RIM Blackberry Torch 9800 review
In the second part of our BlackBerry Torch 9800 coverage, Clare Hopping reviews the eagerly-anticipated phone to see if RIM has finally perfected a touchscreen smartphone.
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is probably the best BlackBerry yet and the new OS 6 is one of the major reasons why. Couple this with a hugely responsive touchscreen, comfortable hardware keyboard and all the BlackBerry services you’ve come to expect and you’ve got a stunning smartphone.

Below this top toolbar, there's another that can be tapped to display all of your missed notifications, including missed calls or new texts. At the bottom of the screen, there's a third toolbar. You can drag this bar up a little to see your favourite applications or shortcuts. Tap this again, and up will pop all of the applications nestled along the menu items.
Bundled apps include the official Twitter and Facebook applications, BlackBerry Messenger and a YouTube app. RIM's Social Feeds client that merges all of your social networking status updates and messages into one easy to use stream.
Another new feature of the BlackBerry 9800 Torch is visual voicemail. As with the iPhone, it allows you to view your voicemails as an onscreen list so you can pause and fast word through a message or skip entire messages using the clear onscreen controls. It also makes it simple to return calls straight from the application.
The BlackBerry browser has been completely overhauled to bring it up to the standard of Android's stock browser and the iPhone's Safari browser. However, although it's usually pretty fast, the rendering is sometimes sluggish, especially when zooming in and out using multitouch.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives

Clare is the founder of Blue Cactus Digital, a digital marketing company that helps ethical and sustainability-focused businesses grow their customer base.
Prior to becoming a marketer, Clare was a journalist, working at a range of mobile device-focused outlets including Know Your Mobile before moving into freelance life.
As a freelance writer, she drew on her expertise in mobility to write features and guides for ITPro, as well as regularly writing news stories on a wide range of topics.
-
The EU just launched its own vulnerability database
News Security practitioners have welcomed the move after the disruption caused by the MITRE incident
By Ross Kelly Published
-
CISOs take the back seat as dev teams claim responsibility for application security
News Development and engineering teams are steering security and budget strategies
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Global tablet shipments grew by almost 9% in Q1, Canalys finds
News Worldwide shipments reached 36.8 million during Q1, driven by consumer and education-led refresh cycles
By Daniel Todd Published