BlackBerry Curve 8520 (Gemini) Specifications

The BlackBerry Pearl is the smallest model of the BlackBerry smartphone developed by Research in Motion. Despite its small frame, the BlackBerry Pearl still packs in the same features as its larger brethren, such as wireless 3G Internet service, email and a digital camera. One of those features is the ability to lock the exposed keyboard to prevent your phone from making accidental phone calls while in your pocket or purse. There are a couple of ways to lock and unlock the keypad, including a simple shortcut key method.

Difficulty: Easy
Instructions

1
Navigate to your phone's home screen. Press the red "Power" button once or the "Back" button until you've reached the home screen.
2
Press the "Menu" key, located directly to the left of the trackball. This will open a menu list of options, including the ability to lock the keypad.
3
Click on the "Lock Keyboard" option with the trackball. This will lock your keyboard. You can also simply hold the "Asterisk" (*) key from the home screen to automatically lock the keyboard.
4
Press the "Asterisk" and "Send" keys to unlock the keyboard.

keylock hilang setelah instalasi OS V.5.0.461 « Blackberry

First generation fold (which can be closed in the open) of the BlackBerry smart phone ultimately can be enjoyed by fans of the country with a mobile presence BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220. Design a more modish blend with the color black and silver look very dynamic and co-exist in every corner of the phone or their womenfolk.
The Pearl Flip is not exclusive Bold, Curve or Storm affairs for the display. But for the business connection, not vary much with the colleagues in the same vendor.
What Reliability design flip smart phone? Please check this out :
Design
When launched in unison with the Curve 8900 Javelin, the Flip is a clear . For the phone BlackBerry, Curve and Bold such as identical, while the Pearl Flip more stylish and not at all impressive smart phone. Reliability but with the same OS on the phone can still the thumb on the side of performance.
Support dimensions 101.1 x 50 x 17.5 mm make this phone ideal in the clutch. No need to worry if you are the owner because even tiny hands are very friendly because of the concise and simple. At the time of the fold is closed, for example, you only encounter with the 2MP camera lens density 1600×1200 pixels with a sharp indicator lights.
Meanwhile, in the left hand side you will see the USB port and hands free (port 3.5 mm jack), which is in the top button quickly to do the voice dialing. Move to the right edge, the volume buttons are adjacentMicro SD slot that can push up to 8GB. Keys that can be found in the SHUTTER camera down.
When the Flip open, qwerty board already greet you, too dense and close together when I saw the key-the key. Correct course, with the operation of the finger is a little difficult if you are not. Only speculate on the navigation to use the track ball, so to search and execution is quite simple.
Feature
The same as the second dab Bold BlackBerry Curve, the Pearl Flip also you can find workers features of Microsoft Office. Such as Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. But you need to buy the full version to be able to easily access the software business that adopted Pearl Flip.
Features such as the Curve is still on the clamshell mobile phone (design-fold) labeled Pearl Flip is not the network connection is provided of 3G, because the Pearl Flip solely on network GSM 850 / 950 / 1800 / 1900. Consequently, do not expect the quality of the network through a service provided by the service.
Fortunately, endowment performance is exclusive BlackBerry service with a completely easy and instant. What you want on a BlackBerry can be implemented by BlackBerry. If you want to use Push Email, you can easily fill the account perfectly ago can register to use it.
Push Email
This service is a champion of any BlackBerry product. What is that? Push Email ..! So you can easily send and receive messages with an attachment with this clever device. Automatic, for those of you who want to speed access to the BlackBerry harmless Pearl Flip on your partner as you work.
Do you live in the BlackBerry logo and press keypad for in to the main menu, then choose the setup, and then scroll ball to the sub navigation features email settings. Then select Add An Email Account, then email address with your password. Done ..! While for the multi-account, do the same thing, but your identity with the other. So, if you have some email as well as how to enter through the line.
LG K

Automatic keylock - BlackBerry Support Community Forums

Learn all the tips and tricks for your BlackBerry® Bold™ 9000 smartphone. Select an application or topic below to get started.

