BlackBerry Torch 9810: 3 things you should know

The BlackBerry® Torch™ smartphone family is welcoming a whole slew of new siblings today. In addition to the all-touch BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 and 9860 smartphones, we also announced the BlackBerry® Torch™ 9810 smartphone, the evolution of the popular BlackBerry® Torch™ 9800 smartphone. #TeamBlackBerry members in North America will be able to purchase the BlackBerry 9810 smartphone from AT&T, Bell, Telus and Rogers. For more details on pricing and international availability, make sure to check out our BlackBerry Torch product page or contact your local carrier.
We asked Product Manager David to get the inside dirt on the 3 things you need to know about the BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone. Let’s do this!
1. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 is the BlackBerry Torch smartphone evolved
Our intention with the BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone was to build upon the success of the original BlackBerry Torch all-in-one design by combining powerful new hardware with the powerful new BlackBerry® 7 OS. The new BlackBerry Torch 9810 improves upon its predecessor, the BlackBerry Torch 9800, with a crisp new 3.2” inch touch screen with a VGA (600×480) resolution at 246 DPI (“dots per inch”), which is a great tip-off to the new hardware under the hood. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone also features a 1.2 GHz processer, a 5 MP camera with HD video recording, face detection and image stabilization, a digital compass and HSPA+ network support. Combined with the BlackBerry 7 OS, these new hardware features ensure that the BlackBerry 9810 smartphone is faster and more fluid than its predecessor.
We’ve also added subtle refinements to the traditional BlackBerry Torch casing, as well as its keypad. To top it off, we coated the BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone in a distinctive silver color that we feel reflects the power and performance of the device.

2. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone is a great blend of form and function
Unlike its new siblings, the all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone features the original Torch’s popular full QWERTY keypad, touch screen, trackpad combination. With a touch screen larger than its new cousins, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry 9930 smartphones, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is a flexible device for people who require both form and function from their smartphone.
Like the other new all-touch BlackBerry Torch smartphones, the big, brilliant touch screen of the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is well-suited for 3D games, watching videos and browsing the web. If you need to get some work done on the go, that screen is also handy for viewing Microsoft® PowerPoint® and Microsoft Word documents with the free bundled Premium version of Docs to Go™. Of course, if you need to start editing those documents, or you want to fire off a few emails or BBM™ your friends, you can easily switch to portrait mode and slide out the full QWERTY keypad. The BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone’s HD camera captures photos or video and makes it easy to share both with friends via Facebook, Twitter, and BBM 6 (or possibly through that BBM 6-connected app you’ve downloaded). Regardless of your needs, the BlackBerry 9810 smartphone offers the flexibility to get it done.
3. The new BlackBerry 7 powers the BlackBerry Torch 9810
Like the all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 smartphone is running the brand new BlackBerry 7 OS, and thus shares many of the same benefits. For starters this means a new and improved BlackBerry browser, optimized touch screen UI (“user interface”), BBM 6, hardware accelerated Liquid Graphics, and support for new apps like the Wikitude augmented reality browser on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront. Make sure to check out what my coworkers Sangita and Troy had to say about these BlackBerry 7 features in their BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 post, and stay tuned for a more in-depth overview from BlackBerry 7 Product Manager, Annu, in a future blog post.
For my money, my favorite BlackBerry 7 feature has to be the next generation BlackBerry browser. The BlackBerry browser is smooth and responsive, whether scrolling through web pages with your fingers or using the trackpad. Web pages load at tremendous speeds, and are naturally rendered as you’d expect to see them on your desktop browser, thanks to Liquid Graphics.

BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860: 5 things you should know

I’m happy to tell you about two new BlackBerry® 7 OS smartphones announced today, the all-touch BlackBerry® Torch™ 9850 and 9860 smartphones. #TeamBlackBerry members in North America will be able to purchase the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone from AT&T, Rogers, Telus and Bell, and the BlackBerry Torch 9850 smartphone from Sprint and U.S. Cellular. For more details on pricing and international availability, make sure to check out our BlackBerry Torch product page or contact your local carrier.
To ensure you have our patented Inside BlackBerry insight into these sweet all-touch BlackBerry 7 OS smartphones, I tapped Product Managers Sangita and Troy to list the 5 things you need to know about the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860. Take it away, Sangita and Troy!
1. The all-touch BlackBerry Torch has a screen built for everything
With a 3.7” inch touch screen at a WVGA (800×480) resolution with 253 DPI (“dots per inch”), the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 have the biggest BlackBerry® smartphone screens ever. These all-touch screens provide a sharp and crisp viewing experience to combine everything BlackBerry devices are known for – performance, security and reliability – with new user features like augmented reality apps and improved web browsing and multimedia experiences.
Personally, I love the BlackBerry Torch smartphone screen most for browsing the web with the next generation BlackBerry 7 browser. My news sites, shopping sites and my daily obsession, tech and lifestyle blogs, all render fast and look great on that big, beautiful screen. Of course using BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphone touch screens to pan, zoom and scroll through my favorite websites is easy as well.
One design element to note with the all-touch BlackBerry Torch screen: we designed the face of the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones to ‘fall over’ the device edge (something we call ‘The Waterfall’ internally), which lengthens the screen to provide a visual experience that works in landscape or portrait orientation.

