torch

RIM has been courting general consumers for a long time, but not quite succeeding. In the meantime, more and more rivals have encroached on RIM's keyboard territory with stepped-up QWERTYs. What's a struggling device maker to do? Introduce the BlackBerry Torch 9850 for Sprint, of course, and try to beat all-touch smartphone makers at their own game.

Possessing a 3.7-inch WVGA display, the Torch 9850 is RIM's best and largest touch-screen BlackBerry to date. In addition to the sharp screen is a certain element of style that we appreciate, and the phone feels good in the hand.… Read more

RIM clearly intends the Torch 9810 to be the budget-friendly handset in its BlackBerry OS 7 handset lineup. AT&T has just e-mailed us to let us know that the Torch 9810 will retail for a very affordable $49.95 after the usual rebates and two-year contract. It will be on sale on August 21.

The Torch 9810 is essentially a successor to the Torch 9800 from last year. It ships with OS 7 and has improved features like a 1.2GHz processor, a richer display, voice-activated universal search, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording, HSPA+ speeds, … Read more

Verizon Wireless announced today that the Bold 9930 will be available for $249.99 after a two-year customer agreement. The phone will be initially offered online starting today, and in stores starting August 25.

Hours later, and Sprint followed suit with a similar announcement that its version of the Bold 9930 will also be priced at $249.99 after a two-year agreement. Sprint also announced it will be selling the BlackBerry Torch 9850 for $149.99 after the usual two-year contract. Both the Bold 9930 and the Torch 9850 will be available on Sprint starting August 21.

The Bold 9930 … Read more

It seems August 21 might turn out to be a pretty busy day for Sprint. Not only is the carrier releasing the Samsung Conquer 4G that day, it might be also be launching the BlackBerry Bold 9930 and the BlackBerry Torch 9850, according to a leaked document spotted on SprintFeed. The document claimed Sprint priced the Bold 9930 at $249.99 after a rebate and a contract, while the Torch 9850 would sell for less, at $149.99 after a similar rebate and two-year contract.

The Bold 9930 and the Torch 9850 were both announced a week ago and are … Read more

TORONTO--To celebrate the announcement of the new BlackBerry OS 7 devices, RIM put on a special event for BlackBerry fans tonight to come check out the new models. Select media were also invited, and of course, we jumped at the chance to get a closer look at the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, BlackBerry Torch 9810, and BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860 because despite all of RIM's recent woes, we want to see the company succeed and offer compelling and competitive products.

From what we saw tonight, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that these new … Read more

AT&T will release three new BlackBerry phones running the new BlackBerry OS 7, AOL launches it own daily iPad-only magazine called Editions, and McAfee in a report in Vanity Fair reveals a new major hacking attack called "Operation: Shady RAT" that has been targeting government and private industry.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Though you can't shake a smartphone this summer without hitting someone writing a BlackBerry obituary, AT&T is not even close to attending a funeral. Today, the carrier announced that it was adding three new BlackBerry devices to its roster, starting with the BlackBerry Torch 9810 later this month. It's all very good news for worried BlackBerry fans, who could see seven new handsets from the manufacturer through the end of 2011.

The Torch 9810, aka the Torch 2 (that phone cleared the FCC last month), will be a part of AT&T's "premium&… Read more

You'd be surprised how often taking a screenshot on your phone comes in handy, even if you don't write how-to articles all day. Screenshots are particularly useful when troubleshooting your mobile device through text messages or e-mail. This simple guide covers where to find a screenshot application for BlackBerry smartphones and how to use it.… Read more

Research In Motion has been butting heads with foreign governments over its tight security, but its latest BlackBerry 6 OS has won approval from the U.S. government for those same standards.

RIM announced today that its BlackBerry 6 operating system is now FIPS 140-2 certified. FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) is a series of standards set up by the U.S. government to ensure that computer products meet certain high-level security requirements. The standard is used by government agencies, regulated industries, and other organizations that store and send data dealing with sensitive information.

The FIPS 140-2 standard (PDF) specifically … Read more