BlackBerry Torch launched, UAE-RIM issue escalates

BlackBerry's sliding smartphone, the 9800 AKA "BlackBerry Torch," has been launched after an earlier leake on the AT&T' s website. This new model features a 5 megapixel cam with flash, full QWERTY on a portrait slide, 802.11n support and the spanking new BlackBerry 6 OS boasting a new WebKit (i.e. faster) browser, a social feed stream reader, an iPod like media player, a universal search function and multi-touch gesture support.Video and details follow after the break.

RIM has been in the news lately for a number of reasons. It has maintained to challenge Apple's popular iPhone in the smartphone space starting with a series of BlackBerry 6 enabled smartphones of which the BlackBerry Torch is the first. 

RIM's co-CEO, Jim Balsillie announced  that the new OS update will be "a quantum leap over anything that's out there." BlackBerry devices have maintained their popularity specially with business users, however the larger market of consumers seeking smartphone solutions is currently up for grabs and dominated by Apple's iPhone and to a certain extent various Google Android smartphone devices.  RIM knows it needs to offer innovation, better applications and a flashier interface to entice smartphone buyers from younger markets.

RIM has also been in the news since the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Last week, the UAE government said BlackBerry devices in their country were violating  security and social standards by allowing users to communicate without being monitored by local authorities. The issue here is that RIM stores BlackBerry from UAE and Saudi Arabia in overseas servers which puts the data out of the jurisdiction of these countries and out of their control and access.

This issue quickly escalated when the government ordered state telecom carriers to disable some BlackBerry services - such as e-mail and the BlackBerry messenger - if RIM did not comply.

It seems that  U.S. State department and the Canadian government have weighed in on the matter, siding with RIM. However the UAE maintains that it is asking for nothing more than the kind of access RIM regularly gives other governments, including the U.S. 

Back to the BlackBerry Torch, no indication of when it will be sold in Canada or which of the carriers will get it it first.  It seems RIM's releases are based on market size and the US is apparently larger than Canada's. The full specs of the Blackberry Torch are as follows.

BlackBerry Torch Smartphone Features

• Elegant styling, measuring approx. 4.4″ (5.8″ open) x 2.4″ x .57″ and weighing 5.68 ounces
• 3.2″ 360×480 capacitive touch screen display
• 35 key full QWERTY backlit slide-out keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing
• Optical trackpad that makes navigation fast and smooth
• Powerful 624 Mhz processor with 512 MB Flash memory
• 4 GB built-in memory storage plus a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB cards; a 4 GB card is included giving users 8 GB of storage out-of-the-box
• 5 MP camera with flash, continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes, geo-tagging and zoom, as well as video recording at up to 640×480 resolution
• Built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging
• Wi-Fi® (802.11 b/g/n); qualifying smartphone customers can enjoy seamless connectivity to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots at no additional cost
• 3.5mm stereo headset jack
• Premium phone features, including voice activated dialing, speakerphone and Bluetooth® (2.1) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets, car kits (including systems that support the Bluetooth Message Access Profile standard) and other Bluetooth accessories
• New BlackBerry® Desktop Software 6 with integrated media sync for easily syncing music, photos and videos^**. It also includes Wi-Fi Music Sync, a unique feature that allows users to view their entire iTunes® or Windows Media® Player music libraries from theirBlackBerry smartphone, create and edit playlists as well as select music for download. When in range of their home Wi-Fi network (or via USB), the changes are synced with iTunes or Windows Media Player and the songs are automatically downloaded to the smartphone
• Tri-band HSDPA (3G) and quad-band EDGE support for the option of voice service in more than 220 countries, data service in more than 195 countries and 3G connectivity in more than 125 countries, including Japan and South Korea
• Removable, rechargeable 1300 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.8 hours of talk time on 3G networks or 30 hours of audio playback or 6 hours of video playback

Via: MarketWire