2. The new BlackBerry Torch smartphone design is sculpted for touch
Our design goal with the all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones was to create a stylish look that sets the product apart in a field filled with boxy devices. The seamless front lens with ‘Waterfall’ ends offers a great visual experience and the sculpted back provides a perfect ergonomic fit, regardless of whether it’s used as a traditional phone (in portrait orientation) or like a gaming console or web browser (in landscape orientation).
Though there are many layers to the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones design, they are integrated and flow one into the other. For example, the buttons on the side of the smartphone are simple to find with your fingers and provide quick access volume, mute and camera functionality, but are understated, so as not to interrupt the design. Another example would be the back housing of the BlackBerry Torch smartphone, which dips down to fit in the camera lens and flash, without impacting its form and feel in the palm of your hand.
Engineering the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones to meet this vision wasn’t easy, and there were a number of occasions where it appeared that we might have to trade-off form for function. But our development teams rose to the challenge, and in the end, have delivered a product that is both aesthetically pleasing and incredibly functional for both personal and professional use.

3. The new BlackBerry Torch smartphone evolves the all-touch experience
We knew when designing the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones that the touch screen user interface (“UI”) would have to be both refined and robust enough to support an all-touch device (it would be pretty hard to write an email otherwise, Ed.). Many improvements and enhancements have been made to the touch screen UI in the BlackBerry 7 OS that the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones take full advantage of. These improvements vary from minor adjustments of touch sensitivity based upon screen location to redesigning the layout of the virtual keyboard for easier texting (I personally love the fact that symbols and numbers are now combined under one key). In addition, the predictive text algorithms have also been optimized to provide fewer, more targeted word choices for faster communications.
All these improvements combine holistically to ensure an efficient and intuitive experience when using the BlackBerry Torch smartphone, whether you’re BBM™ chatting with a friend or playing the latest game.

(YouTube link for easy mobile viewing)

4. The all-touch BlackBerry Torch smartphone is packed to the gills with new features, including an HD camera and Magnetometer
In addition to the large and crisp screen, the all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones have many hardware features new to BlackBerry smartphones, including an HD camera and magnetometer (also known as a “digital compass”). These features aren’t just for show, but allow BlackBerry smartphone users to create, consume and share great content on their device. Here are a few examples:
Camera – The BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphone cameras supports HD recording at 720p to capture stunning videos to view on your BlackBerry smartphone, computer or HDTV. But my favorite feature has to be the 5MP, zero-shutter lag photo camera. I have a five-month-old son and my BlackBerry Torch smartphone (which is always with me) has been the perfect tool for me to capture those special moments. The ability to upload these photos from within the Camera app with a few clicks to Facebook® so I can virtually instantly share these moments with friends and family turns the BlackBerry Torch into something more than a smartphone for me.
Magnetometer – Combined with the Camera app and GPS, the magnetometer or digital compass on the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones has enabled a new class of “augmented reality” applications on the BlackBerry platform. One example is the Wikitude augmented reality browser, which will be available on the BlackBerry App World™ storefront at launch. The Wikitude browser combines real and virtual worlds via the Camera viewfinder to provide immediate and relevant data about one’s surroundings. One great feature of the Wikitude browser is its integration with BBM 6. This (opt-in) feature allows you to see the location of your BBM 6 contacts in real-time and spontaneously arrange to meet for coffee if you happen to be in the same ‘hood. See the video above for an example.

5. The new BlackBerry 7 OS powers the all-touch BlackBerry Torch smartphone
Together with the powerful hardware found in the BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphone, the new BlackBerry 7 OS offers a variety of performance and usability enhancements resulting in a truly wonderful user experience. Annu plans to talk about BlackBerry 7 in more detail in an upcoming post, so we will highlight one specific aspect of BlackBerry 7: something we call ‘Liquid Graphics’.
From the ground up, the software architecture of BlackBerry 7 has been redesigned to maximize the use of hardware acceleration and graphical fidelity. This optimization allows for rich graphics, smooth animations and a fluid touch experience. Liquid Graphics touches much of the features discussed above, from the new BlackBerry browser to the all-touch UI to 3rd party applications like the Wikitude browser or 3D games. Combined with the large screen, Liquid Graphics provides a responsive and striking graphical experience for BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphone users.
Please post a comment and let Troy and Sangita know what you think of the new all-touch BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 smartphones, and don’t hesitate to ask questions about each device!

