U.S. carriers have been stocking up on RIM’s various new BlackBerry models in preparation for the back-to-school season, but they’re not done yet. We’re still waiting on Verizon’s version of the new all-touch BlackBerry, but some internal documents are suggesting the Torch 9850 may be available to preorder customers September 8 – a scant week away. The full retail rollout should be done by September 15. We had an inkling that Verizon would be launching the phone, and the last batch of leaked dates suggested a launch today, but a week delay isn’t so bad.
The BlackBerry Torch 9850 has the biggest screen RIM has slapped on a phone to date, measuring 3.7 inches, with a respectable 800 x 480 resolution. The 1.2 GHz processor and 768 MB of RAM offer a generally smooth experience, but OS 7 is still fairly centred on the strong messaging capabilities that BlackBerry is well known for. Of course, the big screen and processor bump make it decent for watching video, it’s mostly put to use reading e-mail and web browsing. The 5 megapixel camera with LED flash has continuous autofocus, which is more than the Bold 9900 can claim, though the Torch doesn’t have NFC built in. For an in-depth look at the phone, check out my full review.
Sprint has already been offering the new Torch for a little over a week now, but the AT&T and T-Mobile model still aren’t anywhere to be seen. You can keep an eye on Verizon’s BlackBerry selection over in their online store here.