[Average Joe]

Got some face time with the Torch today at my AT&T Store...monkeyed around on it for about 30 minutes...my impressions:

Build quality: SOLID. After hearing about the heavier weight of this device compared to my 9700, I was worried...but it didnt feel heavy at all. Holding the Torch in one hand, and my 9700 in the other, there wasnt much difference at all. It will feel right at home in my pocket.

Slider: Designed really well. Effortless top open and close, without feeling like it could open or close accidentally. Also very balanced when open, which surprised me. Good job, RIM.

Homescreen: Screen resolution is not an issue for me. The screen looked as vibrant and clear as my 9700 screen, and I think the size is PERFECT. I like the clickable areas like connections, notifications, etc...universal search is nice, but when I typed "google maps" in the search, a browser icon didnt pop up...I figured if the app wasnt installed, a browser icon would be there so I could jump on the web to find it...maybe I did something wrong, or maybe thats not how it works...at any rate, its an interesting addition and Im sure Ill figure it out and it will come in handy once I get the concept...lol

OS6: Pretty cool, and it looks slick, IMO. I did get the "claustrophobic" feel a few times, but I think thats mostly because theres so much more going on than in previous OS's. Im sure the adjustment time to get used to it will be about a couple of hours at most.

I like the new icons and the addition of icons in things like the option menus. It just looks cleaner and not so outdated. Scrolling up and down menus was very responsive and fluid with no lag that I could see. Contact list also looked pretty sweet.

Im not really a fan of the popup menu thingy for apps - it felt like I had to hold my finger on the screen forever for it to pop up...I doubt I will use that feature much, but I can see how some might.

The updated calendar looks nice although I didnt really look into the new features...the clock looked pretty much the same...

There were no social sites setup on the phone, so the Social Feeds app was pretty much empty, although I love the idea and look of it, and I know Ill use it heavily...

Made a call, and the call quality was solid with the slider closed.

Navigation: Pretty basic and easy, although will take a bit of getting used to since this will be my first touchscreen phone. Response wasnt quite as instant as the iPhone, but what phone is...lol...my world wont end because it takes 1/3 of a second to flip to the next screen. A few times, when flipping through apps on the homescreen, though, I accidentally opened an app here or there. This could just be a screen sensitivity setting, I didnt go in and try to change it, as I was pressed for time and just wanted to get a quick feel for this phone before an extended test drive later this week. It annoyed me though, having to hit the back button or close the app. Anyway, Im a touchscreen rookie, so this is probably just a noob issue.

Browser: It performed to my expectations, I dont see what all the negativity is about. I visited 6 or 7 of my usual sites, and they all loaded quickly with no noticiable hangups, wayyy faster than my 9700 BB browser. All sites were loaded on 3G, I didnt have WiFi turned on. Scrolling was fluid and smooth, as was pinch/zoom. A couple of sites were redirected to the mobile version, but I didnt go into browser settings to see if that could be changed. I was unable to click "exit mobile view" on the Crackberry site for some reason, but Ive seen the desktop version on this phone in videos, so Im sure a quick trip into settings would fix this. Having websites on a FULL screen is one of the main reasons Im upgrading. The webkit browser gets two thumbs up.

Media: I did a quick tour through a few media apps. I took a short video that looked fine to me, better than video on my 9700, but that could have been because I was looking at a larger screen and could just see the video better. The video I took, as well as a preloaded video that was on the phone looked GREAT in landscape, and the player controls popped up instantly when I tapped the screen. The camera is a nice upgrade. I definitely like how the pic is taken instantly, instead of having the second or so lag after pressing the button like my 9700 has while it focuses. I took a few pics inside the store, and the quality was excellent, even without a flash. I didnt test out the different scenes though. Pinch/zoom worked flawlessly on pics. I didnt open the music player, as I had other things to try out...

Google Maps: I searched for Blackberry Maps with universal search, but nothing came up, so I downloaded and installed Google Maps since its one of my favorite apps and I wanted to see it in its full screen glory. I was also curious to see if pinch/zoom would work with the app - it does not. However, when a map is onscreen, there are 2 magnifying glass icons in the bottom left corner of the screen - one for zoom in, one for zoom out. Response was quick when either was tapped, and panning the map by dragging my finger on the screen was 100 times better than using a trackpad to scroll or pan. Theres also a small blue dot icon on the bottom right of the screen that centers your GPS location when tapped. Nice! I always have satellite view enabled, and it looked gorgeous on the screen. I use Google Maps almost every day on my 9700, and I can already tell that this app will be getting LOTS of run time when I get my Torch.

