Impressions

I have a 9700 and I am very happy with it. I have been happy with every BlackBerry I have owned (except the 9000 which I ditched in 24 hours) until the next one came along and then it started all over again.

So, I trot along to the phone store and since the manager knows me and what I do for fun (yes, Crackberry IS fun - weel, for me it is :confused:) and I ask to try a 9800.

My first impression was Jeez, this thing is heavy.

I found that whilst the screen is quite a bit bigger than the one on my 9700, it was not that huge as I was expecting. In fact many other modern phones seem to have larger screens than the 9800.

The thing I liked least were the two little rails running each side of the keyboard. They were raised up and impeded my access to the keys.

It was still heavy.

OS6 is OS6 and I have that on my 9700. The bigger screen was a big help with OS6. More icons and less need for the dumb sideways scrolling.

The touch screen needs a bit of getting used to and an in-store trial wass clearly not long enough.

I was there to buy a new phone but left empty handed. I was not impressed enough with the 9800 to part with the dough to buy the 9800 outright. I never get phones on-contract. I buy them full price and then buy my network access as I need it.

The 9800 is a brilliant phone but I'll stick with my trusty but less than a year old 9700.

OS6 is very touch screen centric in a lot of ways.

You might not realize it from not having spent enough time with it, but the differences are there...

I returned my Torch after using it for a week as I just couldn't get used to the flat out physical keyboard or the virtual keyboard. Although the performance was outstanding and fast, The battery also was not so good

Much happier with my 9700 now :)

I have had my Torch about a month now, since I upgraded from a 9000, and I LOVE it! Heavy? Nah... Bad battery? Not mine..

:)

I'm glad you guys are taking this as just my personal opinion and not as a negative troll post.

I love BlackBerrys, no-one more than me in here, I think, and I offer the impressions I wrote in my OP as simply a geek who wandered into a phone shop and got hold of the leatest and greatest gadget.

papped is bang-on right when he sayst that OS6 is touch centric - a bit like Mrs. Pete6, I suppose;). Itis just that and I have not yet learned the touch (on OS6, not with Mrs.Pete6 - that's under control - hehe).

I may yet buy one just to learn how to use OS6 Touch - thanks papped you just cost me money, man:confused:.

It's a different beast basically. If you like the single unit form factor best, a slider just isn't the same.

That said sliders have benefits that single piece full qwerty can't do, so...

All I can say is double tap in the browser, pinch zoom, scrolling the screen with trackpad + simultaneously selecting items with touchscreen (or even just finger swiping). MUCH faster than trackpad only. Once you get used to selecting things this way it's a little hard to go back.

Originally Posted by papped

It's a different beast basically. If you like the single unit form factor best, a slider just isn't the same.

That said sliders have benefits that single piece full qwerty can't do, so...

All I can say is double tap in the browser, pinch zoom, scrolling the screen with trackpad + simultaneously selecting items with touchscreen (or even just finger swiping). MUCH faster than trackpad only. Once you get used to selecting things this way it's a little hard to go back.

I am attracted to slider phones. I like "real" keyboards so I hated the original Storm.

The thing I liked best about the 9800 was (is???) that the phone can stil be used one handed due to the vertical keyboard.

Horizontal slider or hinged devices cannot be so used.

I am going to have to try and live with a touch screen and bring myself into the 21st century.

Pete, one old fart to another :p I resisted the 9800 mightily, I mean to the extent
of reading almost none of the threads about it or OS 6.

When I finally got one my impressions were pretty much the same as yours but
after a few days it really did grow on me as did OS 6.

The keyboard takes a bit of getting used to and the virtual keyboard is complete
rubbish IMO but everything else about the phone I am pleased with. Takes
a bit of hands on time I guess.

Originally Posted by amazinglygraceless

Pete, one old fart to another :p I resisted the 9800 mightily, I mean to the extent
of reading almost none of the threads about it or OS 6.

When I finally got one my impressions were pretty much the same as yours but
after a few days it really did grow on me as did OS 6.

The keyboard takes a bit of getting used to and the virtual keyboard is complete
rubbish IMO but everything else about the phone I am pleased with. Takes
a bit of hands on time I guess.

