There are now two BlackBerry Torch models in RIM's armoury: the 9810 we're
reviewing here and the 9860 that we've previously reviewed. The 9810 is a slider
phone packing a full QWERTY keyboard essentially the same design as the phone it
replaces, the Torch 9800.
The 9800 was something rarity for BlackBerry when it launched, as the only
other touch device on offer from RIM was from the ill-fated Storm family. Of
course, the Storm has passed and we're left with two Torch models and touch
across the range. But is this upgraded model a step up in experience?
Design
The 9810 is practically the spitting image of the 9800 forebear. It looks the
same, feels the same and measures the same, save for some very minor changes,
such as the colour of the controls under the display. It is a slider, with the
display sliding upwards to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard of the tried and tested
BlackBerry formula.
It's somewhat chunky by modern standards, weighing in a 161g and measuring
111 x 62 x 14.6. Given that this is a slider device, we're not too worried about
the size as it slips easily enough into any pocket or bag.
What's more of a concern is one of the points that irritated us about the
last edition of this phone and that's the screen lock button on the top of the
phone. The action is so soft that it will easily unlock itself in your pocket.
On a non-
touch phone that's not much of a problem, but we've pulled the phone
out to find it setting new appointments, browsing the Internet, and even having
changed the language to Greek.
Given the design there aren't too many sensible locations to place the 3.5mm
headphone jack. On the side it juts out, meaning that the Torch never really
sits comfortably in your pocket. If anything, this device is a questionable
choice for sliding into the hip pocket of your jeans, because you'll catch the
headphones, unlock the device and email your ex in the process.
On our previous review sample we found that the sliding action of the screen
gave us a little wobble on every tap. This didn't appear to be a problem on our
9810, but we did find the plastic back panel would creak. The 9810 won't win any
prizes for build or design, but aside from the ridiculously soft lock key, we
can't complain too much.
Those upgraded parts
We don't want to spend too much of this review talking about the older
version of this phone, but let's just say that RIM have addressed some of the
major points of concern from a hardware point of view. The screen sees its
resolution bumped up to 640 x 480 pixels, a welcome step-up meaning this is a
sharper Torch, but with rival platforms pushing higher definition displays, the
9810 lacks impact and sharpness.
The OS fits well on the display as the icons aren't overcomplicated so the
lack of resolution doesn't really matter, but it does mean that browsing the
Internet involves more zooming and images don't looks as sharp as they
could.
But we find ourselves wondering if the new 1.2GHz processor and upgraded
768MB RAM make that much of a difference. Sure, you can now capture 720p video
thanks to the extra power to crunch the captured data from the 5-megapixel
camera, but it's not the hardware that's explicitly at fault, it's the
software.
BB OS showing its age
For several years we've been remarking that BlackBerry OS needs to start
stepping forwards. There are some great things, and a great heritage, behind
BlackBerry, but the pace at which its rivals are evolving doesn't shine a
favourable light on BlackBerry. But this isn't news. Where BB6 made a few visual
tweaks, BB7 makes a few more, but not so many that you'd really notice.
We often found that we'd touch the screen to drag or scroll the tray of apps
and found it wouldn't respond. Finger tracking isn't great and dragging and
scrolling things like webpages isn't as smooth or successful as it should be.
Too often we'd be heading off to an extraneous link, rather than scrolling. This
applies in apps and menus too, so we'd often resort back to the optical
trackpad, or
keyboard shortcuts.
The way we use current devices now plays a part here. The fewer apps you have
on your platform, the more people are going to need to use the browser to access
online services. Although the browser is much better than it was prior to BB6,
it still doesn't match those native browsers of
iPhone or Android in daily
use.
The biggest problem we had was stability; it would frequently fail or refuse
to load a page and it would regularly freeze, rendering the phone unresponsive,
so we had to pull the battery to get things going again. BlackBerry users are
probably all-too familiar with battery pulls and upgrading the hardware in this
model doesn't seem to have got round this problem.
