It must be a bit of a dilemma for Blackberry that touchscreen is reigning supreme in the world of smartphones but their QWERTY keyboard are what hey have long been famed for. (That’s why people don’t switch to Storm.) The result is this Torch 9800, which features both touchscreen as well as a slide-out keyboard for those who can’t really decide and want to have it all. Plus, this is the first phone to come with built-in BlackBerry OS6.

Plugged

- A sleek metal case that gives a classy feel, especially when the keyboard slides out.
- 3.2-inch screen (480 x 360 pixels) that features good colors and motion pictures and also works like a normal touchscreen phone that you can tap.
- Good photos through a 5MP camera with flash.
- BlackBerry OS6 is very different as it’s specially built to be compatible with a touchscreen phone and multi-tasking. So you can know open several web pages at the same time as well switch between different applications easily.

Bugged

- Poor battery life. Torch uses the same battery spec as Storm and Curve while the touchscreen consumes a lot of energy, so you might need a spare if you are constantly on the go.
- Not many applications have been adjusted and made for BB OS6 and the vertical screen.
- The keyboard is not as good as the original Bold.

Verdict

Simply a merger of BlackBerry Storm 2 and Bold 9780, Torch is not an iPhone killer—it’s just another option for BB users who require a larger screen for web browsing as much as a keyboard to chat with friends.

Price. B21,900 from AIS (www.ais.co.th/blackberry), Dtac (www.dtac.co.th/blackberry) and Truemove (www.truemove.com/blackberry)