The Blackberry Torch is the recently released new smartphone from Research in Motion, who are trying to branch out from their traditional corporate appeal to the ‘regular consumer’, bringing them into competition with the iPhone. Have their attempts been successful? The Blackberry Torch comes with a touchscreen as well as the normal trackerpad, which increased user options. The iconography is also better than before, improving the look and feel of the phone. Arranging your most used apps so they’re easily accessible is another good feature.
In terms of the hardware, the Torch slides open but other than that looks fairly similar to other Blackberry’s so the design is familiar. It’s an attractive phone and has a full keyboard, which is useful, but it’s definitely clunkier than the streamlined iPhone. The touch screen measures 3.2inches but you’ll still find the traditional Blackberry operating features below this, which is useful depending which you prefer to use. The QWERTY keyboard is as easy to use as it normally is on a Blackberry.
The call quality on the Torch is excellent, as it generally is on Blackberry devices and sound is very clear. The speakerphone quality is also relatively high, but it can sound a bit shrill if you have the volume up too high so that’s one to watch out for. The signal is also good, which is always a positive thing in a phone. Plus, the steps required to make a call are extremely fast and pain free, which are undoubtedly what you look for when making phone calls.
In terms of the camera, the Torch comes with an LED flash and 5 megapixel camera. The photography process has undoubtedly been upgraded to make it more seamless than it was on previous Blackberry devices, but there’s nothing particularly special about the lens. You can choose from a range of camera options but the default mode isn’t great for steady-looking photos. Overall, the phone is good at capturing images, particularly in single shot mode as opposed to the pre-set ‘continuous’, but colors look somewhat washed-out.
One of the main draws of any Blackberry is the mail and messaging facilities, so these were expected to be good on the Blackberry Torch. If you’re already a fan of the Blackberry, then the facilities are much improved, but if you’re not, you may not be convinced by the Torch. It’s easy to set up email on the Torch, which is great, but if you make changes on your account online, it takes ages for the phone to pick up on it. Overall, a good phone with some flaws.
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