1. lawguyman's Avatar
    Having now used the Torch for a while, I feel that I know how good the phone is. The Torch is my forth Blackberry and my wife has used another, so I know five different Blackberries pretty well. I also have owned and liked an iPhone. I have only played with an Android phone - the Captivate. I am a business user, but I also use the phone for my own use.

    I am very happy with the Torch, even though it is not perfect.

    First thing is that there is definitely a learning curve with this device. Going from the various Blackberries over the years has been pretty painless. If you know one, you know them all. This is almost true with the Torch. Truth is that if you never used the touch screen, you could pretty much use the Torch like any other Blackberry. But, why would you? The touch screen adds to the experience, but it also requires some learning. It has taken me a few days to get the hang of swipes and taps and everything else. I am using the trackpad less and less over time. I'm still glad its there, though.

    I find the screen to be great. I really do. People can disagree. That is their right. It is bright. It is pretty contrasty. Swipes and taps are responsive. More pixels would satisfy some people but I will lose no sleep over the screen.

    The OS is also really nice. As Blackberry has said, it is both familar and new. I don't experience any lag at all. It is very responsive. Programs open and close quickly. Everything is smooth. I have noticed one thing that is probably OS-related. Once in a while when installing a program, a set of buttons will become unresponsive and I can't click on them. So, I just use the track pad. Whatever this is should be fixed.

    The BEST thing about the new OS is the Universal Search feature. I am surprised that no more people are talking about it. It makes it very easy to find out basically anything. I use it all the time and it saves a LOT of time in searching e-mails, finding out how to do something with the Blackberry, googling, or finding an App. Use it a few times and you will be hooked.

    I find the build quality of my phone to be excellent. It feels good in my hand. Phone quality has been great. The slider feels like it is well made and won't break after a few months of use.

    The new browser is also very welcome and makes browsing competitive with otehr smartphones. It is a little slower than other platforms, especially on 3G, but I don't mind. It is fairly fast and renders pages accurately.

    Apps and music are real weaknesses. Why, oh why, did no one make sure that the Slingplayer worked with the Torch? Same with Pandora. Plus, you don't have a huge selection of Apps at all. Also, is there any non-subscription music service available that can be used on this phone? It would be nice to be able to buy a song or two. RIM has a lot of work to do if it wants to make headway in the consumer market.

    It goes without saying that e-mail is exceptional. Same as you would expect from RIM.

    I really like this phone. It is well put together and well engineered. The new OS is a big improvement. RIM needs to focus on Apps and Music if it wants a real consumer success. This won't happen overnight.
    08-16-10 10:38 AM
  2. mark_rivers19's Avatar
    i totally agree with you on your review.
    but i'm willing to trade the smoothness of using iTunes for my music ( iphone)
    with the media player in the Torch.
    the Phone works. and that's what is important for me.
    08-16-10 10:41 AM
  3. blackberry3030's Avatar
    i totally agree with you on your review.
    but i'm willing to trade the smoothness of using iTunes for my music ( iphone)
    with the media player in the Torch.
    the Phone works. and that's what is important for me.
    Hey I tried to pm you. PM me
    08-16-10 10:45 AM
  4. JasW's Avatar
    The BEST thing about the new OS is the Universal Search feature. I am surprised that no more people are talking about it. It makes it very easy to find out basically anything. I use it all the time and it saves a LOT of time in searching e-mails, finding out how to do something with the Blackberry, googling, or finding an App. Use it a few times and you will be hooked.
    I've sung its praises here a couple of times, but there has been an awful lot of clutter in this forum since Thursday. You are right, it is an absolutely AMAZING feature. Nothing compares to it on any other phone, and it is one of the most powerful tools one can have. Addresses, products, stupid questions, something in an email, obscure phone functions, pictures of Chiqui Delgado, whatever. All by just doing nothing but picking up the phone and immediately starting to type. (Well, you do have to slide the keyboard open or click on Show Keyboard.)
    08-16-10 11:03 AM
  5. Serkle K's Avatar
    I like the universal search, even though I am only at the point of still figuring out how to navigate and set the device to my liking. It's been an instrumental part of that... Just an observation, and not so much a negative thought or gripe... with the uses of Universal Search, are all these other menus or icons really necessary?

    I just made folders and hid many of them like I did with my 9000. I use the application shortcuts, and if I don't have the screen open, I usually go right to my "All" or "Frequent" tabs and what I need is right there. I like how the "Frequent" changes as you use it more. It's like my BB is adapting to me, instead of me adapting to it.
    08-16-10 11:27 AM
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