BlackBerry Basics
Phone
Message
Attachment
Camera and Video
Media
Browser
Calendar
Typing
Search
Maps


BlackBerry Basics
Move the cursor
Exit a screen or move back a page in the browser
Move to a list item or menu item
Select or clear a check box
View available values in a field
Switch applications
Return to Home screen
Delete highlighted items


Phone
Answer a call
Insert (+) into a phone number
Add an extension to a phone number
Assign a speed dial number to a key
Turn speakerphone on or off during a call
Type a letter in a phone number field
Check your voicemail
Move to the top of the Phone screen
View the last phone number you called
View your contact list on the Phone screen


Message
Within a message

Reply to a message
Reply to all
Forward a message
File a highlighted email message
View email address of a contact
In a message list

Open a highlighted message
Compose a message from a message list
Mark a message as opened or unopened
View received messages
View sent messages
View voicemail messages
View SMS text messages
View call logs
View all your messages again
Moving around a message list

Move up the screen
Move down the screen
Move to the top of a message list
Move to the bottom of a message list
Move to the next date
Move to the previous date
Move to the next unopened item
Move to the next related message
Move to the previous related message


Attachment
General Tips

Search for text in an attachment
Move to the last cursor position after closing and reopening an attachment
In a spreadsheet attachment

Move to a specific cell
View the content of a cell
Switch worksheets
View hidden columns or rows
Hide the columns or rows again
In a presentation attachment

Switch presentation views
Move to the next slide
Move to the previous slide
Move to the last cursor position after closing and reopening a presentation attachment


Camera and Video
Take a picture
Zoom in to a subject
Zoom out from a subject
Change the flash mode for a picture
Change the size of the viewfinder for a picture
Pan up in a picture
Pan down in a picture
Pan right in a picture
Pan left in a picture
Return to the center of a picture
Zoom in to a picture
Zoom out from a picture
Zoom in as much as possible to a picture
Zoom out from a picture as much as possible


Media
Move to the controls at the bottom of the screen when you are viewing a list of songs
Play the next song in a playlist
Play the previous song in a playlist
Pause or resume playing a video or song
Play the next song in a category
Play the previous song in a category
Rotate a picture
Zoom in on a picture
Zoom out from a picture
Return to the original picture size


Browser
General Tips

Insert a period (.) in the Go To dialog box
Insert a slash mark (/)in the Go To dialog box
Open the browser options
Stop loading a web page
Hide the browser
Close the browser
On a web page

Switch between Column view and Page view
Zoom in to a web page
Zoom out from a web page
Turn on support for JavaScript
Move to a specific web page
Return to the home page
Open the bookmark list
Add a bookmark
View a list of web pages you’ve recently visited
Refresh a web page
View the address for a link
View the address for a web page
Save a web page to a message list
Follow a highlighted link
Hide the banner
View the banner again
View a thumbnail version of a web page
Navigating within a web page

Move up a screen
Move down a screen
Move to the top of a web page
Move to the bottom of a web page


Calendar
NOTE: For these tips to work in Day view,
in the calendar options, set Enable Quick Entry field to No

Schedule an appointment
Change to Agenda view
Change to Day view
Change to Week view
Change to Month view
Move to the next day, week or month
Move to the previous day, week or month
Move to the current date
Move to a specific date


Typing
Insert a period
Capitalize a letter
Type an alternate character on a key
Type an accented or special character
Type a number in a number field
Type a number in a password field
Turn on NUM lock
Turn on CAP lock
Turn off NUM lock or CAP lock
Switch typing input languages
Insert a period or at sign (@) into an email address
Type a symbol
Highlight a line of text
Highlight text character by character
Cancel a text selection
Cut highlighted text when typing
Copy highlighted text when typing
Paste highlighted text when typing


Search
Search for a contact in a list of contacts
Search for text in a message or memo
Search for text in an attachment or web page
Search for text in a presentation attachment


Maps
Zoom in on a map
Zoom out from a map
View or hide status information at top of map
View or hide tracking information at the bottom of map
Move to the next direction on a route
Move to the previous direction on a route
To learn more about making the most of your BlackBerry smartphone, view the BlackBerry 101 interactive demo.

BlackBerry - Tips and Tricks for the BlackBerry

Learn all the tips and tricks for your BlackBerry® 8700 Series smartphone. Select an application or topic below to get started.

