BlackBerry Torch in the house
by Volker Weber
Photo: vowe
In the mail today: a new BlackBerry 9800 Torch. Let me get one thing straight: on paper the Torch might look weak (screen, processor) but in reality it is pretty fantastic. I am still getting used to the fact that this thing has a touch screen, because you can completely ignore that feature. ;-) I am in a bit of a hurry because I have to write my review before I pass it on Monday morning. This device still has the US keyboard, but I expect to have a German model in two weeks.
Photo: vowe
Maybe the most amazing thing is that the Torch 9800 is hardly bigger than the Bold 9700. The slider is very solid and I can see myself opening and closing it the whole day. Open, close, open, close. Hah. Later. Gotta play.
PS: Yes, I am in "one new smartphone every two weeks" mode.
Comments
I was able to play a bit with it the other day in London. The slider mechanism seems to be made from a swiss watch manufacture - very solid. The software is a little bit odd, because you do not expect to touch and type, but I think that will change over usage time.
What always disappoints me on newer BlackBerry devices, the display looks very big before you switch the device on. There is always a too big black border around the display.
And by the way: Why do they have to print "BlackBerry" on the front of each device?
The slider is very solid. The browser is (finally) very good. The keyboard has a nice feel.
The screen is way too small. The device is too thick.
The Pre launched last year in almost exactly the same form factor and failed to succeed, mostly due to the small screen size. RIM failed to learn from this.
My two character review: It's OK. The problem is that RIM badly needs a three character one: "Wow", and this is not Wow. If they had launched this device last year it may have been a wow.
I love this device. The problem wit AT&T is, that only new or existing customers getting the Torch in the US. IMHO there is no chance to buy a device as German tourist. With Firmware 6.0.0.214 it's very stable now.
I played with it a bit in an AT&T store, waiting to order my iPhone4, and with one that a coworker bought.
It is pretty nice, but yeah, definitely not wow.
My coworkers device lost the WOW factor even quicker as the buttons above the keyboard fell out (not sure how, why....) so he is on his 2nd Torch...
