Research in Motion, still the leader in U.S. smart phones but under assault by Apple and Google, announced its "best BlackBerry ever" Tuesday.
Along with exclusive launch partner AT&T, RIM introduced the new BlackBerry Torch 9800, its first slide-out keyboard smart phone. The device will provide a touch-screen phone that can presumably compete with the likes of the iPhone and Google's Android devices while offering a physical keyboard, one of RIM's trademarks.
"Fresh and exciting and also familiar," said Mike Lazadrdis, co-CEO of RIM about the Torch.
This will be the first phone to run on BlackBerry OS 6.0, the latest operating system for BlackBerry devices. The operating system provides a new WebKit browser with pinch to zoom, better multimedia support with Wi-Fi syncing, a slicker user interface, universal search and social network integration with a social feed reader.
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The phone hardware will also include a 5 megapixel camera with flash, Wi-Fi with 802.11 b/g/n support, a 624 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 4GB of Flash with a 4GB MicroSD card included. The screen is a 3.2 inch 360x480 display.
There are some nice touches like geotagging pictures by city, two-finger taps for multiselecting content, wireless syncing of music.
But altogether, the Torch doesn't blaze too much new territory. The Palm Pre Plus, in fact, seems like an inspiration to the Torch. But this is a BlackBerry and there are plenty of people still very familiar with that world. They've just been itching for more of the cool of the iPhone and Android devices.
A Nielsen survey released on Monday found that 50 percent of BlackBerry users desired an iPhone or Android phone for their next purchase. This may help stem the tide, especially for people reluctant to fully embrace a touch-screen only device.
The same survey found that RIM's market share is down to 33 percent in the second quarter, a big slide from its 45 percent market share a year earlier.
THE COSTS
AT&T will offer the Torch 9800 starting Aug. 12 for $199.99 to eligible customers who agree to a new two-year contract. In addition to monthly fees for voice service, the carrier will charge $15 a month for a plan with 200 megabytes of wireless data or $25 for 2GB.