With its revamped interface and improved web browser, the VGP-BPL9 Torch is a mostly satisfying smart phone for work and play.
While the Storm was a bold departure for RIM, the Torch represents a highly refined version of what BlackBerry owners have come to know and love. The welcome but not-too-extreme makeover starts with BlackBerry 6, a new VGP-BPS9 OS that features a modern-looking interface with multiple home screens, a much improved WebKit browser, and a Social Feed app that aggregates Facebook, Twitter, and RSS updates. Yes, the Torch ($199 at AT&T) is the first slider design from the company, but VGP-BPS9/B underneath the touchscreen resides a relatively comfortable keyboard that will make e-mail and BBM addicts feel right at home. In some ways, though, this smart phone feels stuck in the past, including its low-resolution display and somewhat sluggish processor. So is this wireless equivalent of high-end comfort food good enough to compete against the iPhone 4 and the latest Google-powered superphones, or has RIM's efforts fallen short?
Design
When we look at the Torch we can't help but wonder how much better the Palm Pre VGP-BPS9/S could have been if RIM designed the hardware. They're both sliders, but this BlackBerry looks and feels like a more premium device. From the dark chrome accents to the soft touch, ribbed battery cover, this smart phone just feels great in the hand. The sliding action also feels sturdier than the Pre--even if it requires a little more VGP-BPS9A effort than we prefer. Weighing in at 5.7 ounces, the Torch is heavier than the iPhone 4 (4.8 ounces) and Samsung Captivate (4.5 ounces), but its shorter stature makes it pocket-friendly.
A 3.2-inch touchscreen display dominates the front of the Torch, but RIM saw fit to include an optical trackpad for finer movements. While the latter VGP-BPS9A/B worked well for the most part, in some cases we had to swipe up or down more than once for the phone to register our movements. (Increasing the sensitivity in the settings menu helped.) Underneath the screen you'll find the typical quartet of BlackBerry buttons: Call, Menu, Back, Latitude E6400 Battery and End. These buttons have a flush surface, but they depress slightly when activated.
RIM keeps things simple around the edges of the Torch. The right side houses two rubberized volume buttons along with a camera launch/shutter key. A lone microUSB port is on the left. The lock and mute buttons line the top of the phone. Around back is the 5-megapixel camera and flash, along with an easy-to-remove battery cover. Underneath this cover you'll find a microSD Card slot you can swap Inspiron 1545 battery out without removing the battery first--the way it should be.
Keyboards
If you're going to create a slider design, the keyboard underneath the screen has to be worth the constant effort to access it. And the Torch doesn't disappoint. Although we found the keys small at first, they were comfortable to press. We made very few typos as we responded to e-mails, entered URLs, and created notes, Vostro 1510 Battery and we were able to enter text at a pretty fast clip. The backlight for the keyboard is nice and bright.
RIM also includes a bare-bones touch keyboard that feels a bit like an afterthought. It's Sony Laptop Battery almost as if the designers said, "If you insist!" Unlike other smart phones, the Torch doesn't present alternate suggestions as you type in this mode. We could type more quickly with this keyboard than the physical one, but we made more errors.
Display
This is where the Torch starts to feel like a good battery throwback compared to competing smart phones. For starters, the 3.2-inch display is smaller than the iPhone 4 (3.5 inches) and the highest-end Android devices (4 inches and up). More important, this screen sports a relatively low resolution of 480 x 360 pixels, which pales in comparison to the iPhone (960 x 640) and Motorola Droid X (854 x 480). We definitely noticed the difference when viewing websites. Even in landscape mode, text on pages looked fuzzy PA3534U-1BRS Battery until we zoomed in. On the plus side, the Torch's display is colorful and bright, and it's fairly easy to view outdoors.
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