BlackBerry Torch 9800
Encyclopedia
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is a 2010 model in the BlackBerry
line of smartphone
s. It combines a physical QWERTY
keyboard
with a sliding multi-touch
screen display and runs on BlackBerry OS
6. Introduced on August 3, 2010, the phone became available exclusively on AT&T on August 12, 2010.
The device looks similar to existing BlackBerry devices, but due to the sliding keyboard features a bigger 3.2 inch 480x360 screen (the same resolution as the BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Storm 2
) and these features allow the BlackBerry Torch 9800 to look unique. The software is seen by most to be an improvement over the previous version. The device also features far greater social network integration, a powerful universal search feature, and a WebKit
browser comparable to those found on iOS
and Android devices.
On August 12, 2011, the updated Torch 9810
was released on Bell Mobility
and Telus Mobility
. The updated version includes a faster processor, and more memory, as well as including the new BlackBerry OS
7.
CEO Mike Lazaridis
introduced BlackBerry 6, the latest operating system from RIM during his keynote address during WES
2010. A new touchscreen device was widely anticipated as the OS
6 update seemed to be touch/gesture based. Images of a BlackBerry device prototype with a touchscreen and slide-out QWERTY
keyboard started emerging in late spring and early summer of 2010. The device was tentatively named the "Bold 9800" or simply the "9800 Slider". The 9800 eventually was officially named the "Torch" by RIM
during its August announcement. It can be assumed that the device name was derived from Torch Mobile, the company that RIM purchased in 2009 in aid with their development of a Webkit
based browser.
and Droid X. One reviewer did not find enough difference over earlier BlackBerrys to recommend the device to new users. Key complaints were the 624 MHz processor included in the Torch, whereas the HTC Evo 4G and Motorola Droid X (among others of their class) featured a 1 GHz processor. The Torch's 3.2 inch screen with 480x360 screen resolution was also criticized as being smaller than iPhone 4's 3.5 inch screen with 960x640 resolution and the Motorola Droid X's 4.3 inch with 854 x 480. The Torch has a screen that is the same size as the Storm and Storm 2 with a resolution the same as the Bold 9700, Bold 9650 and Tour 9630. Some critics also noted the lack of HD video
recording and the lack of a front-facing camera.
CNET
's Bonnie Cha found improvements such as the better user interface, universal search and the much improved browser and multimedia experience. On the other hand, she also found that the smartphone can be sluggish, and could stand for some hardware upgrades, although her review was generally positive.
RIM has stated that the processor in the Torch is 'of a newer generation', when boot times of the Torch and the BlackBerry Bold 9700 (both running OS6) are compared the Torch boots up 1.8 times faster than the Bold with the "older processor".
UBM techinsite has confirmed the claims of Research in Motion, by performing a "tear down" and making a hardware analysis, discovering a PXA940 Processor. This processor is built on 45nm as opposed to the Processor found in the Blackberry Bold 1 and 2. The 45 nm process keeps heat production and power usage down, and the processor as previously stated in this article brings significant performance gains.
Anandtech
praised the screen of the phone as being: "one of the most readable outside that I’ve encountered in a while, with text and webpages being easy to make out even in intense daylight. Alongside the iPhone 4, the difference is pretty immediate, especially in how good white appears on the Torch compared to the iPhone4. Anandtech also noted that the contrast ratio was exceptionally good.
Crackberry's Kevin Michaluk gave the BlackBerry Torch an overwhelmingly positive review stating that the Torch is a "worthy device for any smartphone owner". Crackberry praised OS 6.0, the form factor, touchscreen, and the Webkit browser. However, Michaluk criticized the lack of HD video recording and lack of OpenGL
support for 3D graphics.
Wireless Operations president expressing some disappointment in the sales stating that he was "surprised there hasn't been a faster adoption" of the smart phone by the public. Estimates put sales at somewhere between 100,000 to 150,000 devices sold during the first week of release. However, sales reportedly improved in the months following the release and RIM
shipped a record amount of smart phones in the final quarter of 2010. The BlackBerry Torch placed 6th place on Wirefly
's annual top ten selling smart phones list for 2010, selling more than Motorola's Droid 2 and Samsung's Galaxy S Fascinate, but behind devices like the Evo 4G and Droid Incredible
.
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
line of smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s. It combines a physical QWERTY
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
keyboard
Keyboard (computing)
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
with a sliding multi-touch
Multi-touch
In computing, multi-touch refers to a touch sensing surface's ability to recognize the presence of two or more points of contact with the surface...
screen display and runs on BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system, developed by Research In Motion for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices...
