It looks like Canadian carriers are lining up with their BlackBerry Torch 9800 launches, as Rogers has pushed their availability date from today to the end of the month, much like Bell. We were already prepped for a delay when in-store availability was rumoured to not be until the 27th., but what’s three more days, right? Considering all of the date shuffling, I’m starting to think Telus has the right idea by showing only “Coming Soon”, though they did say their Torch would be ready for today as well…
If you’re unfamiliar with the newest BlackBerry, the Torch 9800 is RIM’s first slider, packing a brand new operating system with revamped UI, universal search, and WebKit browser. Specs-wise, the Torch is pretty middle-of-the-road as far as smartphones go: 3.2″ HVGA capacitive touchscreen, 5 megapixel camera with flash and autofocus, Wi-Fi b/g/n, HSPA 3G, and GPS. I had a good time with the phone, and folks who are sold on the BlackBerry lifestyle should be happy with it.
Bell and Telus both have their preorder pages up, but at this point, Rogers will probably just wait it out until launch and let folks order online or in store as they like. Rogers had initially announced a $199 on-contract price point, but now that Bell’s offering it for $179, that might change. Whichever Canadian carrier you end up going with, be sure to take a look at our review of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 before making the leap. Hit up the Rogers landing page to sign up for e-mail notifications.