Home Screen Tips
Phone Tips
Browser
Typing
Messages
Calculator
Navigating Screens
Organizer/Calendar
General Tips
Attachments
Home Screen Tips
Move icon on Home screen
Vertically scroll between icons
Return to the Home screen from other screens
Lock your BlackBerry device
Lock the keyboard
Phone Tips
Open the Phone screen
Change volume during call
Insert an extension
Show the last number typed
Access your voice mail
Type letters in a phone number
Mute call
To turn mute off
Turn on Speakerphone
Browser
Toggle full-screen mode/normal mode
Add a bookmark
Open bookmarks
Refresh a web page
Return to the last page viewed
Display list of useful bookmarks
View address of current web page
View list of the last 20 pages visited
Save a web page to Messages list
Go to home page
View, copy or send the address for a link
Move a page down
Move a page up
Stop a web page from loading
Open browser options
Typing
Capitalize a letter
Insert a period
Type alternate character
Type a symbol
Type accented/special character
Insert currency symbol
Select text by character
Select whole lines
Turn on CAP-Lock
Turn on NUM-Lock
Turn off NUM/CAP-Lock
Insert “@” into an email field
Messages
Mark a message opened/unopened
Move down a page in a message
Move up a page in a message
Reply to a message
Forward a message
Reply-to-all
View SMS messages
View voice mail messages
Calculator
Display calculation results
Clear screen
Clear last entry
Add
Subtract
Multiply
Divide
Find square root
Find percent
Add a number to memory
Recall memory
Replace memory
Clear memory
Metric conversions
Navigating Screens
Move down a screen
Move up a screen
Move to item in list or menu
Select multiple items/icons
Organizer/Calendar
NOTE: For these tips to work in Day view,
in the calendar options, set Enable Quick Entry field to No

Find a contact in address book
Jump to next day in calendar
Jump to previous day in calendar
Change to Agenda view
Change to day view
Change to week format
Change to month format
Move to current date
Move to specific date
Create an appointment
Move to the next day, week or month
Move to the previous day, week or month
Move cursor horizontally in Week view
Move cursor vertically in Month view
General Tips
Delete prior messages
Save battery
Attachments
Move to specific cell
Display the contents of specific cell
To learn more about making the most of your BlackBerry smartphone, view the BlackBerry 101 interactive demo.

Keypad Lock/Unlock Help - BlackBerry

We have compiled a list of common BlackBerry keyboard shortcuts for the new BlackBerry 8800. The image to the right (click to enlarge) details the 8800’s keypad and its functions.


Basic Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used in many applications:

To move the cursor, roll the trackball.
To exit a screen or to move to a previous page in a browser, press the Escape key.
To move to a list item or menu item, type the first letter of the item.
To select or clear a check box, click the Space key.
To view available values in a field, press the Alt key.
To switch applications, hold the Alt key and press the Escape key. Continue holding the Alt key and select an application. Release the Alt key.
To return to the Home screen, press the End key.
To delete a highlighted item, press the Backspace/Delete key.
To turn on a theme or notification profile, select a theme or notification profile, then press the Space key.
Phone Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used in the Phone application or during a phone call:

To answer a phone call, press the Send key.
To view the contact list, hold the Send key.
To insert a plus sign ( + ) when typing a phone number, hold 0.
To add an extension to a phone number, press the Alt key and the X key, then type the extension number.
To assign a speed dial number to a key, from the Home screen or in the Phone application, hold the key you want to assign. Type the phone number.
To turn on the speakerphone during a call, press the Speakerphone key.
To turn off the speakerphone during a call, press the Speakerphone key.
To check your voice mail, hold 1.
To type a letter in a phone number field, press the Alt key and the letter.
To move to the top of the Phone screen, press the Space key.
To view the last phone number that you typed, press the Space key and the Enter key. Press the Send key to dial the number.
Message Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used in a message:

To reply to a message, press R.
To reply to all, press L.
To forward a message, press F.
To file a highlighted email message, press I.
To view the email address of a contact, in a message, highlight the contact. Press Q. To view the display name again, press Q.
The following shortcuts can be used in a message list:

To open a higlighted message, press the Enter key.
To compose a message from the message list, press C.
To mark a message as opened or unopened, press the Alt key and U.
To view received messages, press the Alt key and I.
To view sent messages, press the Alt key and O.
To view voice mail messages, press the Alt key and V.
To view Short Message Service (SMS) text messages, press the Alt key and S.
To view call logs, press the Alt key and P.
To view all your messages again, press the Escape key.
The following shortcuts can be used to move around a message list:

To move to the top of a screen, press the Shift key and the Space key.
To move to the bottom of a screen, press the Space key.
To move to the top of a message list, press T.
To move to the bottom of a message list, press B.
To move to the next date, press N.
To move to the previous date, press P.
To move to the next unopened item, press U.
To move to the next related message, press J.
To move to the previous related message, press K.
Typing Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used when typing text in an application:

