The BlackBerry Torch 9800 has been released by Optus Mobile on the company’s $79 cap plan, with rivals Telstra, Vodafone and 3 Mobile to receive the Blackberry mobile “in coming months” according to Research In Motion.
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 stays true to the traditional BlackBerry keyboard form factor, but integrates a full touch screen experience for the first time on a Blackberry mobile phone and includes the new BlackBerry 6 OS. The integration of a hardware keyboard with a touch screen interface on the BlackBerry Torch phone will appeal to those who found BlackBerry’s Storm and Storm 2 touch screen only handsets too hard to use, particularly when typing out long emails.
Optus Mobile will be the first telco to stock the BlackBerry Torch 9800 in Australia, with the phone available on both personal and business cap plans starting at $0 upfront and $79 per month. The BlackBerry Torch will hit Telstra and VHA (Vodafone and 3 Mobile) in the next few months according to BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.
Adele Beachley, Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Research In Motion believes the BlackBerry Torch 9800 builds on the history of BlackBerry design and will be familiar to existing users.
“The BlackBerry Torch has been highly anticipated here in Australia and we are very proud to be launching this innovative new smartphone with our carrier partners,”
“The new BlackBerry Torch smartphone builds on the familiar and powerful capabilities of the BlackBerry platform to provide the features that are ideal for socially connected consumers while also providing the tools that business customers trust.”
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 specs include a slide out back-lit Blackberry keyboard, 3.2″ touch screen and optical trackpad. Connectivity wise, it supports global 3G, b/g/n Wi-Fi and GPS. The Blackberry Torch comes equipped with a 5 MP and 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box in addition to a microSD/SDHD memory card slot supporting a total of 36 GB.
