The New BlackBerry Torch with OS7: A TechMinds Review

A wise man once said that "everything before the but is bull*hit." That said, the new Torch 9810 is the best BlackBerry I have ever used. Unfortunately for our corporate clients - and anyone waiting to upgrade from an older BlackBerry - the new phones just aren't competitive when compared directly to Apple's iPhone, Microsoft's Windows Phone, or even generic Android phones from 2010. That's not so say that RIM has been sitting on their hands for the last four years. The web browser, display, and general usability of the BlackBerry OS7 are markedly improved over OS6. What RIM hasn't been able to understand is that no matter how many incremental changes you make to hardware and software, the platform and ecosystem they rely on is years behind their competitors.

Hardware and Software

Perhaps the second most disappointing fact about the new Torch is that the exterior - with the exception of coloring - is identical to the BlackBerry Torch from last year. It's possible that the keyboard may be slightly upgraded, but the size and layout of the keys is identical to the previous Torch 9800. That by itself isn't a bad thing, as the raised keys are comfortable to press and make satisfying clicks while typing. The plastic case is another story, the bland and bulky design was uninspired the first time around, so this is just more of the same. That was probably done to keep design costs low and is a great example of the kind of organizational issues inside of RIM today.

When you first boot up the Torch 9810 you'll be confronted with an activation process that's straight out of 1999. It took 45 minutes from turning the phone on to make our first call, including 30 minutes on the phone with AT&T. That's due to the over complicated steps necessary to activate a new BlackBerry using BES - for enterprise - or BIS - for consumers - which includes an online registration process as well as getting your phone provider to push "Host Routing Tables" to every phone. This is a ridiculously antiquated procedure, and almost guarantees that your users won't get any use out of their new phones without a series of headaches.

After that mind-numbing activation process is complete the initial OS7 experience is surprisingly pleasant. Home screen transitions are fast and the touch screen responsiveness is great, at first. However the onscreen keyboard is a hot mess. It's obvious that the kind of algorithms used by other smartphones to make onscreen typing more accurate are completely missing here. Touches have to be performed with pinpoint precision to work, which leads to a lot of frustration and misspelled words. If the predictive text engine was better then the bad touch keyboard could be partially forgiven, but it's not even close to iOS, Android, or Windows Phone.

Fast forward a few weeks and the phone is plagued with performance issues as well. Touches and swipes in the web browser and third party applications are randomly ignored. When an application crashes - an almost daily occurrence - it doesn't just make that application unresponsive - like iOS, Android, or Windows Phone - it brings down the entire BlackBerry OS. When this happens your only choices are to stop what you were trying to do and wait it out, or pull the battery to restart the phone. We realize that OS7 may be the best RIM can do with such as old platform, but it's eerily reminiscent of Windows Mobile 6.5 which was Microsoft's last attempt to salvage its old mobile phone OS a few years back. It didn't work for Microsoft then, and BlackBerry OS7 isn't going to salvage RIM now.

 

Display

At a resolution of 640x480 pixels the new Torch is a fairly big upgrade over the previous model. It's bright, and easy to see in broad daylight without having to select the maximum brightness level. The 3.2" size is comfortable for most tasks, but the plastic screen means your tapping and swiping won't be as comfortable as on a glass screen. Judged in a vacuum the Torch 9810 has a bright, vibrant touch screen. When compared to competing smartphones from Apple, Samsung, and others you'll be left wanting. For more than a year 800x480 resolution displays have been the norm, with even higher resolutions adopted by Apple and Google. For RIM to release their flaship phone in 2011 sporting a screen matched by HTC in 2008 is just sad. Frankly, that lack of vision is endemic of the mindset at RIM.

Applications

When the phrase "there's an app for that" is cliche you know a smartphone ecosystem is paramount. This is another arena in which BlackBerry OS7 falls flat. I really felt like I'd gone back in time while trying to find apps for the Torch 9810. The selection in the official BlackBerry App World is abysmal. To add insult to injury the vast majority of applications we use at TechMinds are either not available for BlackBerry, didn't work on the new OS7, or had to be retrieved by visiting the app makers website. For example we use Dropbox, a lot.

The first place a new user would look is the official app store, conveniently located on the home screen of a brand new BlackBerry. There is one Dropbox application there, and it costs $5. A cursory search on the Apple App Store yielded dozens of results, many of which are free. Even Windows Phone - which has been out less than a year - has nearly 50 applications which plug directly into the Dropbox service. In order to get the official application on our Torch we had to navigate to www.dropbox.com/blackberry on the phone and tap "download BlackBerry app." When we first received this phone to test the official Dropbox app would download and install, but wouldn't run. In our final day of testing - after the app has supposedly been updated for BB OS7 - we can't even get it to download.

Making phone calls has become a secondary function for most smartphone owners, and to be put through the lengthy process of hunting down applications - which may or may not even work on your new BlackBerry - is maddening. To give you an idea of what we use on a daily basis I'll include a short list of applications we installed on our Torch 9810 which didn't come from the BlackBerry App World.

Google Voice

Google Sync

Google Search

Dropbox

Book Keeper (for Freshbooks)

LastPass

Documents to go ($50!!)

PPT Remote Control

Tripit

Evernote

Qik

Pandora

Weatherbug

Amazon Kindle

Battery Life

This is a metric which RIM has rightfully dominated for years. What's obvious from the less than stellar longevity of the Torch 9810 is that the battery life advantage BlackBerry phones have enjoyed in the past was mostly due to their under powered processors. Last years Torch debuted with a 624Mhz processor while competitors were releasing phones with 1Ghz chips combined with dedicated graphics chipsets. The new Torch comes with a 1.2Ghz single core running behind the scenes, and when navigating the home screen and menus the performance boost is obvious. Also obvious is the battery drain that every other smartphone manufacturer has been dealing with for years. With moderate web browsing, instant messaging, a few phone calls, and four email accounts set up, the Torch 9810 is unlikely to make it through a full-day. If your company deploys these phones make sure to purchase some extra chargers and USB cables.

Summary

At the risk of sounding like a broken record the Torch 9810 is the best BlackBerry ever. That is not a compliment. Outside of the home screen the performance of OS7 is a mixed bag. The application selection is poor - especially in the official App World - and once they're installed you better get used to pulling the battery. The Torch 9810 is a frustrating mix of old and new. OS7 is full of flashy transitions, but unlike the popular phone operating systems it tries to emulate it's obvious that OS7 was not designed for touch. The onscreen keyboard is atrocious, and there isn't a single category in which the Torch outperforms competing smartphones. If you need to have a BlackBerry, or your company has invested significantly in BES then this is the best you can do. Otherwise, it's time to move on.