6. Introduced on August 3, 2010, the phone became available exclusively on AT&T on August 12, 2010.
The device looks similar to existing BlackBerry devices, but due to the sliding keyboard features a bigger 3.2 inch 480x360 screen (the same resolution as the BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Storm 2
BlackBerry Storm 2
The BlackBerry Storm 2 is the second full touchscreen smartphone developed by Research In Motion .-Introduction:The BlackBerry Storm 2 is the first and only smartphone in the world to have a full clickable touchscreen powered by its piezoelectric sensors underneath the screen...
) and these features allow the BlackBerry Torch 9800 to look unique. The software is seen by most to be an improvement over the previous version. The device also features far greater social network integration, a powerful universal search feature, and a WebKit
WebKit
WebKit is a layout engine designed to allow web browsers to render web pages. WebKit powers Google Chrome and Apple Safari and by October 2011 held over 33% of the browser market share between them. It is also used as the basis for the experimental browser included with the Amazon Kindle ebook...
browser comparable to those found on iOS
and Android devices.
On August 12, 2011, the updated Torch 9810
BlackBerry Torch 9810
The Blackberry Torch 9810 was released by Research in Motion, as the successor to the original BlackBerry Torch 9800. While physically very similar to the 9800, it includes a number of significant hardware upgrades and support for RIM's updated Blackberry OS 7 operating system.-Processor and...
was released on Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility
Bell Mobility is a CDMA and HSPA+ based wireless network and the division of Bell Canada which sells wireless services in Canada...
and Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility
Telus Mobility is a division of Telus Communications which sells wireless services in Canada on its numerous networks. They currently have three different networks based on three different technologies: CDMA and HSPA+ on its mainstream networks, plus iDEN via its Mike division...
. The updated version includes a faster processor, and more memory, as well as including the new BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS
BlackBerry OS is a proprietary mobile operating system, developed by Research In Motion for its BlackBerry line of smartphone handheld devices...
7.
History
Speculation of the Torch began in April 2010 when RIMResearch In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
CEO Mike Lazaridis
Mike Lazaridis
Mihalis "Mike" Lazaridis , OC, O.Ont is a Greek Canadian businessman. He is the founder and co-CEO of Research In Motion , which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. He is also a former chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and an Officer of the Order of Canada...
introduced BlackBerry 6, the latest operating system from RIM during his keynote address during WES
Wes
Wes or WES may refer to:* Wes , a common diminutive for "Wesley"* Wesleyan, referring to John Wesley, the founder of Methodism; his theology; its adherents; the Wesleyan Church; or a number of colleges and universities...
2010. A new touchscreen device was widely anticipated as the OS
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
6 update seemed to be touch/gesture based. Images of a BlackBerry device prototype with a touchscreen and slide-out QWERTY
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
keyboard started emerging in late spring and early summer of 2010. The device was tentatively named the "Bold 9800" or simply the "9800 Slider". The 9800 eventually was officially named the "Torch" by RIM
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
during its August announcement. It can be assumed that the device name was derived from Torch Mobile, the company that RIM purchased in 2009 in aid with their development of a Webkit
WebKit
WebKit is a layout engine designed to allow web browsers to render web pages. WebKit powers Google Chrome and Apple Safari and by October 2011 held over 33% of the browser market share between them. It is also used as the basis for the experimental browser included with the Amazon Kindle ebook...
based browser.
Official specifications
- Size:
- 111mm x 62mm x 14.6mm (closed)
- 148mm x 62mm x 14.6mm (open)
- Weight: 5.68 ounces (161.1 grams)
- Processor: Marvell PXA940 running at 624 MHz
- Image System Processor (ISP): STmicroelectronics STV0987
- Display: 3.2 inch HVGA+(480x360) Synaptics controlled touch screen
- Camera: 5.0 MP camera (JPEG encoding) with flash, 2x digital zoom, image stabilization and auto-focus
- Video recorder: up to 480p resolution
- Battery: 1300 mAhr removable/rechargeable lithium-ion cell
- Battery life: 18 days (GSM) or 14 days (UMTS) standby; 5.5 hours (GSM) or 5.8 hours (UMTS) talk
- GPS using A-GPS with extended ephemeris and maps
- Input: trackpad, touch screen with on-screen keyboard (QWERTY and SureType), slide-out backlit QWERTY keyboard
- Video format support: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV3
- Audio format support: MP3, AMR-NB, AAC-LC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, WMV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis
- Ringtones: MIDI, MP3
- Connectivity: 3G; BluetoothBluetoothBluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
2.1 + EDR; 802.11 b/g/n Wi-FiWi-FiWi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
; 3.5mm stereo headset, Micro-USB - Networks:
- Tri-band 3G UMTS/HSDPA networks: 2100/1900/850/800 MHz
- Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Reception
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 was marketed as "the best BlackBerry ever". However, upon release of the device's technical details, critics, such as PC World's Ginny Mies, were not impressed with the specifications which lagged behind new-generation devices such as the iPhone 4IPhone 4
The iPhone 4 is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fourth generation iPhone, and successor to the iPhone 3GS. It is particularly marketed for video calling , consumption of media such as books and periodicals, movies, music, and games, and for general web and e-mail...
