While the iPhone has the app market wrapped up, and Android touts its customization bona fides, BlackBerry has traditionally been the security phone of choice for businesses and super spies. RIM can continue to ride the security wave with news that its unreleased platform is ready for government duty.
On Thursday RIM announced that BlackBerry 10 smartphones and enterprise servers had received FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard Publication) 140-2 certification from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In order to pass, a device must have certified encryption algorithms when data is transmitted or the phone is at rest.
One of the features RIM has been most proud of is its security. Thursday’s announcement is good news for a company that has been struggling to remain relevantin the post-iPhone era. This is the first time a RIM product was certified before its release. Government agencies can start using the devices as soon as they become available on the market.
RIM is expected to release new BB10 phones during the first quarter of 2013.
After the love-it-or-hate-it SurePress screen of the BlackBerry Storm andStorm 2, the Torch has gone for what is now the industry standard: a capacitive screen with no clicks needed.
The device feels like a quality product. It's shiny and has a 3.2-inch display. While not up there with the iPhone 4's Retina display in terms of clarity, as far as physical size goes, the Torch's screen does give the impression of being bigger than it is.
The phone's heavy enough to notice – yet not enough to make carrying it a chore.
But while the sliding keyboard locks in and out without rattling, this doesn't feel like a device that would survive being dropped onto a hard floor too many times.
The key selling point when the Torch was released in late 2010 was that it was the first device to ship with BlackBerry OS 6. But now, it's got competition in the Bold 9780.
Function-wise, they're the same with GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, Wi-Fi and a 5.0MP shooter –but even though the screens are of an identical resolution, the Torch's falls behind that of the Bold 9780 because the pixels are spread over a larger area, resulting in it not looking as sharp.
One of BlackBerry's strengths has always been just how much you can customise its devices. This is either through BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) – where the employer customises it and you have little control – or BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS), where you can change as much as you like. Indeed, when you go from an iPhone to a Blackberry, you realise just how closed Apple's system is.
But can you have too much of a good thing? The answer is probably yes.
For example, changing the ringtone is easy enough, but customising profiles is an intense experience, with so many options even a power user is left reaching for the smelling salts. Setting up ringtones, text alerts, MMS alerts, email alerts, Twitter, Facebook, the browser, IM, BBM and so on gets confusing when you realise just many options you have, and you end up giving up halfway through.
One huge omission has also been made with the Torch. When we opened the box, we were pleased with the various accessories (including standard BlackBerry international chargers), but where was the case? Close inspection revealed that this phone doesn't come with one, which we find unforgivable.
BlackBerry has bundled one with almost every phone it's made in the last few years and there's a reason for that – not only do the holders protect the phone from bumps, they also automatically shut off the screen and put the phone into standby, helping the battery last even longer. If the phone is in your pocket or bag, it prevents you accidentally dialling a contact - although the touchscreen slider should help there.
We can't, for the life of us, understand why BlackBerry have left such an obvious accessory out of the Torch's box, other than to encourage you to buy one. If that is the case, it will certainly irritate the legions of users that have become accustomed to getting a fancy new holster with every new BlackBerry.
.jpg)
