BlackBerry Torch 9850 (Verizon Wireless)

Good: This slim design Torch RIM BlackBerry 9850 and a sharp display give consumers a level of appeal. Features such as video capture 720p HD, world phone capabilities, and enhanced operating system are welcome. Call quality is good as well.

BlackBerry Torch 9850

The bad: The Torch 9850 suffered from occasional sluggishness, and sometimes the touch screen is not responsive as we would like.

The bottom line: The RIM BlackBerry 9850 for Verizon Wireless Torch is a midrange smartphone commendable, but it faces stiff competition.

RIM is once again making the rounds with the latest line of BlackBerry smartphones, the 9850 Torch headed to Verizon Wireless after the initial launch with Sprint. Torch BlackBerry 9850 marks a milestone for the BlackBerry as handset first full touch screen after a rather embarrassing error of the Storm and Storm 2. And we have said, RIM did a decent effort here. 3.7-inch screen is sharp, and 1.2GHz processor does a good job to improve overall performance. The Torch 9850 also ships with OS 7, which carries a number of enhancements under the hood-like 720p HD video capture, voice-activated search, support for HTML 5, and more. 9850 Torch is also a dual-mode CDMA / GSM phone, which makes it suitable for world-trotters.

As the Torch 9850 for Verizon Wireless has the same design and features such as the one for Sprint, we will focus more on differences in the performance of the software and offers little that Verizon version. For a complete review of the device, please read our review of the BlackBerry 9850 for Sprint Torch.

Software

One major difference between the Sprint and Verizon Wireless version of the 9850 Torch is the software package. As you might expect, the Verizon version of the Verizon phone comes preinstalled with applications and services. They include the VZ Navigator, Backup Assistant, V Cast Music, V CAST Video, V CAST Song ID, VZWTones, and the search for Bing. Many of these can not be deleted. In addition to this application, the rest of the software the same phone with Sprint and the 9850 Torch for other OS 7 handsets. For more information about the BlackBerry OS 7, please read our review of the BlackBerry Torch 9810.

Performance

We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900; UMTS 2100), international quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) BlackBerry 9850 Torch in San Francisco using Verizon's network. We enjoyed a clear call quality on our end, although we found a bit of static occasionally. If not, the caller had a lot of volume and sounds very natural.