Expected release date for Version 2.0 is February, upgradable from the Playbook itself.

RIM makes another attempt and bringing an all-touch solution to their Blackberry Platform. Does the Sprint Torch 9850 light a flame back into Blackberry?  Well for starters the specs for the Torch 9850 bring this into the mid-range level for smartphones. It comes with a 3.7 inch display with a 800 x 480 resolution which really looks good. Its powered by a 1.2 GHz processor that single core which in today’s cell phone world is disappointing but since it’s still running Blackberry 7 OS it keeps the system running very fast for a Blackberry device. The phone is globally read with 3G World roaming capabilities keep the travelling business user connected however there isn’t any 4G option available. The 5 megapixel camera isn’t going to wow you but is good enough to send pictures to Facebook, Twitter and pictures messaging as long as it’s in good lighting. The video capture is in 720p and decent enough for an upload to YouTube or Facebook if you are in the proper environment to get the best shot.

Blackberry 7 OS has improved over the earlier versions of Blackberry and that is a good and bad thing since its improving on an aging platform that RIM needs to get out of which they plan to do with Blackberry 10 coming to newer devices. BB OS 7 brings a modern look to the Blackberry OS and the Liquid Graphics provides a fast and smooth experience with great graphics effects. Since there isn’t a physical keyboard on here you’ll need to rely on the virtual keyboard which is honestly weird to use on a Blackberry Devices. It’s a bit on the small side and isn’t as responsive as you would like when using it. Battery life is decent being able to get through a work day on a single charge. Call quality is also good with clean and clear audio on both sides of the call.

In a quick summary the Torch 9850 is good but its hard to recommend for anyone that isn’t already a Blackberry user and wants to stay with the Blackberry Platform. There are just too many other options that are better than what the Blackberry Torch 9850 has to offer.

RIM makes another attempt and bringing an all-touch solution to their Blackberry Platform. Does the Sprint Torch 9850 light a flame back into Blackberry?  Well for starters the specs for the Torch 9850 bring this into the mid-range level for smartphones. It comes with a 3.7 inch display with a 800 x 480 resolution which really looks good. Its powered by a 1.2 GHz processor that single core which in today’s cell phone world is disappointing but since it’s still running Blackberry 7 OS it keeps the system running very fast for a Blackberry device. The phone is globally read with 3G World roaming capabilities keep the travelling business user connected however there isn’t any 4G option available. The 5 megapixel camera isn’t going to wow you but is good enough to send pictures to Facebook, Twitter and pictures messaging as long as it’s in good lighting. The video capture is in 720p and decent enough for an upload to YouTube or Facebook if you are in the proper environment to get the best shot.

Blackberry 7 OS has improved over the earlier versions of Blackberry and that is a good and bad thing since its improving on an aging platform that RIM needs to get out of which they plan to do with Blackberry 10 coming to newer devices. BB OS 7 brings a modern look to the Blackberry OS and the Liquid Graphics provides a fast and smooth experience with great graphics effects. Since there isn’t a physical keyboard on here you’ll need to rely on the virtual keyboard which is honestly weird to use on a Blackberry Devices. It’s a bit on the small side and isn’t as responsive as you would like when using it. Battery life is decent being able to get through a work day on a single charge. Call quality is also good with clean and clear audio on both sides of the call.

In a quick summary the Torch 9850 is good but its hard to recommend for anyone that isn’t already a Blackberry user and wants to stay with the Blackberry Platform. There are just too many other options that are better than what the Blackberry Torch 9850 has to offer.

When first looking at the phone it looks very similar to the earlier BlackBerry Bold models. The weight and feel of the devices lets you know its different from the earlier ones. It’s thin for a Blackberry and lighter than the earlier version. The chrome trimming gives it a very attractive and premium look. The back has a soft touch plastic that surrounds the hard plastic back plate. The screen so far looks sharp and responsive when swiping through menus.  Stay tuned for our full review coming soon.

• 2.8 inch capacitive touch screen display
• Full QWERTY keyboard
• 1.2 Ghz single core processor
• 5.0 Megapixel Front Facing Camera
• 8 GB of on board storage
• 3G Global Roaming
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
• Blackberry 7 OS

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T-Mobile will drop the Blackberry Curve 9360 on September 28th for $79 on contract. This mid-range level of Blackberries the Curve 9360 feature a 2.4 inch screen, Full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera, Blackberry 7 OS. The phone will be available to business users starting today and available to the public on the 28th. See the press release for more.

