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Overall, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is a little underwhelming. It isn't a huge step up from the original Torch, but HD video capture, the sharper display, and the updates in BlackBerry 7 OS are welcome upgrades. AT
From: Ginny Miles Date Posted: 2012-01-27 03:46:28
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If you're an original Torch owner and you enjoy that phone, the Torch 9810 is a sweet upgrade that brings much faster performance while keeping battery life the same. The higher resolution display, faster data connection and refreshed OS add to the pleasure, and the solid build quality improves on the old Torch. The price can't be beat with a 2 year contract, though Torch 9800 owners likely won't quality for new contract pricing since the first Torch came out just a year ago. I bought the original Torch when it first came out, and was a Bold 9000 owner before that. But BlackBerry OS has fallen behind, and OS 7 doesn't do enough to remedy this. If you're dedicated to BlackBerry, the Torch 9810 is a fine phone at a great price, but it won't steal users away from Android or the iPhone by any means.
From: Lisa Gade Date Posted: 2012-01-27 03:46:02
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Like many posters and the reviewer, as a Torch 9800 owner, I agree that the 9810 is what the original Torch should’ve been.
However, I disagree with the con of the OS being dated. I also own an iPhone 2G and an iPad (iOS 4), and if you look at the improvements from iOS 3 to the new features touted in iOS 5, I don’t see many major, ground breaking improvements between the versions (“multitasking” wasn’t a huge improvement due to the implementation). In contrast with BB OS 5 and BB OS 7, I see many more changes. It’s unfair to say that the BB OS is dated when iOS has made so few changes to interface and needed 4 iterations before you could even get wallpaper. It’s almost as though Apple is holding back basic features so it can introduce them as new and revolutionary.
What should also be considered in the review is comparable phones for the price. At $49 on a 2-year contact with AT
From: Brian Kwan Date Posted: 2012-01-27 03:42:12
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In some ways, it's easy to think that the 9810 is what the 9800 should have been. After all, 1.2 GHz processors weren't that crazy back then, and providing a fluid, responsive user experience at that point would have surely helped RIM avoid their massive stock crash within recent months. On the other hand, it's becoming clear that it took serious external pressure to get RIM to put aside their obsession with efficiency to properly compete at the upper-tier. The price you end up paying is in battery life more than anything else, but the 9810 handles that demand better than its OS 7 siblings thanks to the larger battery.
The software pretty much breaks even in the end. There are still the usual quirks, like having to reboot your phone after installing certain apps, truncation in longer incoming e-mails, and the lack of real two-way Gmail sync over BIS, but at the end of the day, the BlackBerry 9810 is still really good at handling messaging of all sorts - IM, social networking, texting, and e-mail. Unfortunately, despite the performance enhancements, there's really not much else the 9810 excels in. The 3.2-inch screen makes it decent (but not great) for web browsing, and though the new processor makes pinching to zoom very smooth, there's still no Flash support to enable embedded video streams. There are new doors opened up to developers through augmented reality, BlackBerry Messenger, and 3D graphics APIs, but the app selection and quality is still limited, nevermind the fact that the looming switch to QNX early next year casts a shadow over the future of any apps released for the Torch 9810.
Of course, if your needs are modest, and you don't see them exploding in the near future, the 9810 is a solid, smooth messaging experience while providing the best of both touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard worlds. Of the latest breed of OS 7 BlackBerry devices, I'd pick the 9810 over the others - even the Bold 9900/30, primarily due to the better battery life.
From: SIMON SAGE Date Posted: 2012-01-27 03:41:38
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The Torch 9810 almost sparks our interest as a relevant device... almost. RIM's definitely aiming for the sky by making a leap in the internal components of its phones, turning it (and the Bold Touch 9930) into the most powerful handsets Research in Motion has ever sold. With the upcoming QNX platform, however, it may be too little too late. Sure, the device is solid and smooth and has great internal specs, but is it one that we'd feel comfortable using on a regular basis? Especially when we have an inkling as to what's around the corner for the BlackBerry lineup?
It's hard to justify plunking down hard-earned cash and committing to a two-year contract for a device that'll likely be obsolete a few months from now, but BlackBerry enthusiasts will enjoy using the Torch 9810 because it's a much more powerful phone than what they've been used to in the past. Newcomers? Probably not so much, given the large number of choices out there with a fresher user experience. It's a notch above any BlackBerry that's been released already, but it seems to be a victim of its own design and circumstance. The 9810, alongside the Torch 9850 and Bold Touch 9900, is as good an indication as any that RIM isn't close to giving up. But first it must do a better job of catching up. The Torch 9810 may very well be at the end of the road, but we'll see if RIM can switch back onto the right path.
From: Brad Molen Date Posted: 2012-01-27 03:39:06
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If you're a slider fan but felt the original BlackBerry Torch to be underpowered, you owe it to yourself to at the very least, put this device in your hands and take it for a spin. It's a solid, faster Torch experience and as much as we hate to repeat ourselves, is what the original BlackBerry Torch should have been. First time Torch owners will love the power the device brings!
From: Bla1ze Date Posted: 2012-01-27 03:35:26
