The BlackBerry Torch is a tying run — but not a game-changer.
Sure, the new phone boasts a slew of improved features to help catch up with the likes of the iPhone and Android, but it still has the cumbersome physique that has long made the BlackBerry undesirable.
For all RIM’s efforts at cramming the new device with features like a snazzy touchscreen and better camera, the company failed to match the competition in sleekness and style.
Its faster browser brings the Torch up to speed with the newer smartphones, but it does not surpass them.
Features like pinch to zoom and sliding panels may be novel for BlackBerry, but they’re old hat for the iPhone owners.
The slide-out keyboard is hidden snugly under the phone, but the design lacks the iPhone’s cool factor.
Who needs a keyboard anyway? BlackBerry is clinging to irrelevant hardware like the trackpad and the physical keyboard, largely to appease its loyal customers.
The iPhone, on the other hand, has long embraced a less-is-more aesthetic, and has proven you only really need one button,
The Torch’s modest improvements, like application purchases that charge your phone bill directly and a longer battery life are too paltry to move legions of devotees away from the competitors.
This new BlackBerry does boast a more customizable interface, with icons that can be moved around depending on usage or even hidden from view.
Keeping the screen clean is a good idea in theory, but the Torch’s abundance of options makes the device more complicated without much added value to the user experience.
The Torch becomes commercially available on Aug. 12.
The best BlackBerry can hope for with this effort is to keep its current customers from jumping ship.