The Canadian manufacturer of BlackBerry smartphones on Tuesday took the wraps off the Torch, which combines touchscreen capability with a slide-out keyboard, in an attempt to snatch back momentum lost to the popularity of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android operating system.
At a hi-tech launch event in New York, Research In Motion offered a first public demonstration of the long awaited device, which is powered by a new software platform, called BlackBerry 6, and boasts a variety of innovations to combine information feeds from email, SMSes and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.
The Torch, which has been under development for 18 months, has been described by technology commentators as RIM’s attempt at an “iPhone killer”. It will go on sale for $199 in the US in partnership with AT&T on August 12, with a roll-out in Britain later this year.
RIM’s chief technology officer, David Yach, told the Guardian that he viewed RIM’s phones as much more orientated towards communication, while rivals’ devices are for having fun.
“People want great communication devices and I see our phones as more about ‘us’ — they’re for communicating with others — while other phones are more about ‘me’.”
He rejected suggestions that RIM was simply reacting to the success of Apple’s touchscreen phones: “We’ve always viewed ourselves as going our own way. It seems like every device is viewed as an ‘iPhone killer’.”
Among the Torch’s features is a “universal feed” whereby users get a combined stream of updates from email, text messaging and social networking. Users can search all these sources at one stroke through a “universal search”. The phone has a new podcast application and an improved zoom function for viewing websites with small text.
RIM billed the new phone as one of its most important launches since the first BlackBerry went on sale in 1999. Users of the firm’s devices include president Barack Obama, who has a special super-encrypted handset. The queen was given a BlackBerry when she visited a RIM factory during a tour of Canada last month.
Once virtually unrivalled in smartphones, the BlackBerry is facing fierce competition, particularly in the US. Recent figures from research firm Nielsen gave RIM a US market share of 35% in the second quarter, ahead of Apple’s 28%, while a variety of phones using Google’s Android system captured 13% of sales.
“In the North American market they’ve certainly lost some momentum but we should recognise that they’re really a force to be reckoned with,” said Ben Wood, a cellphones analyst at CCS Insight, who said the Torch’s web browser appeared a significant improvement which offers a smoother user experience than previous “functional” BlackBerrys.
Another analyst, Carolina Milanesi of Gartner Research, said the vertical slide-out keyboard meant the BlackBerry emphasis remained on email: “It’s about RIM not seeing more churn in their enterprise [business] customers to Android and the iPhone. It’s more of a defensive move than offensive.”
RIM prides itself on the security of devices — an attribute that has led to trouble in the Middle East, where the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are threatening to block certain functions unless law enforcement authorities are allowed access to encrypted messaging. – guardian.co.uk