Of course the jewel in the crown is email, and stepping into the BlackBerry
world from regular Android and iPhone use reminds us of just how convenient and
powerful the BB email system is. The speed, the searching the ease with which
you can communicate via email is fantastic.
However, the keyboard on the Torch isn't a patch on the Bold keyboard, or
even that of the Curve. It's slightly too recessed into the body of the base of
the phone so it feels like a strain to use. The on-screen QWERTY keyboard is
poor too. Where other on-screen keyboards will let your fingers fly, the BB
keyboard seems to struggle to follow what you're trying to type, even on this
relatively large screen. As such, it’s much better to use the compact keyboard
in portrait, because it's relatively good at figuring out what you're trying to
say.
BlackBerry Maps is rather antiquated and lacks the powerful search that
Google Maps offers. Searching for a meeting location from the calendar returned
no results; pasting the same details into Google Maps found the location
quickly. Whilst on the subject of locations, it's also frustrating that not all
synced calendar locations will be live links, depending on how you arrange your
calendars.
When it comes to apps, of course, the BlackBerry isn't the best served. Most
of our essentials are covered however, and you'll find your social networks
present and correct, although the app design doesn't seem as impressive as other
smartphones, and they lack that snap and immediacy contemporary smartphones
offer. In many areas, the BlackBerry Torch doesn't stand up to its rivals, which
is a shame.
Some positives
It's not all doom and gloom. If your primary interest is in communication,
then the BlackBerry still does rather well. We've mentioned that the email
experience is good, and it is. The universal inbox makes it easy to jump to
messages and alerts, although it could do with more options. Being able to sign
into your accounts and have information sync to your device is very welcomed,
and even though it stumbled with multiple calendars from our Google accounts,
that was easily avoided with the Google Sync app.
The connectivity is also remarkably good for servicing email, especially when
re-joining a network, stepping out of the underground for example.
BlackBerrys
will pick up emails on the merest hint of a GPRS connection, something that not
all smartphones will do.
The arrangement of the Torch does give you a sort of best-of-both worlds with
its keyboard and larger screen. Smartphones with keyboards aren't as common as
they were a few years ago, and this is in part testament to how good on-screen
keyboards now are and how well mobile operating systems have been designed to
incorporate intuitive control.
With the BlackBerry Torch you can, at least, use the phone in either mode.
You can casually browse Twitter with it closed, re-tweet a message, then slide
it open to use the keyboard, giving you plenty of space for text entry. Although
the keyboard isn't as good as other BlackBerrys, you do get used to it after
time.
You also get more screen space to enjoy media, although we can't help feeling
that the other Torch, the 9860, was a better device for consuming video
content.
The 5-megapixel camera on the rear is good enough. By that, we mean that it
offers average performance for a smartphone. Shots in good light are reasonable
quality, adequate for sharing online or sending to friends, but low light photos
will be soft and noisy. Video capture is also pretty good too, with the new 720p
offering noticeably better results than the 640 x 480 video of the past.
The battery life is also pretty good, perhaps because you're less likely to
have so many apps looking to gobble data. We managed to get through a day easily
in average use. After a day of heavy use, you will see it complaining towards
the end of the day, but it out-performs many smartphones when it comes to
endurance.
Verdict:
The BlackBerry Torch 9810 feels like an incremental step for RIM. The
previous handset had obvious problems, some of which are addressed here, but we
also feel that the 9810 is the phone the 9800 should have been. That sets this
handset behind the times a little and that's certainly not helped by a user
interface that lacks the consumer ease that you'll find in iOS, Android or
Windows Phone 7.
That may all be set to change with the advent of BB 10, which should make an
appearance at Mobile World Congress 2012. As such, we can't strongly recommend
the BlackBerry Torch 9810 if you're interested in upgrading now.
If you're happy with the BlackBerry experience and value both screen space
and a physical keyboard, then this style of device might be for you, but we'd
suggest you bide your time and see what's coming next, before
committing.
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4:43 AM
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