After unintentionally posting a product page early, AT&T and RIM together unveiled the second BlackBerry 7 device, the BlackBerry Torch 9810. It stands as a direct sequel to the original Torch that has the familiar vertical QWERTY slider, but with a much faster 1.2GHz processor and 720p video recording from the Bold 9900. While its design is very similar to the original Torch, it bumps the previously aging 3.25-inch display to a much sharper 640×480.
An extra speed boost comes from BlackBerry 7’s support for a hardware graphics boost, which ramps up the interface speed itself and gives a Torch real 3D gaming support for the first time. Internet access is faster, too, as the 9810 runs on twice-as-fast 14.4Mbps HSPA for 3G. Owners get 8GB of storage built-in with a microSDHC slot for more.
Despite the Bold 9900 having been unveiled as far back as May, the Torch 9810 may beat it to the market in the US. AT&T is expected to carry the slider BlackBerry in August, but it doesn’t have a specific timeline for the 9900. Rogers in Canada is also known to be onside for the 9810 and should be joined by other carriers worldwide.
The cost of the phone still hasn’t been set but, unofficially, is expected to run close to the industry-standard $200 on contract.
