BlackBerry
Torch 9800

The Torch 9800 was the first qwerty slider device in RIM's BlackBerry portfolio. It addressed the challenge of providing a large touch screen for browsing and accessing media content while retaining the much-loved BlackBerry hardware qwerty keyboard. When the slider was opened the device was well-balanced in the hand — something that had often been overlooked on rival devices using a similar design, resulting in phones being top-heavy when opened. The phone had a 3.2-inch screen with a resolution of 480 by 360 pixels and capacitive multi-touch capability. It also had a five-megapixel camera with flash, image stabilisation, face detection, zero shutter lag and geotagging. BlackBerry OS 6, which debuted on the Torch 9800, brought RIM closer into line with rival products from other manufacturers in terms of functionality and quality of the user experience. It included notable improvements to the user interface and universal search function. It also featured integrated social network views, a new media player and the integration of a WebKit browser engine. The Torch 9800 was initially available exclusively to US carrier AT&T but subsequently became available around the world.