Keyboards:

Landscape virtual: Ok, Im not a big fan of landscape typing, but I was surprised how easy this keyboard was to use. It was pretty accurate, I think I only had 3 single-letter typos. The phone seemed to know which key I was meaning to press, which was pretty cool. One thing I like is the fact that it is a FULL keyboard, which eliminates the need for pressing the ALT key for things like periods, commas, etc. The stealth factor is also nice as far as having no clicky sound (see physical keyboard review below). I could see myself using this keyboard more and more as I get used to it, which is something I never thought Id say.

Portrait virtual: Ok, me and this keyboard dont get along. I couldnt type anything correctly on it lol... I seriously doubt I will ever use it, but I can see how lots of people with normal or small fingers will appreciate and use it. Its just not for me.

Physical keyboard: Ok, here we go...this is my LEAST favorite thing about this phone. It looks CHEAP. I really wish RIM would have stayed with the 9700 style keyboard (shiny, quiet, smooth). I think they actually took a step backwards with the Torch keyboard. Dont get me wrong, it FEELS rock solid, but it looks like Fisher-Price plastic, has a matte finish, and I am not a fan of the curve-like clicky sounds. As far as performance, it gets the job done, but I did have one problem - the edges of the phone are slightly raised (actually the keyboard itself is slightly recessed into the phone), which made it kinda difficult for me to type my own phone number when I attempted to send myself a text - pressing ALT-Z at the same time (for the number 7), I had to actually concentrate on doing it because its such a tight squeeze for my 2 fingers...I also found myself pressing the SHIFT key when I meant to press the ALT key for some reason...

Overall Opinion: This phone is a logical upgrade for me. Aside from the physical keyboard, I love the design, and like the upgrades RIM has provided with OS6. In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons by a country mile, and the fact that I get to stick with BB and have a touchscreen and a physical keyboard makes this a no brainer. I hope they do address a few things with the next Torch release, but for now this phone will be a welcome addition to my BB device history and I cant wait to buy one the day its released. I pretty much see this phone as a Bold with a full size touchscreen and updated OS, and Im okay with that.

[Average Joe]

Forgot to mention, one of the AT&T employees said something to me about an instant $100 rebate going on...I didnt pay much attention as I was focusing on the phone...lol...might be worth asking your local AT&T store about...

[BoldtotheMax]

Awesome review! Also I thought they said this is basically the 9700 physical keyboard? Every review I read basically states that.

I envy you guys that get to buy this phone.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Average Joe]

Let me rephrase a bit...the keyboard is the same "style" as the 9700, but its a little different in that the keys dont look or feel exactly the same. I was pretty surprised because I had read that it has the 9700 keyboard, but it was a little different. I really like the quieter, softer keys of my 9700. The keys on the display model I played with seemed stiff and had a click to them, which I dont care for. They also seemed a little smaller with a little more space between them than my 9700.

Its not enough to put me off of the phone though, Im still a big fan.

[dwnshft]

Good review. When do you guys on AT&T get it?

[MindTracker]

Great review, thanx! I will have mine in hand within the next couple days!! Can't wait!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[mcdanielnc89]

Thanks for the review. I'm wanting this phone even more now.

[rockyroad55]

With every day passing, I want the 9800 more than the iPhone 4.

[FrenchCrackberry]

Excellent review dude

[mikec8801]

very good review. I have no plans to get the phone but will stop by AT&T to check it out.

[SuperTone]

great review.... T-Minus 3 days and I will have this phone in my possession!!!

[nsx1164]

Great review - Thanks !!

Good feedback on the touchscreen, which was one of my concerns:
- performance on touch - the earlier BB efforts (Storm/Storm2) left a bad taste in many folks
- virtual keyboard - not really a big fan of these (reason I never went with iPhone)

I plan to upgrade as soon as eligible (mid/late September)

[jcp007]

Awesome review! Also I thought they said this is basically the 9700 physical keyboard? Every review I read basically states that.

I envy you guys that get to buy this phone.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

The physical keyboard has keys that do not sit up as high as the 9700 and they do not have the clackiness of the 9700. Dimension-wise they are both very close.