To insert a period, press the Space key twice. The next letter is capitalized.
To capitalize a letter, hold the letter key until the capitalized letter appears.
To type the alternate character on a key, press the Alt key and the character key.
To type an accented or special character, hold the letter key and roll the trackball to the left or right. For example, to type ü, hold U and roll the trackball to the left until ü appears. Release the letter key when the accented or special character appears.
To type a number in a number field, press a number key. You do not need to press the Alt key.
To type a number in a password field, hold the Alt key and press the number key.
To turn on NUM lock, press the Alt key and the Left Shift key.
To turn on CAP lock, press the Alt key and the Right Shift key.
To turn off NUM lock or CAP lock, press the Shift key.
To switch typing input languages, on the Language screen, verify that the Use Input Language Shortcut field is set to Yes. Hold the Alt key and press the Enter key. Continue to hold the Alt key and highlight a language. Release the Alt key.
The following shortcuts can be used to Insert symbols:

To insert an at sign (@) or a period (.) in an email address field, press the Space key.
To type a symbol, press the Symbol key. Type the letter that appears below the symbol.
The following shortcuts can be used to work with text:

To highlight a line of text, press the Shift key and roll the trackball.
To highlight text character by character, hold the Shift key and roll the trackball left or right.
To cancel a text selection, press the Escape key.
To cut highlighted text when typing, press the Shift key and the Backspace/Delete key.
To copy highlighted text when typing, press the Alt key and click the trackball.
To paste highlighted text when typing, press the Shift key and click the trackball.
Search Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used when searching in an application:

To search for a contact in a list of contacts, type the contact name or initials separated by a space.
To search for text in a message or memo, press S.
To search for text in an attachment or web page, press F.
To search for text in a presentation attachment, verify that you are viewing the presentation in text view or in text and slide view. Press F.
Attachment Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used when viewing attachments:

To search for text in an attachment, press F.
To move to the last cursor position after closing and reopening an attachment, press G.
The following shortcuts can be used in a spreadsheet:

To move to a specific cell, press G.
To view the content of a cell, press the Space key.
To switch worksheets, press V. Highlight a worksheet. Press the Enter key.
To view hidden columns or rows, press H.
To hide the columns or rows again, press H.
The following shortcuts can be used in a presentation:

To switch presentation views, press M.
To move to the next slide, press N.
To move to the previous slide, press P.
To move to the last cursor position after closing and reopening a presentation attachment, verify that you are viewing the presentation in text view or in text and slide view. Press G.
Browser Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used in the browser applications:

To insert a period (.) in the Go To dialog box, press the Space key.
To insert a slash mark (/) in the Go To dialog box, press the Shift key and the Space key.
To open the browser options, in the browser, press O.
To stop loading a web page, press the Escape key.
To hide the browser, press D.
To close the browser, hold the Escape key.
The following shortcuts can be used on a web page:

To move to a specific web page, press G.
To return to the home page, press H.
To open the bookmark list, press K.
To add a bookmark, press A.
To view a list of web pages that you have visited recently, press I.
To refresh a web page, press R.
To view the address for a link, highlight a link. Press L.
To view the address for a web page, press P.
To save a web page to a message list, press S.
To follow a highlighted link, press the Enter key.
To hide the banner, press U.
To view the banner again, press U.
To view a thumbnail version of a web page, press X. To return to the normal view, press any key.
The following shortcuts can be used to navigate a web page:

To move forward a screen, press the Shift key and the Space key.
To move to a previous screen, press the Space key.
To move to the top of a web page, press T.
To move to the bottom of a web page, press B.
Media Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used in the Media application:

To pause a video or song, press the Mute key.
To resume playing a video or song, press the Mute key.
To rotate a picture, press R.
To zoom in to a picture, press I.
To zoom out from a picture, press O.
To zoom to the original picture size, press W.
Maps Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used in the Maps application:

To zoom in to a map, press I.
To zoom out from a map, press O.
To view the status information at the top of a map, press U. To hide the status information at the top of a map, press U again.
To switch views, press the Space key.
Calendar Shortcuts
The following shortcuts can be used in the Calendar Day view:
Note: To allow shortcuts in Day view, in the Calendar options, set the Enable Quick Entry field to No.

To schedule an appointment, press C.
To change to Agenda view, press A.
To change to Day view, press D.
To change to Week view, press W.
To change to Month view, press M.
To move to the next day, week, or month, press the Space key.
To move to the previous day, week, or month, press the Shift key and the Space key.
To move to the current date, press T.
To move to a specific date, press G.