Via Booredatwork

Press Release:

T-Mobile announces the BlackBerry Curve 9360

Today, T-Mobile announced the upcoming availability of the BlackBerry Curve 9360, which combines powerful new BlackBerry features with an attractive price point. The new BlackBerry smartphone will be available in two stylish color finishes – black and merlot. Running the latest BlackBerry 7 operating system and utilizing the powerful BlackBerry 7 Webkit-browser, the BlackBerry Curve 9360 provides an intuitive smartphone experience, perfect for those who depend on their smartphone to keep their personal and work lives organized. The new BlackBerry Curve is designed to address a large and important segment of the global mobile phone market where customers are looking to upgrade their existing feature phone or existing BlackBerry Curve with an affordable, easy-to-use, full-featured and socially-connected smartphone.

Encased in a sleek package, including a wide 2.4-inch screen, full QWERTY keypad and navigation track-pad, the BlackBerry Curve 9360 is ideal for efficient mobile communications. The new smartphone is also equipped with essential smartphone features such a 5-megapixel camera with flash, video recorder and Wi-Fi connectivity for voice and data for a premium smartphone experience. The next generation BlackBerry Curve smartphone delivers the world’s best mobile communications and social experiences with the latest release of BBM^TM(BlackBerry® Messenger) pre-loaded and now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps, such as Foursquare, allowing users to easily interact with each other from within the ‘BBM connected’ app.

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 is expected to be available in an exclusive pre-sale for T-Mobile business customers beginning today, Sept. 21. The smartphone will be available in the black color finish at T-Mobile retail stores and at select dealers and national retailers nationwide starting Sept. 28 and is expected to be available in an exclusive merlot color finish starting Oct. 12. The BlackBerry Curve 9360 is expected to cost $79.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card, with a two-year service agreement and qualifying classic voice and data plan.

Hardware & Design

The BlackBerry Bold 9930 is a traditional Blackberry style with a sleek and professional look. It comes with a 2.8 inch touchscreen display which is a first for  this form factor. Below the screen there is a physical QWERTY keyboard that Blackberry is famous for, physical buttons from send, end/power, blackberry menu  and back with an optical track pad. On the sides you have volume buttons, convenience keys, micros USB port and a 3.5 mm headphone port which can be tricky if your headphones jack doesn’t fit flush into it. If it doesn’t fit in all the way it will flicker the headphones off and one. On the top there is a lock button that will turn the screen on and off.

The camera is 5 mega-pixels, with flash and 720p HD recording. The images are good and stand up to most cameras today.
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Internally there  a 1.2 GHz processor, 8 GB of internal storage with 6.5 GB available, micro SD card slot is available and supports up to 32 GB of storage. 3G global roaming, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC support rounds up the specs in a very solid device. Although wider and longer than the older Bold, the “brushed stainless steel” design” definitely makes it seem more sleek. This also results in a wider, easier to use keyboard.

Software & Usability

The Blackberry 7 OS, with highly improved graphics and processing speed. It’s not a revolutionary change but it’s a welcome upgrade to give the OS a more modern feel. While the touchscreen is a nice addition and very responsive you can easily forget that its there as the OS isn’t geared for touch screen input from the ground up. The web browser now has multiple window options, for multi-tasking. The NFC (near field communication) capability brings it up to date for  the “tapping” and “bumping” exchange of information with other capable devices and browser applications.  Convenience wise, its compatibility with Blackberry Desktop Manager insures less  start-up time. Call quality is good with clear voices on each end and battery life is good with getting through a full day without needed to charge.

Overall

This is the Blackberry that  die-hard blackberry user have waited for. It keeps the familiar operating system but is now more media friendly. It’s not going to win over too many new users especially with its $299 price tag which is the same price as a lot of 4G LTE phones on Verizon’s network now.  If your hardcore “crackberry user” then this is the Bold you have waited to upgrade to.

Blackberry Torch 9850 for Verizon unboxing & first impressions. Not to be left out of the party Verizon is joining Sprint in releasing the all touch screen Blackberry Torch 9850. The Torch 9580 is RIM’s latest attempt at offering an all touch screen device. RIM has a mixed history in the past with the Storm and the click screen technology which they have dropped in favor of a normal capacitive touchscreen in the Torch 9850. Check out our unboxing and first impressions below and stay tuned for our full review.

