Competition in the smartphone market is heating up. For years, Research in Motion has pretty much owned the business side of the market with its popular BlackBerry line, but Apple’s iPhone and the increasingly popular range of Android-based devices are starting to make serious inroads.
As Enterprise Mobile Today reports, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) has struggled to keep up with some of the features offered by its newer rivals, like a touchscreen interface and easily accessible app store. But with today’s release, RIM is betting big that its newest smartphone and updated software will help it fight off the competition.
Research In Motion today unveiled the BlackBerry Torch 9800, the first smartphone from RIM to run BlackBerry 6, and also the first slider-style mobile device from RIM with both a touchscreen and a keyboard, in its bid to prevent Android-powered handsets and Apple’s iPhones from encroaching on its market share.
The Torch 9800 goes on sale Aug. 12 exclusively on AT&T, for $199, with a two-year contract. It combines the core BlackBerry enterprise experience — keyboard, security tools — with more modern features found on iPhones and Android smartphones, such as a WebKit-based browser, a touchscreen, rich media support and a streamlined social networking interface.