I guess you should know.


Definition of methuselah - slight difference in spelling.

• (Old Testament) a patriarch (grandfather of Noah) who is said to have lived 969 years
• old man: a man who is vcy old

;):):confused:

I think that maybe I shall spend the money after Christmas and go buy myself one.

Coming from the Bold 9000, I also thought the Torch felt heavy at first. But then I realized that the weight makes the phone feel solid.
I love this phone. I thought I would hold out for a 9000 update or the 9780, but the Torch is awesome. I am not looking back at the 9000 like I thought I would.
To each his or her own, though. :)

Originally Posted by Pete6

I am attracted to slider phones. I like "real" keyboards so I hated the original Storm.

The thing I liked best about the 9800 was (is???) that the phone can stil be used one handed due to the vertical keyboard.

Horizontal slider or hinged devices cannot be so used.

I am going to have to try and live with a touch screen and bring myself into the 21st century.

I wasn't a fan of touchscreens, but I think the strongest resistance to touchscreen technology is really in the BB owners out of all the cellphone owners, since they are virtually married to their physical keyboards and possibly one of many reasons they might have gotten a BB instead of an iPhone.

I think RIM is trying to put the BB communities on a therapy with the touchscreen option, beside trying to attract those who rather have a touchscreen than a physical keyboard.


Actually, I have never seen such a violent opposition to touchscreen technology utilized at the phones, like it is present in the BB communities. Perhaps it has to do also , how RIM screwed up with the Storm's "surepress" thing, which was weird for even regular touchscreen users.

On the other hand, the first month of owning the Torch, I used nothing else but the physical keyboard, but I kinda forced myself to start using the touch-keyboard.

I rarely slide the keyboard open now, I just bring up the touch-keyboard instead for almost everything. It has grown on me now, especially after installing some new dictionaries for other languages, and instead of reaching across the entire physical keyboard for the suggested word I was looking for, it's very close to my finger tips, so it takes less time now. The vertical touch-screen keyboard still quite challenging to use with the tiny letters, but I think the horizontal one is pretty good and easy.

Originally Posted by Shodan775

I wasn't a fan of touchscreens, but I think the strongest resistance to touchscreen technology is really in the BB owners out of all the cellphone owners, since they are virtually married to their physical keyboards and possibly one of many reasons they might have gotten a BB instead of an iPhone.

I think RIM is trying to put the BB communities on a therapy with the touchscreen option, beside trying to attract those who rather have a touchscreen than a physical keyboard.


Actually, I have never seen such a violent opposition to touchscreen technology utilized at the phones, like it is present in the BB communities. Perhaps it has to do also , how RIM screwed up with the Storm's "surepress" thing, which was weird for even regular touchscreen users.

On the other hand, the first month of owning the Torch, I used nothing else but the physical keyboard, but I kinda forced myself to start using the touch-keyboard.

I rarely slide the keyboard open now, I just bring up the touch-keyboard instead for almost everything. It has grown on me now, especially after installing some new dictionaries for other languages, and instead of reaching across the entire physical keyboard for the suggested word I was looking for, it's very close to my finger tips, so it takes less time now. The vertical touch-screen keyboard still quite challenging to use with the tiny letters, but I think the horizontal one is pretty good and easy.

iI am gld u got used to the keyboard as I couldnt do it

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I use the Virtual KB for basically everything on the Torch and i have "large" fingers, but it is getting easier to use each time now, it is all muscle memory really..

This is my first BB and I am very happy with the phone so far, used for only 1 month.
I dont use the virtual keyboard for long emails or texts, but its great for quick bbm replies and browsing around.

The only thing that really annoys me is the fingerprints on the screen.

Here goes.. I've been a BB user for about 18 months now. Started with the 8900, moved on to the 9700, then to the Torch and now back to the 9700.

I was hooked on to BB after the 8900 and 9700 experience, but the Torch has made me believe that RIM should henceforth be called Rickety in Motion. I was thoroughly disappointed with the build quality on the Torch. I got the phone through an outright sale in India, paying about 800$.

