Research in Motion has unveiled its new BlackBerry, the touchscreen Torch.
The Torch is RIM’s first phone running its new BlackBerry 6 operating system, designed with touchscreens in mind, albeit, by today’s standards, a low resolution, 360 × 480 screen.
That said, the Torch isn’t a complete break from previous BlackBerry’s and includes a slide-out hardware keyboard for traditionalists.
Included for the first time is a WebKit-based browser, system-wide searching, a customisable home screen and iTunes-compatible wireless music syncing. The company also provides software for wired syncing of music, personal data and apps with a Mac or PC, but storage is limited to just 4GB.
While the browser will certainly be an improvement on RIM’s previous efforts, it won’t please everyone as the company is still working with Adobe to add Flash.
Tyler Lessard, RIM’s vice president of Global Alliances and Developer Relations, declined to say when that work would be complete.
“What’s really important is to get it right,” Lessard said. “Flash and Flash video have very specific hardware, CPU and memory requirements. We don’t want to deliver an experience that users are going to get really excited about — perhaps buy a new device just because it supports Flash — and then find it doesn’t work as they hoped it to.”
Torch will go on sale in the US later this month; a UK date hasn’t been announced. RIM also plans to implement the new operating system in its Bold and Pearl phones.
The company is also said to be working on a rival to the iPad.
