BlackBerry Torch now available

Vodacom has launched the new BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone in South Africa. Ideal for socially connected consumers and packed with the tools business customers love, the new handset offers elegant styling with top-of-the-line features and functionality.

It’s the world’s first smartphone to combine a BlackBerry keyboard with a full touch screen experience and the first to feature the new BlackBerry 6.

The new BlackBerry Torch features an exciting combination of a large capacitive touch screen and optical trackpad with a backlit slide-out BlackBerry keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing. It also offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi (b/g/n) connectivity and features built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging. Its 5 MP camera takes exceptional pictures with continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes and zoom, and it also supports video recording. In addition it comes with a combined 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box and includes a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that can bring the total storage memory to 36 GB for customers who want more.

The BlackBerry Torch is the first to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones. It features a redesigned interface and a new and rich WebKit-based browser that renders HTML web pages (as well as HTML email) quickly and beautifully for a great browsing experience. The browser includes tabs for accessing multiple sites simultaneously, pinch to zoom and an auto-wrap text zoom feature that can intelligently wrap text in a column while maintaining the placement of a page’s key elements: (simply double-tap on the BlackBerry Torch).

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 BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), 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. A universal search feature, allows users to search for content on the smartphone, as well as extend the search to the Internet or to discover applications on BlackBerry App World (note: BlackBerry App World is preloaded on the smartphone and now supports credit card payments).

Check out Craig Johnston’s Torch reviews by following the links below:

http://www.mygadget.co.za/pebble.asp?relid=2093

http://www.mygadget.co.za/pebble.asp?relid=2099