BlackBerry 6 OS

• Pros

  Touch-screen BlackBerrys are finally viable. Great device and Web video search functions. Brand-new, world-class Web browser. Puts IM and social networking at the forefront.

• Cons

  Still pretty pedestrian design. Lousy Exchange integration for consumers. Third-party app catalog still thin.

• Bottom Line

  BlackBerry 6 keeps RIM in the game and makes it clear that they want to be the leaders on social networking and messaging.

The latest upgrade to RIM's BlackBerry OS is the biggest ever. No, this isn't a Windows Phone 7-type reimagining. BlackBerry is still BlackBerry, with the things you love (such as the laser-like focus on messaging) and the things you hate (such as pedestrian design and a lame third-party app catalog.) But RIM has finally cracked the touch-screen code here, delivering a new OS with new search, Web, and media features that works well on touch-screen devices.

The first BlackBerry 6 device is the BlackBerry Torch 9800 ($199.99, ), coming from AT&T. The Torch uses similar hardware to the BlackBerry Bold line, and RIM has previously said that they'll try to make the new OS available to devices like the Bold, Storm, and Tour. RIM has a checkered history of being able to get OS upgrades through carrier approvals, though, so it's anyone's guess when upgrades will happen, if ever.

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Setup and Basic UI
For the first time, BlackBerrys are full members of the touch-screen world. BlackBerry 6 is a true hybrid system, where you can do almost anything through touch, on the keypad, or using the trackpad in between them.

Specifications

Type

Business, Personal, Enterprise, Professional

Free

Yes

More

Don't expect to see a lot of full-touch, Storm-style BlackBerrys, though. BlackBerry 6's two soft keyboards are clearly an afterthought; they have small, picky keys and few options. If you're going to type a lot, you'll want to use the physical keyboard. The main BlackBerry 6 home screen has an alert bar at the top that can become stacked with icons for new messages, IMs, Tweets, and calendar events. Tapping on it pulls down a list of alerts; tapping on a message drops you into the appropriate app.

Lower on the screen, there are icons for your four most frequently used apps. You can swipe to the right or left to change to icons for your mailboxes, for customizable favorites, for media, or for third-party downloads. Tapping or dragging on the category name makes the list of apps fill the whole screen.

You can turn contacts or Web bookmarks into application icons, but you can't (yet) put Web-based widgets on your home screen the way you can on Android phones.

Setting up BlackBerry 6 is much easier than previous BlackBerrys; the old, text-based setup and options screens have been replaced by clearer dialog boxes with good-looking, but still BlackBerry-like icons.

E-mail and Messaging
BlackBerrys were once the undisputed e-mail leaders. That's not true any more. If you have a corporate BlackBerry Enterprise Server, RIM's email is still unbeatable. But for consumers or "rogue users" with the BlackBerry Internet Service, RIM is now way behind the competition in syncing a range of e-mail accounts.

RIM's biggest weakness is with Microsoft Exchange. The iPhone and many Android phones sync Exchange contacts, calendars, and e-mails wirelessly, easily, and two ways. BlackBerry 6 with BIS only syncs emails, not contacts, calendars, tasks, or notes. Gmail support is also behind Android when it comes to supporting labels and folders. BlackBerry 6's story with instant messaging and social networking is much happier. A new "Social Feeds" app lets you swipe between panels for arbitrary RSS feeds, AIM, BBM, Facebook, Google Talk, MySpace, Twitter, Windows Live, and Yahoo Messenger, and you have various options to integrate those services into the alerts bar or into your universal inbox. Facebook, Twitter, and IM services appear on contextual menus in many apps, letting you share or upload different kinds of content. The official Twitter and Facebook clients are both good looking.

Media Features and Universal Search
There's a ton of new media features in BlackBerry 6. A new podcast application lets you download and subscribe to podcasts. New music and video players are more attractive, with better uses of video thumbnails and album art. Wi-Fi music syncing lets you wirelessly refill your BlackBerry's memory when you're on the same Wi-Fi network as your desktop PC. And BlackBerrys now sync with Windows Media Player.

The most unique new media app, though, is "Web Video Search." More than just a search app, it's a high-level browser for multiple online video sites, including YouTube, Dailymotion, ifilm, MobiTV, MSN, and others. The YouTube link on BlackBerry 6 just goes to YouTube's mobile Web page, but this is the real deal, a truly native app with a neat carousel UI. Dragging down video from its multiple sources, it goes much deeper than the traditional YouTube app, which makes it a lot of fun.

