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A Buyer's Guide To The Blackberry Torch

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By Mark Walters


The Blackberry Torch is the recently released new smartphone from Research in Motion, who are trying to branch out from their traditional corporate appeal to the 'regular consumer', bringing them into competition with the iPhone. Have their attempts been successful? The Blackberry Torch comes with a touchscreen as well as the normal trackerpad, which increased user options. The iconography is also better than before, improving the look and feel of the phone. Arranging your most used apps so they're easily accessible is another good feature.

A first for the Blackberry, the Torch is a sliding phone but other than that, the hardware is similar to previous efforts, making the design familiar. The full QWERTY keyboard is easy to use, as it normally is on the Blackberry, but this does contribute to a slight bulky feel, particularly when compared with the ultra slim iPhone. Other than that, it's an attractive phone with a touchscreen measuring 3.2inches. You can also operate the phone via the normal Blackberry methods, which is useful if you like to have options.

One of the main positives about the Blackberry is the typically excellent call quality, and the Torch is no exception. The sound is very clear, although if you have the volume up to high on the speakerphone, then it can sound a bit shrill. Other than this, the speakerphone is of good quality. It's also easy, quick and pain free to make a phone call - all valuable features. The Torch also boasts excellent signal, which is always useful when you're making calls.

The Torch also comes equipped with a 5 megapixel camera and an LED flash. While the colors in pictures look a bit washed-out, the camera is at its best in single shot mode, although it comes pre-set in 'continuous' mode. The camera's not that great at taking steady-looking photos in default mode, but there are a range of options to choose from. While there's nothing that special about the lens, the photography process has obviously been upgraded to make it smoother than previous Blackberry devices.

The Blackberry Torch has good mail and messaging facilities, but they are a bit of a let down compared with previous Blackberry devices. If you're not already familiar with the facilities, then you may not be convinced by them but Blackberry users will appreciate the upgrade. One qualm is that it takes ages for the phone to register changes you've made to your email account online, although it is really easy to set up the function on the phone, which is good.




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