BlackBerry Torch 9860

  
BlackBerry Torch 9860

BlackBerry's latest OS 7 and the real-deal touchscreen experience will help the Torch 9860 find a niche of its own. Not that BlackBerry purists will ever get over the lack of a physical keyboard, but the Torch 9860 is not looking at them.

Instead, it has plenty to offer to long-term BlackBerry users with a taste for experiment. The Torch 9860 is part of a new generation of 1.2GHz-powered phones running the latest OS 7. It promises a new touchscreen experience and better specs across the board.

In case you wonder though about QWERTY in the list of cons - it felt right to sound a warning to traditional BlackBerry users. It's too radical a change. So, the Torch 9860 will have a massive point to prove. You can take the QWERTY out of a messenger but never the messenger out of a BlackBerry. Coming up next is our pros and cons list, so let's get down to business.

Key features:

• 3.7" 16M-color TFT touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels)
• Quad-band GSM support and quad-band 3G with HSDPA
• Single-core 1.2GHz QC8655 processor
• 768MB RAM
• BlackBerry OS v7
• BlackBerry’s proprietary email service and data security
• Wi-Fi b/g/n connectivity
• GPS receiver and BlackBerry maps preloaded, digital compass
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and a LED flash
• HD video recording, 720p@30fps
• 2.5GB of inbuilt storage
• 4GB MicroSD card prebundled
• Optical trackpad
• Four physical buttons at the bottom
• Solid build
• Hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
• DivX and Xvid video support
• Office document editor
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Smart dialing
• Ultra-fast boot times

Main disadvantages:

• BlackBerry Internet Service account is a must to enjoy all phone features
• No physical QWERTY keyboard
• No videocalling and no front facing camera either
• No NFC
• No Flash support for the web browser
• No FM radio
• No haptic feedback

The Torch 9860 has all the makings of a fine smartphone, down to the very price tag. That last one is no joke. RIM have always charged a premium on their phones. Nowhere to run if you need their service.

It's the latest generation however that's finally becoming relevant in the outside world. More and better features, and refined user experience, RIM are keen to catch up with the standard-setters. It won't happen overnight and the Torch 9860 probably won't live to see it. But it won't be sorry for not trying.

   
BlackBerry Torch 9860 live photos

Sony Ericsson Xperia ray 

  
Sony Ericsson Xperia ray official photos

The Xperia ray had to shed off layers of armor but lost none of the courage. It's got all the exciting ingredients of the Xperia arc. The sharp BRAVIA engine display is there and so is the 8MP camera, complete with 720p video recording. And the ray is impressively thin too. It is one of the most compact members of the Xperia family, and one of the handsomest phones we've seen.

Sure, the arc is slimmer but it's a massive handset. The mini is tiny but too chubby at 16mm. If you want a really slim and compact droid, the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray is one of the few that fit the bill.

The screen takes much credit for the phone's good looks. The BRAVIA engine unit has the impressive pixel density of 300ppi. We had a close look at the advantages of the BRAVIA engine and the improvements are tangible.

The screen isn't the only thing to borrow from the wealth of Sony experience. The 8MP camera packs an Exmor R sensor, which boasts improved low-light performance. It also captures 720p video with continuous autofocus - on paper, you get the same camera as in the Xperia arc.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
• 3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• 3.3" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of FWVGA resolution (480 x 854 pixels) on Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine
• Android OS v2.3 Gingerbread
• 1 GHz Scorpion CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset
• 512 MB RAM
• 8 MP autofocus camera, LED light, geotagging
• 720p video @ 30fps, continuous autofocus
• Front facing VGA camera, video calls
• Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS
• microSD slot (32GB supported, 4GB card included)
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
• Voice dialing
• Adobe Flash 10.2 support
• Slim design at 9.4mm thickness
• Large 1500mAh Li-ion battery

Main disadvantages

• Screen viewing angles could have been better
• No smart dialing
• Loudspeaker has below average performance
• No DivX/XviD support
• Non hot-swappable memory card
• No HDMI port (the arc and the Neo have one)

The ray is powered by the 1GHz processor with 512MB RAM and Adreno 205 graphics, courtesy of the Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset that is prevalent in the Xperia line. It's no match for dual-core, but if it's good enough for the gaming-centered Xperia Play, the ray shouldn’t have any issues with speed.

   
Sony Ericsson Xperia ray live shots

So, the hardware on the inside is pretty familiar and so is the software. But the slender, eye-catching body is the big deal so we'll focus on that first.