Web video isn't the only search innovation here. BlackBerry 6 comes with universal search; just start typing and the OS will search through contacts, apps, messages, calendar entries, and Google to find what you're looking for.

The New Web Browser
RIM's new Web browser, provided by their Torch Mobile acquisition, is a major step forwards. The new browser is powered by WebKit, the same engine that runs the iOS and Android browsers. Desktop-style pages look true to life. JavaScript performance is finally viable. Adobe says that Flash support will be coming later this year. The new browser has tabs, it has pinch-to-zoom, and if you double-tap on a column of text it zooms in and reformats the column for easy reading without horizontal scrolling.

One of the new browser's features is invisible, but it could save you money: almost all data coming through to the BlackBerry will be compressed two to three times, RIM execs told me. That means you could potentially get more e-mails and Web pages on limited data plans than you could with competing OSes.

But the new BlackBerry browser on a Torch 9800 is still slower than both the speedy alternative Bolt browser on a BlackBerry 9650 ($199.99, ) and the iOS browser on an Apple iPhone 4 ($199.99-$699, ). The standard BlackBerry screen resolution of 360-by-480 also means you don't see as much of a Web page as on other high-end phones. Ultimately, what you think of the new browser depends on where you're coming from. Do you own a BlackBerry? You'll be singing hallelujahs. Comparing the browser to, say, Dolphin HD on an Android phone? It's a step backwards.

Third-Party Apps
There's one big advance for app hounds in BlackBerry 6: carrier billing. The new version of App World included in 6—which is also in beta testing for BlackBerry 5 phones—lets you charge purchases to your AT&T bill rather than PayPal. You'll also be able to use credit cards. That will make buying apps much easier.

Programming apps, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have become much easier here. RIM has focused on giving programmers tools to create "super apps" which add contextual menus across the BlackBerry experience for things like social networking and photo uploading.

There's no news for game lovers, though. The BlackBerry platform is stuck at OpenGL ES 1.1 without 3D extensions, which means you won't see the caliber of games that you've been seeing on iOS and you're starting to see on Android.

BlackBerry Desktop 6
The new OS comes with a new, faster, and more streamlined version of BlackBerry's desktop software. Desktop 6 will initially be available only for Windows machines, though RIM is also working on an upgrade for their Mac software.

Finally, BlackBerry Desktop feels like one app rather than a cobbled-together mess of plug-ins. The biggest changes here are in media syncing, which is dramatically faster than it used to be. Syncing over playlists from iTunes and videos from a PC is quick and easy.

Desktop also still syncs contacts, calendars, notes, and tasks with Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes, which is critical for "rogue" business users without BlackBerry servers. Syncing went smoothly, but with one very annoying point. If you're syncing contacts over-the-air with Google, Desktop will refuse to also sync your contacts with Outlook—you have to choose one or the other. RIM should be able to merge those contact books the same way many Android phones do.

Conclusions
BlackBerry 6 isn't a complete overhaul, but neither is it skin-deep. It keeps RIM in the game, but doesn't push them to the fore. Clearly, we're going to see a lot of BlackBerrys with touch screens and keyboards over the next year or so, and they're going to have a lot of focus on messaging and media. The new Web browser is also a very welcome change.

But mobile OSes aren't all about built-in features any more. The tools that smartphones give to app developers are critical, and that's where I'm more worried about BlackBerry 6. Developers don't love to write programs for BlackBerrys; the platform's APIs aren't as extensive as those in iOS 4 or Android 2.2, and BlackBerry App World needs better billing practices.

BlackBerry 6 is an obvious upgrade for existing BlackBerry users. There's no down side. It also looks like a great OS for people upgrading from texting phones. The built-in data compression and ability to turn almost anything into a context menu are unique. But we just don't see this new OS drawing the momentum away from iOS and Android yet.

• Pros

  Looks and feels good. Lots of new features. Integrates social-networking well.

• Cons

  Browser still slower than iPhone 4. Fewer games and apps than iOS or Android. Poor Microsoft Exchange integration for consumers.

