Comments
Mahananda Bohidar
I'll admit I was never a BlackBerry person. Not until I saw the ‘BlackBerry Boys' ad anyway. And not until I realised the spunky, fashion designer cousin of mine uses one too! That didn't make me get a BB for myself but definitely got me interested in the devices they make.
I checked out the recently launched BlackBerry Torch 9860, the full touchscreen phone running Blackberry OS 7 to see how it appeals to the iPhone generation. Any BlackBerry you pick from the lot will invariably feel sturdy in your hands; the Torch 9860 is no exception. The handset, however, is quite a departure from the quintessential BlackBerry. It doesn't flaunt the USP of the company's usual handhelds – the ergonomical QWERTY keyboard. Instead, it features a virtual keypad on the 3.7-inch touchscreen. Keying in SMSes is simple owing to the fairly intuitive virtual keypad. However, BlackBerry fans might miss the reassuring feel of the sturdy keypad.
User interface
The smartphone runs the BlackBerry OS 7 and features the proprietary Liquid Graphics technology that enables quicker response times, smoother rendering and animations on its display. A couple of interesting in-built apps are thrown in with the handset. You have the BlackBerry Balance app that lets you switch between your work and private communications within the device. To keep all your files safe, you can log in to the BlackBerry Protect web site that lets you lock, locate or wipe your smartphone from wherever you are.
The Social Feeds app on the Torch 9860 lets you stay up-to-date with feeds from as many social networking web sites and instant messaging clients that you might have signed up for. The long list of options includes BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Google Talk, Windows Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger among others. All the info coming in from the half-dozen social web sites I log in to can become a little overwhelming. However, this app gives me the option of marking my ‘Favourites' – people, RSS feeds or podcasts I'm most interested in can be added and will be displayed for a quick glance under this option.
The web browser on the Torch 9860 is an improved version of the older one running on BlackBerry 6. The pages loaded quickly (BlackBerry claims it's a 40 per cent improvement on the previous browser). The browser also offers HTML5 video support and multi-tabbed browsing. You can use the optical keypad to browse web pages although the feature seems quite redundant considering the phone features a full touchscreen display.
Snap it up
The Torch 9860 features a 5-megger which is probably one of the best ones in the market as of now. We took a couple of photos indoors and out. The ones captured while on the move were surprisingly sharp. Seems like the image stabiliser on this handheld stays true to its name. The camera gave us improved sharpness levels under natural lighting but pictures turned out slightly grainy if taken indoors.
The camera offers a 4x zoom but the results were invariably blurry. Also, the sensor isn't great at adapting to Macro shots unless you tweak the scene mode to Close Up, in which case it gives pretty decent results. Users have a handful of options when it comes to preset modes. The camera is also designed to capture videos in 720p HD resolution.
Design details
Despite the fact that most manufacturers are adopting Apple's ‘buttonless' principles, BlackBerry continues to have four physical buttons on the fascia of the Torch 9860. No surprises there – the Call, End, BB trademark and Back buttons are evenly laid out on either side of the optical joystick. The touch sensitive lock button is placed at the top centre of the handset – an easy place to reach and unlock your phone with a finger. The slim volume rocker and the quick-access camera button on the right bezel feel like natural protrusions on the body of the device.
Power talk
A 1.2GHz processor powers the BlackBerry Torch 9860, making it one of the most powerful BlackBerrys on the block. The on-board memory on the Torch 9860 is 4 GB but media addicts can use a microSD memory card to ramp it up to 32 GB.
The 1230 mAh lithium-ion battery kept the handset running for a full-working day and more. I used the Wi-Fi intermittently for my social feeds updates and to check my mail and download apps from App World. What was really commendable about the Torch 9860 was the crystal clear sound quality during voice calls. However, I can't really say that the proximity sensors on the handheld are doing the job well. There was more than one instance when an ongoing voice call was inadvertently put on hold, muted or switched to speakerphone – quite an embarrassing situation to be in if you were discussing secrets over the phone.
Final word
The BlackBerry Torch 9860 feels like the first worthy competitor from the manufacturers to take on the addictive Android and Apple devices flooding the market right now. Using the Torch 9860 doesn't feel like you're using age-old technology or an antiquated handset. First-timers like yours truly might find it an easy switch without it feeling like they are compromising on the overall user experience.
And for the brand-loyal BlackBerry Boys, if you are looking for an upgrade this might be pretty much worth it although the likes of Galaxy S II (which is in the same price range) offer slightly better specs.
Love: Fluid user experience, decent battery life, great call quality
Hate: Average video camera, occasional lags
Rs 28,490
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.