Price: $450 direct
The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 with BlackBerry 6 keeps RIM in the smartphone game. It’s the first truly usable touch screen BlackBerry, and it’s packed with new features: a new Web browser, apps, interface, and social networking hooks. Messaging is still clearly at this phone’s core, though, leaving the Torch a strong bet for those who type and chat all day, and still behind the leaders for those who prefer to play games, surf the Web, or watch videos.
The 4.4-by-2.4-by 0.6-inch (HWD), 5.7-ounce Torch is black and silver, with a soft-touch back and a comforting heft. The screen slides up to reveal a BlackBerry Bold–like keyboard, which I found to be flat-feeling but still very useable. And the 3.2-inch, 360-by-480 capacitive touch screen is very responsive. The device has 4GB of on-board storage and comes with an additional 4GB MicroSD card. The new BlackBerry 6 OS offers a great balance of keyboard, track pad, and touch-screen input. You can do almost everything two or three ways, which makes this the best AT&T phone for people who are more comfortable typing on a hard keyboard than on a touch screen.
On our tests, I found that the Torch is a good voice phone but lacks noise cancellation and also has a slight buzz in the sidetone. The new browser is 25 percent faster at rendering pages than the browser on the BlackBerry Bold 9650—but it is still slower than the iPhone 4’s. So in a nutshell, the Torch keeps the flame alive, but it’s not a barn-burner. But if you’re looking for a messaging-focused smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard, this is AT&T’s top choice.—Sascha Segan.
Pros Looks and feels good. Lots of new features. Integrates social-networking well.
Cons Browser still slower than iPhone 4’s. Fewer games and apps than iOS or Android. Poor Microsoft Exchange integration for consumers.
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