• Bottom Line

  The BlackBerry Torch is the very model of a modern messaging smartphone, although it doesn't beat the iPhone or Android on media and games.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 with BlackBerry 6 keeps RIM in the smartphone game. It's the first truly usable touch screen BlackBerry, and it's packed with new features—a new Web browser, new apps, a new interface, and new social networking hooks. It might even save you money. Messaging is still clearly at this phone's core, though, unlike on flashier all-touch phones like the Apple iPhone 4 ($199.99-$699, ). That leaves the Torch a strong bet for those who type and chat all day, and still behind the leaders for those who prefer to game, surf the Web, or watch videos.

There's a more subtle advantage to the Torch, too. Our other top AT&T phones tend to have a flashy, media-focused sheen that may not appeal to corporate customers. They also lack QWERTY keyboards. The Torch gives you a touch screen and excellent media features, but with the hard keyboard and serious BlackBerry attitude that may make it more welcome at work.

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Hardware and Phone Calling
BlackBerry phones always feel like premium hardware, and the Torch is no exception. The 4.4 by 2.4 by .6 inch (HWD), 5.7 ounce Torch is black and silver, with a soft-touch back and a comforting heft. The phone is all plastic; although it's premium plastic, I might have enjoyed a little more metal. Closed, the phone fits perfectly in your hand. The screen slides up with a strong, springy motion, revealing a BlackBerry Bold-like keyboard. Just below the screen, there's a now-standard BlackBerry trackpad, which works as smoothly as ever.

Specifications

Service Provider

AT&T

Operating System

BlackBerry OS

Screen Size

3.2 inches

Screen Details

360x480, 16-million-color TFT LCD capacitive touch screen

Camera

Yes

Network

GSM, UMTS

Bands

850, 900, 1800, 1900, 2100

High-Speed Data

EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA

Processor Speed

624 MHz

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There's one slightly off note. The keyboard feels unusually flat. It's still a good keyboard (and much more usable one-handed than many Android keyboards), but it doesn't have the depth, key separation and throw of the stellar BlackBerry Curve 8330 () keyboard, or even the full click of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 ($199.99, ) keyboard. RIM had to make this keyboard extra-thin to fit under the slide.

Now, about that touch screen. The Torch's 3.2-inch, 360-by-480 screen is a modern, responsive, capacitive touch screen. It's not a "click-screen" like on the BlackBerry Storm series. It's a touch screen that works just the way you expect touch screens to work. The phone is packed with wireless connections, but they aren't state-of-the-art. The Torch works on AT&T's and foreign 2G and 3G networks. The phone also has Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. You get HSPA 3.6 for Internet as opposed to HSPA 7.2; that means Internet connections are limited to about 1.5 megabits/sec down, which you'll mostly see when using the Torch as a tethered modem for your PC.

The Torch is a good voice phone with some odd audio characteristics. Reception was average. The earpiece and speakerphone are both quite loud. But there's no noise cancellation in the microphone; my voice came through clearly on the other side of a call, but so did all of the street noise around me. And I found the phone's side-tone—the little bit of your voice that comes through the earpiece to stop you from yelling—to have a very slight, just-noticeable buzz. The phone paired just fine with our Aliph Jawbone Icon ($99.95, )Bluetooth headset, including triggering voice dialing.

Continuous talk time, at 4 hours 36 minutes, wasn't great for a 3G phone. But like on other BlackBerrys, I found the Torch has a longer "average use time" than other top smartphones; I could go at least a day and a half without charging.

Web, Messaging, and Apps Experiences
The Torch is the first BlackBerry to run the new BlackBerry 6 operating system, which offers many new features including all-new desktop syncing software. For more details on BlackBerry 6, check out our BlackBerry 6 review.

I wanted to call out one unusual feature here, though, because RIM might not. RIM told me that the Torch will compress all data except video as it transfers over AT&T's airwaves. That means you may be able to get more Web pages and messages on AT&T's 200 MB $15/month data plan than you can with other phones, which don't compress the data.

The new OS offers a great balance of keyboard, trackpad, and touch screen input. You can do almost everything two or three ways, making this the best AT&T phone for people more comfortable typing on a hard keyboard than on a touch screen.

RIM's new WebKit-based Web browser is a big part of the experience, and there's good news and bad news about it. The good news: it's faster and truer to desktop Web pages. I found the new browser to be 25 percent faster at rendering pages than the browser on the BlackBerry Bold 9650 ($199.99, ), which has the same screen resolution and processor. The new browser scored more than 10 times faster on Javascript benchmarks. For the first time, RIM has a solid browser built in.

The bad news: the browser may be a huge jump over RIM's previous browser, but it's still slower than the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 was two to three times faster, both at rendering pages and on the SunSpider Javascript benchmark.

