Decent Phone

When I found out that Blackberry was going to release a touch screen/keyboard combo, I could hardly wait to get one! I have had my Blackberry Torch since November and have been generally happy with it. The pros: The choice to use a keyboard or touchscreen, the size is not too cumbersome and the picture quality of the camera is excellent. When I took pictures of Half Dome in Yosemite with my Torch, the pictures came out crystal clear and no one could believe a phone camera could provide that quality.

The Cons: It is very awkward to get to the battery case, such as to reboot the phone. I have the Google Voice app loaded and if too much memory is used up on the phone, Google Voice freezes, causing me to reboot. The so called easily removable battery case is very hard to move and is awkward as well. Another con is the phone tends to be very top heavy when you slide the screen up to use the QWERTY keyboard. The keys are smaller than the previous Bold keyboard but it is still easy to type on.

I hope that Blackberry gets on the bandwagon with a faster browser and more apps, but all in all, I have been a loyal Blackberry user and have enjoyed using the Torch.

Excellent phone for the cost, although a bit outdated

The Curve series phones all look similar, the 8530 is most closely related to the 8330. It has more memory, newer operating system support, and a touch trackpad instead of ball like the 8330. Virgin's plans ($25 + $10 for BIS/BES Blackberry service) are the cheapest for Blackberry handsets to my knowledge. I like how replacement parts are easily found on eBay for the housing, etc.

The phone functions well for everything I try doing. It runs multiple apps without slowing down much, and it has tools like spreadsheet, word, and powerpoint to go. They are immensely helpful for those in any business field. If you just want a toy it's not as flashy as others and the $10 for BIS/BES a month might not be worth it to you.

BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) is a great messenger service and lightyears ahead of SMS texting, but you must consider that the people you wish to contact also have BBM. Wifi connection is a huge plus. Call reception and clarity is outstanding compared to many phones I've used. It also has plenty of security tools for users.

Overall, I'd say don't buy a Blackberry if you're not too tech savvy and require very simple operation. If you love technology and enjoy tweaking and modifying themes and advanced settings there is no better handset than a Blackberry. They support free tools for users to create their own apps and themes. RIM Blackberries also have many incredible features that sadly most consumers cannot easily tap into. You can also browse the web to find helpful forums and/or tutorials to help you do just about anything with these handsets.

Blackberry 9800

BlackBerry and touchscreen haven’t previously been a great match. The first touchscreen phone from the Canadian email masters was the Storm, well-named because it went down like a wet weekend. There was much to like, such as the click-through touchscreen that confirmed each finger press. But it lacked wi-fi, was horrible to type on and the software was unforgivably flaky.
More than that, you had to ask why the company that made the best keyboards on any portable device had delivered a product without any keys at all. This week, BlackBerry’s owner Research in Motion announced the Torch: a touchscreen BlackBerry with, wait for it, a slide-out keyboard. The best of both worlds, perhaps.
The Torch looks like a businesslike Palm Pre Plus – which is no bad thing – but with BlackBerry’s familiar grid of icons. This has had an overhaul to make it look what RIM is calling ‘fresh and familiar’ as part of the new operating system, version 6, which aims to be more user-friendly to newcomers. BlackBerry has a markedly different system from other phones and does take some getting used to. While this new OS is glitzier and more intuitive, it’s an organic development from the earlier one. If you have a BlackBerry Bold or Bold 9700, by the way, the new OS will work on them too and should be available soon.
Universal Search is a handy feature on the phone. Just start typing and the software automatically looks for everything relevant, including contacts, emails and more. If there’s nothing in the device, you’re offered links to Google and other sources. Palm pioneered this but BlackBerry has added extra destinations like YouTube. It’s a highly efficient way to find things.
The new OS also has an internet browser which is massively faster than before. Multitouch is now supported so you can pinch to zoom as on the iPhone.
Of course, the key benefits of BlackBerry are preserved: gold-standard email delivery that’s fast, efficient and secure, an unbeatably usable keyboard and the cost-effective BlackBerry Messenger. Wherever in the world you are, you can send unlimited instant messages to other BBM users at no extra cost – something that’s been adopted happily by backpacking students wanting to text home for free as much as savvy business users wanting an immediate conversation of messages with colleagues.
If you’re not keen on touchscreens, the BlackBerry Bold 9700 is still very hard to beat, but this is a highly impressive business phone.

Want a Blackberry? This is the one

Not really a Blackberry fanatic, but this one is definitely the best of it's kind. The touch and awesome Blackberry QWERTY combo makes it a must have for everyone out there who's interested in Blackberrys.

The build quality is great with the metallic finish on the sides. The rubbery battery cover makes sure it doesn't slip off your hand while you're using it. And of course RIM makes the best QWERTY keyboards out there. It's a breeze to type on the backlit keyboard in any light condition.

Blackberrys were never known for their multimedia capabilities. This one's no different. The 5MP camera and VGA videos can't really even replace your point to shoot cameras but it works when you're in a situation where you must take a picture but there's no camera available.

Overall this is a pretty good phone phone. Good keyboard, stylish form factor makes it suitable for people of all age, sex and occupation.

Excellent phone, highly recommended product

It is an excellent phone – OS6 is definitely change for BlackBerry (BB) – excellent user friendly features making it depart from spartan design of the past and getting it much closer to the likes of iPhone and/or those with HTC’s sense... Still, it kept most of the great communication features of BB’s of the past, as well as the fantastic BB keyboard. Good thing is that visual enhancements haven’t taken away that feeling of snappy response on command as it was before. Many of the features usable even on networks without BB data plan.
Still, the desire to have both, the large touch screen and to keep the keyboard has brought in some unwanted side effects. The phone is now much thicker than any other BB model and feels much heavier. I am generally not big fan of sliding mechanisms, since it is usually the place where phone breaks down fastest, especially if the exploitation ratio is high, but whether that is the case or not is something I will have to wait, since the phone is still fairly new.
Overall, it is an excellently crafted phone, definitely BB’s flagship.