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(For you Glenn): Product Review: BB Torch 9800

marcski

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Ok, a few things to start. I upgraded from an old BB pearl with the mini-qwerty keyboard. I am also not a power BB user...I run a few email accounts and use the browser as well as the still and video cameras. I use the calendar but don't really sync it with my desktop. I also had a minisd loaded with music.

Ok. The new one is heavier. I think it will be heavier than your 9700 bold, Glenn. The weight though, imho, is a not that big of an issue and it's obviously due to the touchscreen. I don't think it is heavier than the iphone. When lying down in bed and using the slideout keyboard it can be a bit awkward to balance...but otherwise I find the slideout keyboard stable and as solid as my wife's BB curve. Personally, when holding the BB in the vertical position, I find the touchscreen keyboard too small and I tend to have many typos. However, when holding it in the horizontal position, I find the touchscreen keyboard very easy to use and have been using it often.

The screen is significantly better in resolution and of course in size compared to obviously my mini pearl but also to other BB's (other than the Storm) including my wife's Curve as well as the Bold.

As far as the operating system....the browser is significantly better. Faster (however, I am curious to see how fast a 9700 bold on 3G network is compared to the torch). It has tabbed browsing, although it could be a bit easier to access...(You have to hit the menu key, then hit the tab button...would be better to have a quick access to it both to open a tab and to switch between already opened ones). You can also switch between applications...which is nice to access the web while on the phone...or browse the web while typing an email etc.

The camera is far superior to my old pearl and is significantly better than the Curve which I think is the same as the bold. However, it's no iphone for creating really good, crisp pictures or video. Watching straming videos is a much improved experience as well due to both the screen, the 3G and the OS but there was still an occasional burp....but again the entire web experience was vastly improved for me over other bb's that I've tried.

That's about all I have for now....I will update as I play with it more...feel free to post specific questions I will try to answer.
 

marcski

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here's a demo of the difference between the torch's camera and my old ancient pearl: I also had the pearl set to a small size to help given the low resolution....

Pearl:

IMG00551.jpg


Torch:

IMG-20100905-00344.jpg
 

deadheadskier

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No comments on the phone. I probably use my BB to 10% it's capability and am not into to tech devices.

Just wanted to comment on what a cool dam that is. Where is it located?
 

Glenn

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Wow! Great review Marc! Thanks for writing that up. I haven't been able to get my hands on a Torch yet, but I hope to one of these days; just to see how it is. I'm happy with my 9700 (and I have over a year left before I can upgrade), but I'm very interested in the larger screen that still retains the famous BB keyboard.
 

marcski

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No comments on the phone. I probably use my BB to 10% it's capability and am not into to tech devices.

Phone works great...I have never had an issue with the telephone quality in any of the BB's I've ever used.

Just wanted to comment on what a cool dam that is. Where is it located?


That is the Croton Dam....holds back the Croton Resevoir in northern Westchester County. Great road biking in that area....You can ride your bike and walk right over the dam...you used to be able to drive your car over it too..but they stopped that some years back due to what I heard was excessive wear on the dam...

Wow! Great review Marc! Thanks for writing that up. I haven't been able to get my hands on a Torch yet, but I hope to one of these days; just to see how it is. I'm happy with my 9700 (and I have over a year left before I can upgrade), but I'm very interested in the larger screen that still retains the famous BB keyboard.

Yes, I am enjoying it....I wrote and posted this thread initially on the BB. I was playing with the wife's Curve earlier today ... she has a newer one with the touchpad as opposed to the touchball...and I don't really think my Torch has a better resolution than her screen (or yours, Glenn) it's just that its so much smaller...
 

deadheadskier

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no dam guy eh?

I pick my battles. Without knowing the area well, I'm going to assume it's purpose is to create a resevoir for drinking water supply.

and Marc, for real on the car driving across the dam? So then that thing is freaking HUGE. Looking at the picture I assumed the lip of it was no more than 5ish feet across.

good swimming in that lake and below the damn?
 

marcski

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no dam guy eh?

