Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, has unveiled a new smartphone (BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone) for wooing mobile consumers away from Apple and other rivals though experts do not share the same view and think that the smartphone may not achieve success as expected by the makers.
AT&T described the device as the best BlackBerry ever but declined to make any comments on amount of advertising the company will be spending to promote the smartphone.
From in.news.yahoo.com:
The Torch will go on sale in the United States on Aug. 12 for $199.99 with a two-year contract — about the same price as an iPhone. The new BlackBerry uses a revamped operating system and has a faster and easier-to-use Web browser.
Underscoring RIM’s intention to compete head to head with the iPhone, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company will launch the phone in the United States with AT&T Inc, the same carrier that has exclusive U.S. rights to the iPhone.
Analysts at Tuesday’s launch event in New York said the Torch does not represent a major advance but that its consumer-friendly features were enough to help RIM to catch up to rivals.
“RIM is playing catch-up. This is clearly the upgrade for BlackBerry users, but otherwise not a lot here is super exciting,” Altimeter analyst Michael Gartenberg said.
The Torch does not represent a “leap forward”, but will help RIM compete with rivals such as iPhone and Google Inc’s Android software, used in phones from several vendors including Motorola Inc, said NPD analyst Ross Rubin.
Even though BlackBerry has been commonly associated with corporate and government customers, critics feel that a big overhaul is required for expanding the popularity of BlackBerry smartphones beyond business customers.
