A few thoughts on the BlackBerry Torch 9800

by Volker Weber

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Photo: vowe

I have used a BlackBerry Torch, actually two of them, for a week now and I feel confident enough to tell you a bit more about it. A few random thoughts:

It's heavy. At 162 g it is considerably heavier than a Bold 9700 which only weighs 122 g. Since it is not much larger though, it "feels" more expensive. I have a theory that heavier items seem to be more solid than lighter things of the same volume. The slider mechanism is built like a tank.

Does it have a touch screen? Since the Torch has the same controls as a Bold, you can use it exactly the same way. Muscle memory wins. You just slide it open, and then everything is in the right place. It takes a while to realize you can actually touch things instead of moving the cursor with the trackpad. I have not used the virtual onscreen keyboard once.

BlackBerry OS 6 is a winner. While I don't like the different icon trays for All, Favorites, Media, Download, or Frequent, I love everything else. The browser is so much better, the icons look nicer, the popup menu is better since it gives you more visual and spatial queues. The apps have gotten a lot better and the integration between them is great. Example: a contact will list the recent activities with that person.

Social Feeds is shallow. If you want to dive into an item you are immediately thrown into the real app. I have put it aside and prefer the original apps that Social Feeds taps into.

The screen is way better than it looks on paper. Way better than the Bold. Easy to read in direct sunlight, much larger. There is no way I can go back to the Bold without feeling relegated. Once you have used the Torch, the Bold feels rather cheap.

Battery life is sucky. The Torch battery is smaller than the Bold's. And it has a larger screen to drive. Before my software upgrade I could easily drive the Torch into the ground within a few hours. On a bicycle trip from San Francisco to Sausalito I had both an iPhone 4 and the Torch in my pockets. The Torch was dead in Sausalito when the iPhone still had a 82% charge. I have now applied a newer software build that has not yet shown this behavior. This needs further investigation.

The Torch is the best BlackBerry yet. And still I don't think that is is as desirable as an iPhone 4. The Apple product is smooth, it has great features like the "retina" display, an excellent camera, a video call feature that works great. And it's the default choice for app developers. The BlackBerry is solid, has great enterprise support and provides some great application integration. Two years ago it would have been a killer.

Comments

I had my hands on the Torch at an AT&T store during VMWorld. Felt very solid and the slider mechanism looks really good. The weight is not an issue for me : I am carrying a Moto Milestone from time to time. ;-)

Unfortunately AT&T was not interested to get 500 USD as they sell only to existing customers. I guess the battery issue is the reason why so many providers delayed the launch in Canada and Europe.

Off-Topic: I hope you enjoyed the bike trip to Sausalito as much as I did. It seems you had at least the same beautiful weather.

Oliver Barner, 2010-10-04

Volker, what do you think about the new WebKit-based browser of BBOS 6? Is it snappy enough? What about the usability of it?

@Oliver They only sell to existing customers? WTF? That means I have to source mine on ePay or directly through RIM when I'm stateside next week. Thanks for the hint.

Ralf-Philipp Weinmann, 2010-10-04

I haven't used the browser much. When I did, I had no complaints. It's a huge improvement over BBOS 5.

Volker Weber, 2010-10-04

Sorry again for the broken link. Don't see anything regarding that bug in the MT bug tracker. What version is running here?

Ralf-Philipp Weinmann, 2010-10-04

You don't want to know. :-)

Volker Weber, 2010-10-04

The BlackBerry is solid, has great enterprise support and provides some great application integration...and has a physical keyboard.

Sven Richert, 2010-10-04

@Ralf-Phillipp :

Yes, you can try at Best Buy or WalMart but the price was 550 USD and the EUR/USD was not as good as today one month ago.

Oliver Barner, 2010-10-04

Musste als naturwissenschaftlich Halbgebildeter etwas grinsen bei dem Satz "I have a theory that heavier items seem to be more solid than lighter things of the same volume."
[KLUGSCHEI**EN ON] Die Theorie nennt sich Dichte ... [KLUGSCHEI**SEN OFF].
Ja, ich weiß, wie es gemeint war, konnte mir den Kommentar nur nicht verkneifen ;-)

Christian Henseler, 2010-10-04

Volker, can you make any comments on the solidity of the touchscreen? My BB Bold dropped a lot of times on the floor (even on asphalt) without (luckily) having ANYTHING broken. Do you think (or know) if the Torch is as solid as the Bold? Or when I have it in my back pocket and sit on it - will the Touchscreen be stable enough to handle almost 100 kg...?

Matthias Michl, 2010-12-28

The Bold has a plastic screen, the Torch has a glass screen and a slider mechanism. Extrapolate from there. I am not going to sit on it or drop it on the floor for you.

Volker Weber, 2010-12-28

thanks for this quick answer. I did not expect you dropping a device for me ;-) ;-) So the echo is... "handle with care" :-)

Matthias Michl, 2010-12-28

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