Taking a page from Apple’s playbook, Research In Motion held a media event to promote their new Blackberry Torch 9800 Smartphone, which will run on AT&T’s network. The phone features:
- Multi-touch screen (480×360)
- Slide-out keyboard
- 5 megapixel camera
- 8GB internal memory
- 4GB Flash
- 4GB MicroSD
- Optical trackpad
The Torch will be coming to you via AT&T, Best Buy, Walmart, and RadioShack on August 12th. You can grab one for $199.99 with a two-year agreement. If this all sounds familiar, it should. We just went through the same type of scenario with both the iPhone 4 and the HTC Evo.
According to the recent Nielsen numbers, Blackberry sales have dropped from 39 percent in the fourth quarter to 33 percent in the second quarter. Last year, RIM’s share in the United States was 45 percent. They seem to be making the very changes necessary to keep themselves relevant as many Blackberry customers are feeling left out of the smartphone race. More than half of existing Blackberry users want an iPhone, Android, or other device as their next choice.
The Blackberry Torch takes its name from a company Blackberry acquired last year. Torch Mobile brings technology from their Iris mobile web browser, which lays the foundation for Blackberry OS 6 and brings the Blackberry interface and user experience up to par with its competitors.
BlackBerry 6 features a redesigned interface that seamlessly works with the touch screen and trackpad, includes expanded messaging capabilities with intuitive features to simplify the management of social networking and RSS feeds (Social Feeds), and provides integrated access to the BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™), Facebook®, Twitter™, MySpace™ and various instant messaging applications available on the BlackBerry Torch smartphone. Its enhanced multimedia experience rivals the best in the industry and includes a dedicated YouTube app and Podcasts app.
This news comes just days after Blackberry’s conflict with the United Arab Emirates regarding security concerns. Because RIM stores customer data outside of the UAE, they have concerns about being able to monitor personal information. They say this is to protect national security and to allow local authorities to monitor for illegal activity or abuse. Blackberry’s will be banned in the UAE for citizens and visitors beginning Oct 11th. You will still be able to make calls, though.
via AppleInsider