer ... the Torch won't dent the popularity of the iPhone. But it does have the potential to ensure Research in Motion remains the leader in smartphones. Despite gains by Apple and Google, RIM still has the biggest share of the U.S. smartphone market. Over a third of smartphones currently in use in this country are BlackBerrys. And there's a reason for that.
People didn't stop buying RIM's phones when the iPhone or Droid series came out. The iPhone was already available when I went to buy my first smartphone. I deliberately picked a BlackBerry because I concluded from my research that BlackBerrys are legendary for their messaging capabilities, and I wanted a workhorse, not a toy. I have never regretted that decision, but I have always wished that RIM would bring its browser up to par.
And with OS 6, that's what they've done.
OS 6 won't be available as an upgrade for most of RIM's existing BlackBerry models, but that's okay. There are many folks out there with aging BlackBerrys who will find the Torch's arrival to be well-timed.
I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on the Torch. It's got so much packed inside that owning one will be like having a tiny laptop in my pocket.
In conjunction with today's announcement, Research in Motion has released a Java SDK for application developers, so they can get to work making OS 6-compatible apps that run on the Torch. (Future models in the Tour, Bold, Curve, and Storm lines will also ship with OS 6 software inside).
They've also made a simulator for the new phone available, so developers and enthusiasts can play with the new interface on a desktop computer.
# Posted by Andrew : 12:47 PM
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