BlackBerry bringing touching Torch 9800 to Telstra Next G

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 04 August 2010 11:21

Your IT - Mobility

Telstra has just been in contact to advise that RIM's new BlackBerry Torch 9800, just announced in the US and due there on August 12 and 'later this year' for Australia, but it comes hot on the heels of threats that BlackBerry services will be soon be switched off in the middle east.

Imagine that, eh? Research in Motion, or RIM, is getting slammed by countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India and others because RIM's BlackBerry security is too strong.

Too strong for those countries to break through and monitor, that is, with those countries wanting RIM to give it a way to snoop into email communications without necessarily giving those countries and governments a way to break into the encryption and security that RIM is so well known for, right up to being suitable for use in government departments such as defence.

It's a funny old world when security is being claimed as being too strong, but hey, that's the world we live in.

Hot on the heels of the threat to ban the BlackBerry in some countries comes the news of the successor to the BlackBerry Bold 9700'¦ the BlackBerry Torch 9800, a 'slider' phone with the expected BlackBerry keyboard while still providing a full touch screen experience.

We covered some of the details of this new BlackBerry earlier this morning, looking at how it comes with a new operating system known as OS 6, promising smooth and fluid visuals, much better multimedia support, an improved emailing experience, multitouch capabilities, a WebKit based browser and much more.

We also expressed amazement that RIM would once again choose the world's most hated telecommunications company, AT&T, to launch the BlackBerry Torch 9800 through, but it's one of those crazy things that phone manufacturers do, even crazy cool ones like Apple with its iPhones.

The Torch 9800 is RIM's true answer to the iPhone iPhenomenon, with the previous Storm and Storm II failing to truly spark the imagination of BlackBerrians, but if initial indications are any guide (which they weren't for the Storm), the Torch 9800 really looks like it will satisfy the gadget lust of executives wanting something like the iPhone without giving up their BlackBerries and their legendary email capabilities, still the most advanced of any smartphone on the market.

Much more on page two to sink your teeth into... please read on for the conclusion, including commentary from Telstra.