Part of the difference is clearly processor and graphics based: the Torch uses the same 624 MHz, ARM11-class processor as in the Bold, while the iPhone 4 and top Android phones are using 800 MHz or 1 GHz, Cortex-A8-class processors that are twice as fast or faster. Sticking with the basic Bold platform helps keep the Torch compatible with third-party software, though. Apps I downloaded from BlackBerry App World generally worked, except if they tried to hand off to the browser (like Viigo (Free, ) does.) Some apps didn't use the touch interface, but they worked fine with the trackpad and keyboard. That said, BlackBerry is still behind other platforms in terms of delivering a rich array of apps. While I found games, business, and entertainment apps in App World, there are just many fewer than there are either in the Android Market or on the iTunes Store.

Messaging, of course, is the phone's strong point. The official Twitter app is attractive and versatile. Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook messages, as well as IMs appear both in your universal inbox and in a "social feeds" app, and you can send items from the browser or camera to Facebook or Twitter. Social networking contacts feed into your address book, along with a history of your communication with them. There's no easy way to merge duplicate contacts, though. And RIM's devices have problems syncing with Microsoft Exchange accounts if you don't have a corporate BlackBerry server, as I discuss in the BlackBerry 6 review.

The Torch has GPS, which locks on quickly to geotag photos and Twitter posts. It comes with the somewhat tedious AT&T Maps app, but BlackBerry Maps is available as a free download. AT&T Navigator provides turn-by-turn driving directions for $10/month.

There's some other AT&T bloatware on here. You can't delete it, but you can hide it—it includes AT&T's Yellow Pages app and that obnoxious Where location-based-advertising app. And yes, there's a new, touch-enabled version of Brick Breaker.

Multimedia and Camera Performance
For a description of BlackBerry 6's new music and video players, check out our BlackBerry 6 review. Here, we'll talk about performance on the Torch.

The Torch offers lots of media options. The device has 4GB of on-board storage and comes with an additional 4GB MicroSD card; our 16GB Kingston card also worked fine. You can sync and store your own music and videos using BlackBerry Desktop, which syncs with Windows Media Player and iTunes. You can download podcasts using the built-in client, buy music using AT&T Music, watch TV on MobiTV or PrimeTime2Go, or listen to Slacker Radio. A "Web Video Search" icon searches across several different streaming Web sites, including YouTube and ifilm.

Videos formatted using BlackBerry's desktop software or saved in QuickTime using iPhone settings looked great and played in full screen. YouTube videos, irritatingly, tended to have to buffer in the middle. Videos downloaded through PrimeTime2Go or streamed over MobiTV played smoothly over the phone's speaker, a wired headset, and a Plantronics BackBeat 903 Bluetooth headset. Face it, though: a 3.2-inch, 360-by-480 screen just doesn't give you the same cinematic experience as the larger displays on competing smartphones.

The 5-megapixel camera is a good example of the form. It's quick and responsive, though it every once in a while just forgot to focus; a software update in the middle of my testing period dramatically improved its performance, so I think the problem will be entirely fixed soon. Still images were sharp with good color, though occasionally slightly hazy. A "face detection" mode forces the autofocus to look for faces. VGA-quality videos were smooth at 24 frames per second; let's note, though, that competing phones such as the iPhone 4 can capture videos at 30 frames per second. One very neat touch: the camera added locations to filenames, such as "Queens-20100725-00043.jpg." That made filenames a little more readable than on most digital cameras.

Conclusions
The BlackBerry Torch keeps the flame alive, but it's not a barn-burner. RIM needed the advancements here just to stay in the game against the flashy Apple and Android interfaces. BlackBerry 6 merges touch-screen and keyboard interfaces smoothly in a way the BlackBerry Storm never did. RIM's data compression may even save you money; if cellular providers are poised to ratchet down the amount of data you're allowed to use, BlackBerry owners are in the best position.

If you're looking for a messaging-focused smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard, this is AT&T's top choice. Neither of our other top AT&T phones, the iPhone 4 and the Samsung Captivate ($199.99, ) have QWERTY keyboards. That's a deal breaker for many people.

The state of the art in Android and Apple phones has vaulted into super-high-res screens, 4G radios, tens of thousands of apps, and glorious 3D games. The BlackBerry Torch doesn't live in that world: it's for people who live on e-mail, IM, Facebook and Twitter, for whom typing updates and messages is their number-one priority. For them, the Torch will be a shining light.