People have been saying for awhile now that BlackBerry needed to upgrade their phones if they were going to stay competitive. With the Torch they have done just that. In truth they didn’t just upgrade it as completely overhauled it with a completely new operating system. While there is still room for improvement it does have to be said that the Torch can certainly compete with any other smart phone on the market.
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 looks like a BlackBerry. They have a design that they like to stick to and it works for them. The design is clearly intended for the office. The Torch fits easily into your pocket but it is quite a heavy phone.
The screen on the Torch alright but it is clearly not up to the same level as some of its competitors when it comes to color and resolution. The touch screen however is very easy to use although again is lags behind some of its competitors, mainly in terms of speed. You can scroll through it pretty quickly and apps launched fairly fast, it is mainly the zoom feature that isn’t up to speed.
There are onscreen keyboards on the torch but they are not all that easy to use. Fortunately the full QWERTY keyboard is very good. Although even here it isn’t really up to the same standards as other BlackBerry models. The problem is that it is the thinnest keyboard they make so the keys just don’t feel as good. That being said the keys are a good size, they are well placed and typing is fairly comfortable.
The navigation controls are located below the display and these have always been one of BlackBerry’s strengths. The Torch uses the same controls that anybody who has used a BlackBerry before would be familiar with. The trackpad makes it very easy to navigate.
The main thing on the torch that is different from other BlackBerry models is that it is the first to run the new operating system. It is a complete overhaul of the system so it will seem quite different from what you are probably used to. At the top of the screen there is a quick access area that contains all of the important information you would need. The navigation bar is at the bottom of the screen and it is quite easy to use. The whole thing is much easier to use and to find what you are looking for than the old one.
The BlackBerry Torch represents a pretty major upgrade for the company. That being said there is still room for improvement. The touch screen in particular could use an improvement. Nevertheless this phone does ensure that BlackBerry has kept up with its competitors and they can now offer a phone that is as good as anything else on the market.
