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Smartphone shootout: BlackBerry Torch 9800 versus iPhone 4
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) unveiled its latest smartphone earlier this week – BlackBerry Torch 9800 – and billed it as the “best Blackberry device ever.” But is it an ‘iPhone killer’?
First, let us look at the Torch 9800.
The Torch 9800 is no doubt RIM’s best-looking device to date.
But the Palm Pre Plus look-alike device is not only handsome but also smart – the Torch 9800 boasts of beefy specifications such as 5-megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, digital zoom and geo-tagging features; a 3.2-inch capacitive multi-touch display (with 480×360 pixel resolution display); 624MHz processor; 8GB internal memory (4GB flash memory + 4GB microSD card); a slide-out Qwerty keyboard; an optical trackpad for easy navigation; 512MB RAM; Bluetooth 2.1; GPS; Wi-Fi; 3G; GPS; tethered modem; accelerometer; ambient light sensor and proximity sensor.
The Torch 9800 is a unique smartphone from RIM because it’s the first device from the Canadian stable to combine a touchscreen with a full slide-out Qwerty keyboard, which has made BlackBerry devices so popular.
The Torch 9800 is also the first device to appeal to both corporate users as well as general consumers. Why? Because, besides offering secure Microsoft Exchange Server e-mail and calendar support – the hallmark of RIM’s devices that has made BlackBerry a corporate smartphone brand, the Torch 9800 also promises to be a device you’d love to take along to a party – it supports the company’s Media Sync service that streams DRM-free music from the user’s home media library over Wi-Fi connections.
And unlike most other BlackBerry devices, the Torch 9800 comes pre-loaded with the BlackBerry app store, App World.
And, that’s not all. RIM goes a step further by boosting the device with the company’s latest proprietary OS – BlackBerry 6. In fact, the Torch 9800 offers what previous BlackBerrys lacked – a robust OS. The BlackBerry 6 packs a completely revamped “generational shift” Webkit-based Web browser; multi-touch input gestures including a new pinch-to-zoom for Web browser, e-mail and more; a slick user interface; an improved notification system; a universal inbox; a new media player; a universal search bar; and better support for applications.
The BlackBerry 6 also signals a deviation for RIM into social networking realm – unlike its predecessors that only catered to the needs of the corporate users, BlackBerry 6 OS offers integrated connectivity with social networking sites like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook and hence is likely to appeal to social networking addicts. It also has a “feed application” to capture all of your Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace social networking updates.
According to RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis, Torch 9800 is the “outcome of RIM’s ongoing passion to deliver a powerful, simplified and optimized user experience for both touch screen and keyboard fans” and promises to deliver a “communications, browsing and multimedia experience that we think users will love.”
Not surprisingly, analysts have fallen in love with the device, claiming that it could change RIM’s fortunes and challenge the dominance of the iPhone.
The plus points of the device, the analysts said, are the overhauled user interface, a physical keyboard, multi-touch features, a more powerful camera (the Torch 9800′s 5-megapixel camera is a first among BlackBerry devices) secure emailing environment and social networking support.
But is Torch 9800 really RIM’s winning lottery ticket and more importantly, can it challenge the iPhone?
The answer to the first question is yes.
In the past, RIM had tried to challenge the iPhone’s supremacy with its first touchscreen-only smartphone – the BlackBerry Storm – but it was plagued by both software and hardware bugs. RIM followed it up with an improved Storm 2 but that device too failed to whip up a storm, enjoying limited success, as many BlackBerry fans, who were used to the time-tested BlackBerry’s Qwerty physical keyboard, found it hard to adjust to the new virtual keyboard.
Not surprisingly, the hype surrounding Storm 2 quickly fizzled out and the device, finding it hard to compete against the likes of even a string of Google Android-based smartphones launched by HTC, Motorola and Samsung, soon joined the long list of pretenders that failed to live up to the ‘iPhone killer’ hype.
According to the analysts, the limited success of touchscreen-only device could have this time prompted RIM to take the safer path by launching a device that incorporates RIM’s core strength – a physical Qwerty keyboard – as well as compelling multi-touch features.
The timing of the launch of the device is also right, analysts said, as RIM faces the threat of losing market share to not only the iPhone but also Android-based smartphones.
On Monday, a Nielsen survey revealed that 50 percent of BlackBerry users desired an iPhone or Android phone for their next purchase.
Another report by research firm Canalys said RIM’s BlackBerry now trails both Apple’s iPhone as well as Google Android-based smartphones in terms of US smartphone sales. RIM, Canalys said, controlled 32 percent of the smartphone market in the most recent quarter while Android-based smartphones claimed 34 percent market share.
And, this is not good news for RIM as, in 2009, BlackBerrys dominated the US smartphone market with 46.7 percent share, according to International Data Corp. (IDC).
Hence, according to Nielsen’s Don Kellogg, Torch 9800 could be the right device to prevent further exodus of BlackBerry users.
“Up until this point, BlackBerry users had to choose between getting a touchscreen device through BlackBerry, like the Storm, or getting a traditional Qwerty device, like the Tour,” Kellogg said.
“I think in a lot of ways, this device kind of allows users to have their cake and eat it too…I do think that this is an evolutionary step for BlackBerry,” he said.
The Torch 9800′s new OS – BlackBerry 6 – will also help keep customers happy, analysts said, as the device’s web browser, multi-tasking capabilities and multimedia features are at par with iPhone and Android devices.
“They (RIM) integrated all kinds of applications and new features, [such as] universal search and taking advantage of multitasking capabilities of the operating system, as well as maintaining that unique keyboard experience that BlackBerry users love,” said Forrester Research principal analyst Charles Golvin.
In other words, unlike the Storm and the Storm 2, the Torch 9800 could be RIM’s first ever blockbuster smartphone ever since 2002 when the first Blackberry hit the market.
But before RIM breaks out into a victory jig, a bigger question looms – is the Torch 9800 an iPhone killer? Click here to find out.
About the Author
Charles Smith write for IBTimes.com, the leader in business news.
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