The BlackBerry Torch 9800 has people all over the place buzzing. There’s an interesting mix of emotions when it comes to BlackBerry Torch reviews, but sadly, most are rather negative. But I, for instance, beg to differ from every single negative 9800 review stating that RIM’s (Research In Motion) expectations were higher than should be. Their expectations (quoting Research In Motion CEO Jim Balsillie were that the Torch was/is supposed to be "a quantum leap over anything that’s out there") were met. In my opinion this is probably the best smartphone out there. The sales were pretty low compared to that of the iPhone 4, but were just about good enough for a smartphone. I hereby present you the good, the bad, and my final thoughts.
The Good
It’s got a slick design, strong enough not to slip from your hands. The OS 6 was definitely a lot more thought out than previous operating systems, and its interface runs smoother than any other BlackBerry I’ve tested. The touch screen is DEFINITELY better than the Storm’s, you don’t have to punch the screen for it to work. The keyboard’s buttons, although still small, are a tad bigger than the past BlackBerrys, and the touch screen keyboard is not too different than the iPhone 4′s. I have used both keyboards, and once you get used to the touch screen keyboard, it will work as a charm. The touch screen does make your life a lot easier, and the trackpad is a huge bonus. The sliding is pretty graceful, all you have to do is give it a soft push and then it will slide on its own until it reaches the end of its tracks. The battery life is fantastic, the speakerphone loud and clear, and the signal strength powerfully strong. The screen is just the right size, and you can accommodate the "tray" (icon drawer) to whichever height you need. You can put it all the way down if you want to look at your beautiful wallpaper, all the way up if you want to be more efficient in icon-clicking, or both! Put it down, click it once, and it will go up. Amazing! Just like universal search. You heard me, universal search. If you can’t find a document, an app, a tweet, a Facebook wall post, an email, whatever- just start typing what it is and your Torch will find it for you. If it doesn’t, it will give you the option to search for it on YouTube, App World, and several other places. The 5 megapixel photo camera, although not the best, is extremely good. It takes medium-high-res pictures, not huge but not too small either. Updating your social media accounts has never been easier; you can also upload a YouTube video right from your phone. The good ol’ BlackBerry browser got a WebKit revamp, and it was about time RIM made it as decent as it is at the moment. The new media player is exceptional; playing music, videos, or scrolling through pictures is as wonderful as can be.
The Bad
I’m starting with the simplest of the BlackBerry Torch 9800′s problems- the lock button on the top left corner of the phone. It’s wonderful for quick locking when in a hurry, but it’s so easy to trigger that you could accidentally butt dial someone without even noticing. (That’s where password lock comes in, though.) The Torch’s low-res 480×360 display is not too painful to look at, but if you have many products which present higher resolutions (like me) then it is an eerie sight oftentimes. You WILL notice it’s got a 624MHz processor rather quickly, since the phone slows down when loading webpages, moving from tray to tray, or something as simple as receiving a message. The pinch-zooming is quite an ugly experience, but it gets the job done. The video camera is terrible. I am really sorry, but it is. It’s pixelated, excruciatingly low-res, and the sound crosses the line of horrid.
Final Thoughts
In the end I have to say that the BlackBerry Torch 9800 does not (and for new users, will not) disappoint. For previous BlackBerry users this is the best BlackBerry yet, of course, and I know that a few more improvements will make iPhone users switch in a heartbeat. What RIM (Research In Motion) has to do now is be more thorough and take their time instead of jumping to it, like they did with the Torch. They have definitely improved their BlackBerry smartphones over the last year, and I can see a bright future ahead. Although quality issues are kept at a minimum, it would be nice to see RIM listen to (direct and indirect) complaints and use them to their advantage to create a revolutionary phone. It will happen, I can guarantee it.