I pick my battles. Without knowing the area well, I'm going to assume it's purpose is to create a resevoir for drinking water supply.

and Marc, for real on the car driving across the dam? So then that thing is freaking HUGE. Looking at the picture I assumed the lip of it was no more than 5ish feet across.

good swimming in that lake and below the damn?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Croton_Dam

I don't think there is sanctioned swimming.....I've only seen kayaks, canoes and rowboats.
 

Glenn

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With video streaming much easier (due to 3G and Wifi), the smaller screen can be a bit of a hindrance at times. Then again, I'm not using it as a substitute for TV. :lol:
 

NYDrew

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So what your saying is that while the old BB was great at taking and posting pictures on AZ, the new BB (can we call it, BP) can take even better pictures and put even more of them on AZ.
 

marcski

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So what your saying is that while the old BB was great at taking and posting pictures on AZ, the new BB (can we call it, BP) can take even better pictures and put even more of them on AZ.

Actually, my old BB was awful at taking pics (only 1.2 mp camera) and awful at posting on AZ (only edge network). The new one is much better at both.
:beer: :snow: :beer: :snow: :beer:
 

NYDrew

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Actually, my old BB was awful at taking pics (only 1.2 mp camera) and awful at posting on AZ (only edge network). The new one is much better at both.
:beer: :snow: :beer: :snow: :beer:

Oh, I see now. Let me try to put it hypothetically. Say your a town, perhaps in one of the LI Boroughs of NY, you are much happier now that you sent your old BB to Suffolk and are now better off being populated by spooks....I mean Phantoms.






(so sorry for the slight racisim....it just works on this one all to well)
 

Paul

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I have the BB 9700, 9800, new Pearl (forget the number) iPhone 2G, 3G and 4.0

The Torch is by far, the heaviest.The OS takes some getting used to. The slide-out QWERTY is nice, but the touch-screen keyboard is that damn truncated one like the Pearl and it sucks balls. You'll use the slider.
The iPhone still has the best touch-screen (most responsive, the 9800 can still be a bit sluggish) the 4.0 is thinner and lighter, and has a much improved camera, with flash. Yes, there is a major problem with the antenna, it sucks balls as well.

The torch is cool, they load a shit-ton of gadgety apps into it. You'll spend more time getting rid of the crap, than anything else.
 

Glenn

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Nice insight Paul. It's always cool to hear from someone who has used multiple phones for a good side by side.
 

marcski

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I have the BB 9700, 9800, new Pearl (forget the number) iPhone 2G, 3G and 4.0

The Torch is by far, the heaviest.The OS takes some getting used to. The slide-out QWERTY is nice, but the touch-screen keyboard is that damn truncated one like the Pearl and it sucks balls. You'll use the slider.
The iPhone still has the best touch-screen (most responsive, the 9800 can still be a bit sluggish) the 4.0 is thinner and lighter, and has a much improved camera, with flash. Yes, there is a major problem with the antenna, it sucks balls as well.

The torch is cool, they load a shit-ton of gadgety apps into it. You'll spend more time getting rid of the crap, than anything else.

Paul...the menu key has an option to show/hide keyboard or show reduced keyboard. With the torch in the horizontal position I am enjoying the touchscreen keyboard a lot and find it quite accurate. The vertical one is tiny with lots of typos.

You have the 3G Pearl? How is it? What carrier??
 

o3jeff

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I have the BB 9700, 9800, new Pearl (forget the number) iPhone 2G, 3G and 4.0

The Torch is by far, the heaviest.The OS takes some getting used to. The slide-out QWERTY is nice, but the touch-screen keyboard is that damn truncated one like the Pearl and it sucks balls. You'll use the slider.
The iPhone still has the best touch-screen (most responsive, the 9800 can still be a bit sluggish) the 4.0 is thinner and lighter, and has a much improved camera, with flash. Yes, there is a major problem with the antenna, it sucks balls as well.

The torch is cool, they load a shit-ton of gadgety apps into it. You'll spend more time getting rid of the crap, than anything else.

How about the HTC phones, any opinion on them?
 

o3jeff

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Interesting Jeff. Can I ask what types of Apps you are using on your Android based phone? I am just not sure that I use them that often...

Pandora is pretty much on all day at work, runkeeper for walks/hikes, google skymaps is pretty fun, numerous stupid games, cloudlist grocery and overall the ease and speed of the internet on the HTC/andorid is pretty awesome.
 
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