BlackBerry has tried to put its best phones forward on the fledgling 7 platform as it looks to outrun iOS and Android rivals and reclaim pole position as the industry darling.
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| Pictured: All new BlackBerry 9900 |
Research In Motion plans to launch 5 new BlackBerry smartphones based on the 7 Operating System (OS) – two Bold’s and three new Torch models.
BlackBerry are hoping these Bold and Torchs will shine the light is so desperately needs: by running them on the “powerful” new BB 7 OS, which brings a faster web browsing to mobile (It also promises to be 40% faster than 6 OS).
All five feature a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video recording, 24-bit high resolution graphics, and augmented reality applications such as Wikitude designed for ultimate communications, multimedia and productivity (more on this later).
The new Bold 9900 and 9930 are the thinnest BlackBerry’s ever, at 10.5mm, offering dual functionality display keyboard and “brilliant” touch display.
The Bolds are also the first to include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the phone.
“Distinguished by its beautiful design, amazingly effective keyboard and brilliant touch display, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 series is crafted with premium materials including a brushed stainless steel frame,” RIM said today.
The new Torch 9810 builds on the popularity of its predecessor, the 9800, and combines a large touch display with a convenient slide-out keyboard. However, the 3.2″ Torch 9810 is faster and more fluid with high performance hardware features, says RIM.
Its “distinctive BlackBerry keyboard easily slides out to allow faster typing” and delivers the best of both worlds, promise its makers.
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| Pictured: All- Touch BlackBerry 9850 |
The other two newbies, the 3.7″ Torch 9850 and 9860 boast the largest screens ever seen on a BB and with an “all-touch” design.
“This is the largest global launch of BlackBerry smartphones in our history,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO of Research In Motion.
“The BlackBerry solution offers a best-in-class mobile communications experience that customers love and we think they will be thrilled by the faster performance, enhanced browsing and richer multimedia delivered by these powerful new BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Torch smartphones.”
BlackBerry’s new OS 7 also has optimized HTML5 performance for enhanced gaming and video, Liquid Graphics technology, to deliver “stunning” high resolution media.
Recent platform enhancements include the newest release of BlackBerry Messenger) which now extends the real time BBM experience to other apps.
BBM’s ‘Social Feeds’ app has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favorites all in one consolidated view tool. Facebook for BlackBerry 2.0 app allows Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with Facebook friends in real time.
For business users, BlackBerry 7 OS also includes a number of other pre-loaded applications and integrated functionality including a premium version of ‘Documents To Go’ included free of charge, offering users powerful document editing features as well as a PDF document viewer.
It also allows data backed up and secured in the cloud. RIM’s ‘Balance’ function announced May is now integrated in BlackBerry 7, allowing users to enjoy their smartphone for both work and play.
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The next gen BlackBerry’s will begin to be available from carriers globally starting later this month, so look out for carrier announcements.
The launch of this family of handsets is RIM’s largest global launch ever, following a stale period for the Canadian phone maker, who recently slashed 2000 jobs and made some major reshuffles at senior management level.
