If you place the Torch 9800 next to the Torch 9810, you won't be able to tell them apart unless you take a closer look. The Torch 9810 has the same portrait slider design, with the same measurements as well: 4.4 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.6 inch thick. The only noticeable difference is that the Torch 9810 has a silver paint job (or "zinc grey," according to RIM) instead of black. It also has a textured plastic back instead of the soft-touch finish that was on the Torch 9800. The plastic backing cheapens the otherwise premium feel of the phone.
The 3.2-inch display on the Torch 9810 is very attractive. It boasts a 640x480-pixel resolution, and OS 7 promises a new Liquid Graphics technology that RIM says allows for improved graphics and a more responsive touch screen. Graphics and text look smooth, sharp, and crisp thanks to the improved pixel density. We experienced zero lag when navigating the phone and launching applications, perhaps thanks to the phone's 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor as well. For simple navigation, we thought it was on par with Android smartphones with dual-core processors.
The Torch 9810 has a proximity sensor and supports pinch-to-zoom gestures. Located right underneath the display are the Send, Menu, Back, and End/Power keys with BlackBerry's traditional optical touch pad in the middle. While it might seem redundant to have both a touch screen and the optical touch pad, the touch pad allows for finer and more precise control in certain applications. Still, we found that the touch screen alone worked well enough most of the time.
If you want to type up a quick text, you can choose to use the onscreen keyboard. It works both in portrait and landscape mode, and is surprisingly spacious, with large keys and sufficient room between each key. Our only complaint is that the screen's smaller-than-usual size reduces the text input area significantly when the onscreen keyboard is on display. The OS 7 keyboard boasts improved text prediction, and indeed, perhaps because of our proclivity toward onscreen keyboards, we actually found it faster and easier than the physical version.
But if you insist on using the latter, fear not, as the Torch 9810 slides open vertically to reveal that famous BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard. The slider mechanism is smooth, solid, and springs securely into place in either the open or closed position. As we mentioned earlier, this is the same form factor as on the original Torch 9800. Yet, the keyboard is just a touch wider on the 9810, and it's not quite as thin as before. We still think large thumbs might need some time to acclimate to it, but on the whole, we found typing to be quite comfortable. The keyboard is roomy enough for a portrait slider, and though the keys are small, they're raised so it's still easy to text by feel.
The rest of the phone's external controls mirror those of the Torch 9800. You get the lock and mute buttons at the top of the phone, the Micro-USB port on the left spine, and the 3.5mm headset jack, volume rocker, and customizable convenience key on the right. The camera lens and LED flash are on the back, while the microSD card slot is located behind the battery cover. AT&T packages the Torch 9810 with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a wired stereo headset, a polishing cloth, and reference material.
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