The screen when open shook up/down, left/right, squeaky noises when pressing the menu keys when the screen was open, loose battery cover.

OS6 was terribly slow, unresponsive at times, lots of bugs in the OS (sms bug, double number dialling..when I tried to dial a number it would show twice..example, if I pressed 4, it would show as 44, thus making dialing impossible, but always fixed with a battery pull)

The phone's no where as fast as the 9700 on OS5. Only saving grace is Webkit browser, 5 MP camera. Don't understand the lack of front facing camera in the 3g age.

Searching for contacts was a pain, as the lag in displaying the contact is huge (when compared to 9700). Plus you can't see the contact's company name when you search from home screen.

I've returned it for a full refund and gone back to a new 9700, which is superb!

IMO, the Torch needs to be torched.

Other than a few quirks and glitches (mostly associated with the browser in .337), here and there, I'm overall very happy with my Torch. My hardware is very solid, with the screen only wobbling a tiny bit if I force it. The only real problem is the sticky menu keys, but they remain fully functional.

In love with the torch since about day 3 of owning it. Was tough to get used to a touchscreen, but after a while I find myself using it more and more instead of the trackpad. A lot of times the only time I use the trackpad now is when selecting a link in a web page that's too small to click with the screen. I'll admit .141 was absolutely horrible for a launch OS, and a lot of peoples bad experiences are with that and not the device itself. Only hardware issue I have is the slight left to right wobble in the screen when it's closed. Not really enough to bother me(no severe OCD like a lot of people have). Overall I would rate the phone somewhere around a 85 out of 100. Mainly due to the build quality.

Having never owned a slider, I was a bit skeptical as I thought I would have liked to have had a horizontal slider but now that I have had the Torch for more than 3 months, I love it. The keyboard is similar to but more solid than my 9700. If the keys were set the same height, the device would have been thicker and heavier. The new OS and webkit browser are a nice improvement. The touchscreen with its increased real estate in conjunction with the trackpad and physical keyboard make the overall experience more enjoyable and productive. Each new device has new features that take getting used to. With each new OS update, it continues to re-affirm that I made the right choice for my needs.

I can understand the reluctance to step outside your comfort zone but to give up on a device because of the keyboard or some other very minor aspect or not to make a concerted effort of more than a week is downright finicky. Whatever you reason for not keeping a Torch, best of luck with the device that you have now but please move on and stop copy/pasting the same comments about why you didn't like the device.

I am one of the old farts and am somewhat set in my ways but I am still will to try new things. In trying new things, effort equals reward. I like the smell of panckes but the flip-floppers drive me crazy.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

hahahah. Saw the pancake reference in another thread, now I get it.

The 9800 torch....well ive had mine for about a month now and i have to say i do like it alot...at first i waqsnt that impressed with it as i had problems getting used to the size of it and the hardware keyboard wasnt as good as my 9700. Luckily for me i didnt buy mine but my fiancee bought it for me on my bday last mth as she knows im a BB man through and through.

The only things i dont really like about the 9800 is the screen res....the fonts look all jaggy etc and compared to the 9700 it isnt as sharp but thats obvious as its a bigger screen...im also not a fan of the onscreen keyboard...try as i might i just cant type as fast as i can with a hardware keyboard...it would be so helpful and nice if RIM could incorporate a slight vibrate ie haptic feedback when using the onscreen keyboard. Also i feel RIM dropped the ball on the battery life....its not as good as the 9700 thats for sure although with the 337 OS its better than what it was with the shipping OS.

BUT saying that i do like the 9800 alot...the advs far outweigh the disadvs...well for me they do. It just takes a bit of time getting used to it but for me stepping out of my comfort zone ie the 9700 and 9000 before the 9800 it was rather strange getting used to it but now i wouldnt give it up although on the flipside i do miss my 9700 at times.

I just hope that this is a stepping stone to a better device in the future...to me it seems like this phone is a bit like the first Storm although without the many bugs that had...the second Storm model was much better i have to admit. So can only hope that RIM take the 9800 and further improve on it for the next release.