Press Release:

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 smartphone will be available online atwww.verizonwireless.comon Sept. 8, and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on Sept. 15.

Watch videos, play games and stay productive on the largest display and highest resolution on a BlackBerry smartphone to date. Powered by the new BlackBerry® 7 operating system, customers can enjoy the next generation BlackBerry browser with optimized zooming, panning and HTML 5 performance. BlackBerry® Balance is now integrated, allowing secure access to business information while preventing it from being copied into, sent from or used by personal applications. Customers can stay connected to their personal and business lives while in or out of the office.

Key features:

• 3G coverage on the nation’s most reliable network
• 3.7-inch high-resolution touchscreen display (800 x 480) with trackpad navigation
• 1.2 GHz processor
• Global Ready™ – Quad band with support for UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS and EDGE allowing customers to enjoy wireless voice and data service in more than 200 countries, including more than 95 with 3G speeds
• 5-megapixel camera with flash and 720p HD video recording capabilities
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS and Bluetooth® 2.1
• 16 GB microSD™ card pre-installed, with support for up to 32 GB microSD card

BlackBerry 7:

• Liquid Graphics™ technology combines a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high-resolution display to deliver a responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.
• Premium version of Documents To Go is now included at no additional cost, offering customers enhanced document editing features, as well as a native PDF document viewer.
• The newest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry Messenger) now extends the real-time BBM experience together with a range of apps including gaming and social networking.
• Updated Social Feeds app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts and more, all in one consolidated view.
• Universal search capability now supports voice-activated search, allowing customers to simply say what they want to find on their device or the Web.
• BlackBerry Balance administrator can remotely wipe business information from the device while leaving personal information intact.

Pricing and availability:

• BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone will be available for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
• Customers that purchase a BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Here is our unboxing and first impressions look at the Blackberry Torch 9850 for Sprint. The Torch 9580 is RIM’s latest attempt at offering an all touch screen device. RIM has a mixed history in the past with the Storm and the click screen technology which they have dropped in favor of a normal capacitive touchscreen in the Torch 9850. Check out our unboxing and first impressions below and stay tuned for our full review.

Press Release:

BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 Available for Sprint Customers on Aug. 21

Powered by the next-generation BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry® 7, a performance-driven operating system designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity, BlackBerry® Bold^TM9930 and BlackBerry® Torch^TM 9850 will go on sale in Sprint Stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1 and online at www.sprint.combeginning on Sunday, Aug. 21.

BlackBerry Bold 9930

BlackBerry Bold 9930 boasts the thinnest design and widest QWERTY on a BlackBerry smartphone for $249.99 (excluding taxes) with a new line or eligible pgrade and two-year service agreement.

At just 10.5mm thick, the BlackBerry Bold 9930 smartphone is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone ever. It features a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen display, the widest QWERTY keyboard available on a BlackBerry smartphone and a trackpad or easy navigation. BlackBerry Bold 9930 also offers Near Field Communications (NFC) support for a secure exchange of information between NFC-enabled devices over a very short distance.

BlackBerry Torch 9850

BlackBerry Torch9850, the first all-touch BlackBerry smartphone for Sprint customers, will cost $149.99 (excluding taxes) with a new line or eligible upgrade and two-year service agreement, after $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1.

The sleek BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone features a spectacular, new 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, and trackpad for easy navigation.

Both smarpthones feature Liquid Graphics^TM technology, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7 to deliver incredibly fast, smooth performance and a highly responsive touchscreen experience. They also offer 1.2GHz processors, 5MP cameras and are World Phone capable.

Key features of both BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 include:

• BlackBerry® service with access to up to 10 supported business and personal
  email accounts, plus BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support for corporate
  email installations
• DataViz Docs To Go® Premium suite preloaded, for editing Microsoft Word,
  Excel and PowerPoint files from anywhere
• BlackBerry App World^TM, the official app store for BlackBerry smartphones
  offering customization, fun and productivity
• BlackBerry® Playbook^TM support with BlackBerry Bridge^TM (Bridge is available
  as a free download on BlackBerry App World)
• Augmented Reality using the built-in compass (magnetometer) to support
  augmented reality applications

BlackBerry 7

BlackBerry 7 introduces a next-generation BlackBerry browser with a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience that is up to 40 percent faster than BlackBerry® 6 based smartphones and up to 100 percent faster than BlackBerry® 5 based smartphones2.

BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® Balance^TM, which separates personal content from corporate content, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the smartphone for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps, while satisfying the need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls, such as wiping only corporate data or blocking work-related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts.

BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 require activation on one of Sprint’s Everything Data plans plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $39.99 per month versus Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB web or $9.99 per month versus Verizon’s
450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB web. (Pricing excludes taxes and surcharges.)

BlackBerry Bold 9930 and BlackBerry Torch 9850 also offer World Phone capability for international travel to nearly anywhere in the world. Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 200 countries and access to BlackBerry® data services, including email, apps and web browsing in nearly 155 countries. Customers can check the Sprint Worldwide Coverage and Rates page to check coverage in the specific location they plan to travel and find voice, text, and data rates. They also have the option of using a third-party SIM for international
voice and data service

Today Verizon announced the BlackBerry Torch 9850 in stores September 15th. The all touch screen blackberry will have a 3.7 inch high-resolution display, 1.2 Ghz processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p HD video capture, 3G Global ready, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and a pre-installed 16 GB micro SD card for storage. It will run Blackberry 7 OS and will retail for $199.99 with a new two-year agreement starting online September 8th and in stores on the September 15th. Check the press release for full details.

Press Release:

09/06/2011

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless today announced the new BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 smartphone will be available online atwww.verizonwireless.comon Sept. 8, and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on Sept. 15.

Watch videos, play games and stay productive on the largest display and highest resolution on a BlackBerry smartphone to date. Powered by the new BlackBerry® 7 operating system, customers can enjoy the next generation BlackBerry browser with optimized zooming, panning and HTML 5 performance. BlackBerry® Balance is now integrated, allowing secure access to business information while preventing it from being copied into, sent from or used by personal applications. Customers can stay connected to their personal and business lives while in or out of the office.

Key features:

• 3G coverage on the nation’s most reliable network
• 3.7-inch high-resolution touchscreen display (800 x 480) with trackpad navigation
• 1.2 GHz processor
• Global Ready™ – Quad band with support for UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS and EDGE allowing customers to enjoy wireless voice and data service in more than 200 countries, including more than 95 with 3G speeds
• 5-megapixel camera with flash and 720p HD video recording capabilities
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS and Bluetooth® 2.1
• 16 GB microSD™ card pre-installed, with support for up to 32 GB microSD card

BlackBerry 7:

• Liquid Graphics™ technology combines a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high-resolution display to deliver a responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics.
• Premium version of Documents To Go is now included at no additional cost, offering customers enhanced document editing features, as well as a native PDF document viewer.
• The newest release of BBM™ (BlackBerry Messenger) now extends the real-time BBM experience together with a range of apps including gaming and social networking.
• Updated Social Feeds app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts and more, all in one consolidated view.
• Universal search capability now supports voice-activated search, allowing customers to simply say what they want to find on their device or the Web.
• BlackBerry Balance administrator can remotely wipe business information from the device while leaving personal information intact.

Pricing and availability:

• BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone will be available for $199.99 with a new two-year customer agreement.
• Customers that purchase a BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan beginning at $39.99 for monthly access and a smartphone data package starting at $30 monthly access for 2 GB of data.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

Here is our unboxing and first impressions of the BlackBerry Bold 9930 for Verizon. The latest in the BlackBerry lineup of phones from RIM is here. The Bold 9930 is the flagship phone for the new lineup.

Quick Specs:

• 2.8 inch capacitive touch screen display
• Full QWERTY keyboard
• 1.2 Ghz single core processor
• 5.0 Megapixel Front Facing Camera
• 8 GB of on board storage
• 3G Global Roaming
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS
• Blackberry 7 OS

When first looking at the phone it looks very similar to the earlier BlackBerry Bold models. The weight and feel of the devices lets you know its different from the earlier ones. It’s thin for a Blackberry and lighter than the earlier version. The chrome trimming gives it a very attractive and premium look. The back has a soft touch plastic that surrounds the hard plastic back plate. The screen so far looks sharp and responsive when swiping through menus.  Stay tuned for our full review coming soon.