Introducing the new Blackberry Torch – Review

The BlackBerry was an innovation that many business people welcomed way back in 1999 and hailed as the personal assistant their company just could not afford.  It brought an unprecedented amount of order to an otherwise outlandish market who ‘oooh-ed’ and ‘aaah-ed’ at its ability to sync with their address books, streamline and organise their calendar but double as a phone, a memo pad and a multimedia player.

Behind the BlackBerry is Canadian company, Research In Motion (RIM) – a company which takes pride in innovation and providing solutions that facilitates access to time-sensitive information through email, phone, text messages, the internet and applications. While the company offers a range of products to meet these needs, the BlackBerry is by the far the most popular amongst consumers. Joining the longstanding and world-famous BlackBerry family is the BlackBerry Torch. Combining all the features of the last BlackBerry with a few added improvements, the BlackBerry packs a punch in terms of design and performance.

Right from when you turn on the BlackBerry Torch for the very first time you can expect to be blown away. Like its BlackBerry predecessors, the BlackBerry Torch facilitates application multitasking with its flawless processing abilities. You will truly appreciate the BlackBerry Torch’s ability to switch between different applications with very little time lag. But the most noticeable difference is the look of the phone.  The smooth sliding action of the keyboard and the grip of a rubber backing gives the phone an improved look and feel. One that is complemented with colourful shortcuts and stylish drop-down menus – a significant improvement when you think back to the boring text-only menus synonymous with other versions.

In terms of performance, you won’t be able to go far past the quality of the 5-megapixel camera. Strangely this isn’t a feature that hasn’t been highly spruiked by RIM and we wonder why. With an average of about 200ms between the shutter firing and the processing the camera is not only extremely fast, the photos taken are consistently sharp.

And the age old question… how is the battery life? Unfortunately the BlackBerry Torch does not sport the same battery life of the first versions of the BlackBerry. But then there are reasons why we moved on from them and given all the added features and improvements and the battery life of competitors, the battery life of the Torch isn’t bad. Even the most business savvy professionals who have a bustling email account and average one to two hours talk-time a day should make it through the day without having to charge the Torch, making it a great business mobile.

Online services have also undergone major improvements with the introduction of the new BlackBerry WebKit browser. It’s no secret that some users have been disappointed with the BlackBerry browser in the past, but RIM have definitely come to the party on this one. With an improved in-page navigation, smooth page scrolling and multi-touch zooming capabilities, the Torch has truly heightened the BlackBerry experience.

So overall, what do we think? The BlackBerry Torch is the same as its RIM relatives, but it’s also pleasantly different. With so much to offer the next generation of BlackBerry users, the Torch is sure to impress. As one of the best business mobile phones on the market (arguably), we are certain that it will lure a devout following of professionals looking for something a little more savvy in a business mobile than the bright lights of the iPhone or Android.