What Do You Think of the Latest BlackBerry 7 Devices?

RIM announced the latest BlackBerry 7 devices and it looks like they’re showing off a new Bold and 2 iterations of the Torch. The latest devices feature the following core benefits:

Faster browsing
Proprietary Liquid Graphics technology for seamless touch screen navigation
Voice activated universal search
New augmented reality experiences that can be seamlessly integrated with BBM 6
A comprehensive list of pre-installed apps, including: BBM™ 6, BlackBerry® App World™, BlackBerry® Balance, BlackBerry® Protect, and more

The first thing that struck us when we saw the list was a lack of mention of the Touch Curve, but that may be coming later. It’s also a little strange that the full touch device with a trackpad, the Torch 9850, got the same branding as the slider keyboard. You would think that they should be separate so that when someone says “did you get the new Torch?” you actually know what device they mean. Consumers hate model numbers but RIM can’t let go of them for some reason.

Here is the lineup of devices:

BlackBerry Bold 9900 Series: The Bold 9900 and 9930 are the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones ever, and the first Bold devices to combine the iconic BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard with a brilliant touch display, as well as the first BlackBerry smartphones to include built-in support for NFC.

BlackBerry Torch 9810: The faster and more fluid new BlackBerry Torch 9810 builds on the popular design of the BlackBerry Torch 9800, featuring a large 3.2”, high resolution touch display and a distinctive BlackBerry slide-out keyboard.

BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860: The new all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 features a 3.7” display, the largest ever on a BlackBerry smartphone, making it fully optimized for displaying photos, videos, and powerful gaming experiences.

With regards to both of these new devices, it looks like the new Bold Touch is the most compelling as it has a nostalgic keyboard and the Bold series carries an impeccable reputation. The problem with new devices like the Torch 9850, is that it never has any good apps on it when it launches. If it has the largest ever screen on a BlackBerry, perhaps it might be a pain to port apps for. That also brings up the issue with Augmented Reality. Sure, RIM did an awesome job of releasing the APIs, but they’re only worthwhile if developers other than Wikitude are using them. Only time will tell.

Head over to this link to read the press release.

Use this link to view pictures of the latest devices.

We’ll be reporting from the BlackBerry 7 fan night (#BB7Fannight) tonight so we’ll have more to say about these devices later. Stay tuned!

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http://twitter.com/Kuttysark Kutty MD

Wish they all had NFC!
http://twitter.com/a1by Alberto Plantilla

Thank goodness, I can finally move off the BlackBerry 9650
http://twitter.com/a1by Alberto Plantilla

Thank goodness, I can finally move off the BlackBerry 9650
http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/vendor/1111 Eric at Ebscer

I like them, but I still feel that the 9850/9860 isn’t necessary and would rather see a version of the 9810 on all carriers.
Anonymous

My only concern is about the inevitable lack of apps. BlackBerry has burned a lot of bridges with the LONG gap between devices and with this being BB OS7, I suspect that many of the OS6 apps won’t work and who would develop for OS7 with QNX right around the corner and becoming the default OS for all future devices? RIM has painted themselves in a bit of a corner here.
Mrjohncade

out dated before they hit the shelves
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=563705286 Elle Cooke

i had the chance to lay with the 9850 and the 9900, and they’re both really sleek devices. super stoked to finally have a BlackBerry device with a super responsive touch screen. can’t wait to own one.
Anonymous

I got to play with all of the phones @ BBFanNight and it was great! Phones are VERY responsive and the web browsing experience is unparalleled. Liquid graphics are amazing and the apps load up instantly, zero lag at all. VERY excited for the new phones and I’ll be getting the Torch 9860 for sure!
http://blogs.blackberry.com Alex Kinsella

Hi Elle,

Alex from RIM here. That “super responsive” touch screen you reference is thanks to Liquid Graphics, which delivers faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming. I personally use the Bold 9900 and am a big fan of the faster and more fluid web browsing it provides.

Check out this post on our Inside BlackBerry Blog, which provides some early reviews from #TeamBlackBerry on the Torch 9850 and 9860: http://bbry.lv/qINY3c. For more on the Bold, you may want to watch this video from BlackBerry World earlier this year: http://bbry.lv/iN8a2l.

Cheers,
Alex, RIM Social Media Team
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