Research in Motion announced on Wednesday five new smartphones to be released later this year, including two new versions of the BlackBerry Torch series.
As the most noteworthy of the bunch, the BlackBerry Torch 9810 is RIM's flagship 4G device to run exclusively on AT&T's HSPA+ network. The phone will come with a powerful 1.2-GHz processor, a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, and RIM's signature slide-out qwerty keyboard.
All of the devices will run on the company's new BlackBerry OS 7 platform, an updated version of the smartphone software that brings a speed boost to the BlackBerry WebKit browser, enhanced HTML5 performance, hardware accelerated graphics and NFC support.
The company will also offer two Sprint-carried devices, the Bold 9930 and the Torch 9850. RIM boasts the Bold as its “thinnest smartphone ever,” coupled with a 2.8-inch touch screen and qwerty keyboard. Sprint's Torch comes with the largest touch screen ever seen on a BlackBerry at 3.7 inches, pre-loaded Docs to Go software, and no physical keyboard whatever — it's the first full-touch BlackBerry device for Sprint.
RIM has had a difficult year. Once the leader of all things mobile, the company's market share has dwindled to a shadow of its former numbers over the course of the past two years. The release of the PlayBook tablet was supposed to be RIM's turnaround device, but lackluster reviews and dismal sales numbers made the launch a failure.
RIM's suite of new smartphones could help the company move toward a rebound. But as Technologizer's Harry McCracken points out, the company is already talking about future smartphones powered by an entirely different operating system — QNX — which could render this group of new phones obsolete sooner rather than later.
The Torch 9810 is set to debut later this month, while no time frame was given for the Sprint devices. Pricing details are yet to be released.
source: Gadget Lab
