In a world led by BlackBerry, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 ($49.99) would be king. Built on the same platform as RIM's other new BlackBerry Bold and Torch smartphones, the Torch 9810 is dramatically faster than previous BlackBerrys, with a far better Web browser and a much more powerful processor. Looking almost exactly like the previous Torch, the new model has all the strengths that four-star smartphone?did: solid build, great battery life, and an excellent keyboard.
But the Torch doesn't exist in a vacuum. RIM's BlackBerry 7 phones have been lapped several times by their Android, iOS, and even Windows Phone competitors in terms of apps (both number and quality), Web browsing and general user interface aspects.?
This won't change the minds of enterprise buyers who love BlackBerry's manageability or business e-mailers for whom messaging is their first, second, and third priority. But it makes the Torch 9810 a tough sell to mainstream consumers.
AT&T seems to know this, by the way. $49.99 is an absolutely killer price for a smartphone with these specs. But I won't let the low price sway my review.
Physical Features and Call Quality
This Torch looks almost exactly the same as the previous Torch 9800. It's the same 4.4 by 2.4 by .6 inches (HWD) and the same 5.7 ounces, with the same silver edge around black plastic components. The back is now a flimsy-feeling black plastic with a checkered pattern, something I don't like. The QWERTY keyboard, just like on the previous Torch, is excellent, although it's a little flatter and tighter than the keyboards on BlackBerry Bolds and Curves. There's relatively little here to say "this is a new device," until you turn the phone on.
Hit the wake-up button on the top right?the same place it used to be?and you're presented with a much sharper image on the 9810's 3.2-inch screen than on its predecessor's. The screen is now 640-by-480, rather than 360-by-480, allowing for sharper text, more detailed icons, and often teensy-weensy links on Web pages that you can't quite click on with your finger.
As a voice phone, the Torch 9810 has one major flaw. It over-reports its signal strength. In my weak-signal test, I found the Torch 9810 reported one or two bars when it didn't have enough signal to make a call, which was quite frustrating. In tests around New York City later that day I saw the same thing happening.
When you can connect, call quality is very good. The earpiece is nearly perfect: just the right volume, with clear voices. Transmissions tend to let through a little more background noise than I'd like, but you can still hear the voice on the other side. The speakerphone is moderate-to-loud, and transmissions are clear. Talk time was terrific at 8 hours, 3 minutes, and the phone lasted well more than a day on standby.
Bluetooth support is excellent here, as is voice dialing. In my tests, the Torch connected to three different Bluetooth headsets instantly, supporting all of their features, both stereo and mono. It's one of the most pleasant Bluetooth experiences I've ever had.
The Torch 9810 isn't 4G. It runs at HSPA+ 14.4 speeds on AT&T's network and when roaming abroad. Thanks to RIM's server-side compression, though, email and social-networking messages transmit extremely quickly. The phone has a Wi-Fi hotspot mode that works with the appropriate plan.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/kKW5XoQjeyw/0,2817,2391851,00.asp
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