and Droid X. One reviewer did not find enough difference over earlier BlackBerrys to recommend the device to new users. Key complaints were the 624 MHz processor included in the Torch, whereas the HTC Evo 4G and Motorola Droid X (among others of their class) featured a 1 GHz processor. The Torch's 3.2 inch screen with 480x360 screen resolution was also criticized as being smaller than iPhone 4's 3.5 inch screen with 960x640 resolution and the Motorola Droid X's 4.3 inch with 854 x 480. The Torch has a screen that is the same size as the Storm and Storm 2 with a resolution the same as the Bold 9700, Bold 9650 and Tour 9630. Some critics also noted the lack of HD video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
recording and the lack of a front-facing camera.
CNET
CNET
CNET is a tech media website that publishes news articles, blogs, and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics. Originally founded in 1994 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, it was the flagship brand of CNET Networks and became a brand of CBS Interactive through CNET Networks' acquisition...
's Bonnie Cha found improvements such as the better user interface, universal search and the much improved browser and multimedia experience. On the other hand, she also found that the smartphone can be sluggish, and could stand for some hardware upgrades, although her review was generally positive.
RIM has stated that the processor in the Torch is 'of a newer generation', when boot times of the Torch and the BlackBerry Bold 9700 (both running OS6) are compared the Torch boots up 1.8 times faster than the Bold with the "older processor".
UBM techinsite has confirmed the claims of Research in Motion, by performing a "tear down" and making a hardware analysis, discovering a PXA940 Processor. This processor is built on 45nm as opposed to the Processor found in the Blackberry Bold 1 and 2. The 45 nm process keeps heat production and power usage down, and the processor as previously stated in this article brings significant performance gains.
Anandtech
AnandTech
AnandTech is an online computer hardware magazine. It was founded in 1997 by then 15-year-old Anand Lal Shimpi, who is the current editor-in-chief and CEO. The web site is recommended as a good resource of hardware reviews for off-the-shelf components addressed to computer building enthusiasts...
praised the screen of the phone as being: "one of the most readable outside that I’ve encountered in a while, with text and webpages being easy to make out even in intense daylight. Alongside the iPhone 4, the difference is pretty immediate, especially in how good white appears on the Torch compared to the iPhone4. Anandtech also noted that the contrast ratio was exceptionally good.
Crackberry's Kevin Michaluk gave the BlackBerry Torch an overwhelmingly positive review stating that the Torch is a "worthy device for any smartphone owner". Crackberry praised OS 6.0, the form factor, touchscreen, and the Webkit browser. However, Michaluk criticized the lack of HD video recording and lack of OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...
support for 3D graphics.
Sales
Initial sales of the BlackBerry Torch were slow to moderate, with AT&TAT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
Wireless Operations president expressing some disappointment in the sales stating that he was "surprised there hasn't been a faster adoption" of the smart phone by the public. Estimates put sales at somewhere between 100,000 to 150,000 devices sold during the first week of release. However, sales reportedly improved in the months following the release and RIM
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
shipped a record amount of smart phones in the final quarter of 2010. The BlackBerry Torch placed 6th place on Wirefly
Wirefly
Wirefly is an online retailer of wireless services and devices, operated by parent company SimplexitySimplexity assumed control of in November 2007, after 2006 purchasing the assets of InPhonic. Inphonc filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code....
's annual top ten selling smart phones list for 2010, selling more than Motorola's Droid 2 and Samsung's Galaxy S Fascinate, but behind devices like the Evo 4G and Droid Incredible
Droid Incredible
The HTC DROID Incredible is a smartphone manufactured by HTC Corporation using the Android operating system. The DROID Incredible was released on April 29, 2010, and is available through Verizon Wireless only. The device is similar to the Sprint HTC Evo 4G...
.