BlackBerry Torch 9850 user reviews (Sprint)

Pros The phone is sleek, light weight and easy to use. The batter life is good (typical BlackBerry). The new software (version 7) is great with a lot of features.

Cons The phone seems to get hung up in certain areas. When using the browser, if you click on a link, sometimes it will take multiple time pressing the link before the phone will recognize it. If you are in the phone section and you want to move from the dia

Summary I have used BlackBerry for years as my company phone. Every time a new phone comes out I i get it. I was excited about the all touch screen. I have an iPhone for my personal phone, so I was not worried about not having an actually keyboard. WRONG! The keyboard on the BlackBerry seems smaller, unless you put it in landscape. I think this would be a great phone for personal use, but I have already called my rep and asked to return the phone and ordered a new Bold 9930.

Pros + much faster to boot and much more responsive than Storm2,
+ multitouch works great across web, email, photos, etc.
+ a fully fucntional web browser!
+ BB OS 7-flexible & intuitive
+ BIG, hi res screen
+ Stylish!!
+ email/phone integration

Cons - OS occasionally slows down or more rarely freezes with a few apps, likely symptom of early days of BB 7 OS.
- Two apps failed transfer, including VZ Navigator. Uninstall/reinstall fixed this.

Summary Best overall device for business use due to continued superior email and phone performance + outstanding time savings shortcuts built in to OS combined with new OS and full web integration that match key competitors. Overall, a very good, fully functional Smart Phone.

+ WELL worth the upgrade from Storm2!
+ iPhone users show *some* respect at last when they handle it :-)
+ greatly improved home screen UI in BB 7 - simple, fast, flexible, intuitive
+ really nice pop-up options when highlighting numbers and text, best I've seen
+ excellent phone performance, better signal strength vs. Storm2
+ most apps transferred directly or automatically offered upgrade to be compatible with BB 7
+ I have option of corporate iPhone or BB, and BB continues to be my choice so far for all the reasons above.
+ RIM, keep it up, you are getting there in terms of total smart phone experience while continuing to deliver the best integration of phone and email around.

Pros The key board works fine for me in both modes. When in portrait mode I hold the phone in one hand and whip out text or emails. Communication is a breeze with this device it is loaded with software to keep you in touch. Battery life has been good for me I

Cons The user interface is a little complicated but over time you get used to it. It is in no way a deal breaker.

Summary For me this is a great device. It has kept me very well connected in business and my personal affairs. Blackberry keep up the good work.

Pros Fast, snappy interface. Crisp, clear graphics. Rock solid encrypted Blackberry email and data services.

Cons The horrible virtual keyboard, the lack of compatibility with older BB apps.

Summary RIM brought out a great smartphone, with one horrible flaw. This is quite possibly the worst virtual keyboard on any smartphone ever designed. Blackberry has traditionally been a platform where the keyboard rules, but RIM's lack of investment into a virtual keyboard that is quick, responsive, and lack of accuracy is the death of this otherwise great phone.

I tried the BB9850 for less than two weeks before I had to switch it out, but let's start with the positives.

1) Perfect reception. This phone seemed to have the best reception of many new phones I've tried.
2) BB07 is the best OS yet on this platform, it is quick, the "liquid graphics" interface is slick, and it is easy to use
3) The screen is gorgeous, and it is the largest yet on a BB platform.
4) The Torch 9850 has what you'd expect from BB: the best battery life in the smartphone business


But the drawbacks are stark:

1) Virtual keyboard unusable
2) Lack of 4G support for this price range ($199 starting price with two year contract)
3) BB07 looks much more slick than previous versions, but what isn't acceptable is how incompatible it is with older software. There are literally only 200 or so apps in the app store that are available to work on it, compared with the many thousands on the BB06 OS.


If it is available, I'd rather use the Torch 9810: a slider with a real keyboard, and that'd make it a platform to still use.

Looks like the 9850 is nice to look at, but if you can hold out for RIM's QNX based BB's coming next year it is worth the 4-6 month wait. The 9850 is too little, too late.