Check out the Global BlackBerry PlayBook Community

Now that the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet is being used in a wide variety of industries by a range of various professionals, I thought it would be prudent to throw a spotlight on one of the more interesting communities involved with the product, as well as how you can get involved and provide feedback. I had the pleasure of speaking with John H., a member of the Beta Programs team at Research In Motion® (RIM®). Check out the conversation below!
Hi John, can you give us a quick introduction to what you do at RIM?
Sure, Luke. RIM’s Beta team operates programs for new software through the BlackBerry® Beta Zone. My colleagues and I are members of the beta team and are specifically interested in the BlackBerry® Tablet OS; what people think of it, how they use it, what they’d change, and what they love about it. It is essential to our job to make sure the voice of our customers is represented internally.
So what is the “Global BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Community”?
The community is open to anyone in BlackBerry Beta Zone and is an open forum for discussions about the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the BlackBerry Tablet OS.

How does RIM work with the members?
We’re in the discussion boards every day reading what people are sharing with us. Also, after every new software release, we capture the feedback of users through a survey once they’ve upgraded. Because we develop these devices for our customers, as I mentioned previously, it’s very important to us to have a solid understanding of their needs, thoughts, and requests.
Where does feedback go after it’s provided by the community?
My team is very close to stakeholders and product owners at the company who coordinate the product development process. We then use this information to contribute to building and developing top notch mobile technology. All of the feedback is important to us, and we’re always looking for important trends, which is why it is important for users to weigh in with their thoughts on hot topics in BlackBerry Beta Zone.
How can individuals get involved?
The process is simple – BlackBerry Beta Zone is free and easy to join. After signing up or logging in, they can look for the Global BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Community in the “Eligible Programs” area as displayed in the image below. They can then hop into the discussion boards and let us know what they think. It’s our promise that posts and opinions are read, and we often respond with our own thoughts and interactions.

Thanks for your time John! It sounds like a great opportunity to become involved in the future of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.
We definitely have an exciting opportunity here to shape the future – we’re looking forward to everyone’s thoughts!

WES is now part of BlackBerry World



Please welcome a new addition to the Inside BlackBerry Blog, Sarah Burt! Sarah works on the Corporate Marketing team at Research In Motion® (RIM) and will be providing updates on our new conference, BlackBerry World, going forward. Post a comment and say hi! Ed.
If you’re an IT administrator, developer, or BlackBerry® partner, then you’ve probably attended WES at some point in the past 9 years. WES has been our flagship BlackBerry conference held in Orlando, Florida each spring. We have attracted over 5000 customers and partners annually to come network and get an in-depth view of all things BlackBerry.
Now there’s a new conference taking its place – BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry World conference is the best place to get all the necessary news and information related to BlackBerry, with a ton of hands-on and interactive content. This is truly the place to come and get an in-depth, 360-degree view of all things BlackBerry. You’ll still get all the WES tracks and sessions you’re used to, and we’re also adding tracks exclusively for BlackBerry Channel Partners. We’ll have over 100 sessions on topics ranging from supporting individual-liable smartphones in your environment to getting up to speed on the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet. Over 150 sponsors will take part in the Solutions Showcase, where you’ll find apps that make your job easier and apps that make waiting in line easier. And of course, we’ll continue to present insightful keynote speakers and the very latest in BlackBerry announcements.
Registration opens in January, but you can find out more about the BlackBerry World conference now by checking out www.blackberryworld.com. Continue to watch the Inside BlackBerry Blog for more conference posts from me in 2011 – I’ll keep you up to date on the latest conference details. We’re excited for the next phase!

BlackBerry PlayBook Web Fidelity Video (Multimedia, Games and Social Networking)

Check out our latest BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet video, just in time for CES 2011! When we posted the BlackBerry PlayBook vs. iPad comparison video, many Inside BlackBerry readers posted comments suggesting a variety of different websites they’d like to see on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and we took that to heart in our new video.
Our good friend Matthew from the web browser group at Research In Motion® (RIM®) is back as well, demonstrating rich web video content using both HTML5 and Adobe® Flash®, and social networking with Facebook® Chat, Facebook Flash games and viewing embedded content in your News Feed.
Please post a comment to let us know what you think and keep suggesting more websites you’d like to see running on BlackBerry PlayBook! If you’re interested in more PlayBook video content, check out this Inside BlackBerry Developer’s Blog video on the BlackBerry Tablet OS SDK, which outlines some of the tools developers can use to make great BlackBerry PlayBook apps.