Once the contest is over, we will compile all the entries (comments/Twitter) and assign them a random number and use random.org to pick a winner.

Winner will be announced Friday, August 27th 2010.

Good Luck to all!!

I know what you are all thinking… not another Torch review, we’ve seen enough of these. Well you may be right, but I’d like to think that a review after over two weeks of use could be more valuable than these two day reviews. Not to say those reviews aren’t good, just that there is a difference between using a device for review and using one in the regular flow of your life. Alright here we go, lets start with the things I am less than excited about with the Torch.

The Bad

OpenGL. One word almost kept me from buying this device, no matter how much I had been anticipating it. Now, I’m not a big game player on my phone. I don’t even have any on my device other than the standard games, but I was offended by the fact that RIM was trying to sell me the top of the line phone in their arsenal, without the ability to play quality 3D games. They were pitching this as a consumer friendly device, and the omission of that basically kills all of their credibility and seriousness on that front.

The next few things on the bad side are conditionally bad, i.e. they aren’t a big deal to me but they will be to a lot of people. The first is the software. I’ll talk more about the software later in detail, and I’ll just say that I love it… but its not completely ready for the mainstream yet. You can tell that it was pushed out the door under intense pressure from competitors, and while it’s a huge upgrade, there are times you wonder what they were thinking. The messages app on my phone is painful to scroll through, it’s so choppy it hurts. I have talked to others who don’t have this problem and it’s inconsistencies like this that should have been ironed out. And maybe these issues can be contributed to the second thing they missed on, the generation-old processor. In a culture where numbers mean everything to consumers, putting a 624 MHz processor in your flagship device is a sin. Just like megapixels in the camera, size doesn’t always matter, as evidenced by the difference in photos between the iPhone 5MP and the Droid X 8MP. I don’t think this processor speed is a big deal on a BlackBerry. They are great at optimizing their software to make the most of the hardware as can be seen with BlackBerry 6 running buttery smooth on the 9700 (boygenius post). If you threw Android on this phone it would be unbearable. But like I said, the software isn’t polished enough for it to run like it should on this processor. The last downside most people will see is the screen resolution. At a paltry 360×480,it is dwarfed by phones like the iPhone and Droid X. It doesn’t look bad but its not as good as it should be in this day of bigger numbers.

The Good

Hardware

Lets put it this way, I’m in love with the hardware on the Torch. It just feels right in my hand open or closed. It has some weight to it, a full ounce heavier than RIM’s other devices but it gives it a solid feel that you arent holding something you could break easily. With the screen open it feels just right, easy to hold, good balance, easy to type one-handed just like your old trusty BlackBerry. The screen’s hinge is a thing of beauty. It is solid with no horizontal movement and it’s got a great feel when sliding the screen open or shut. There is a nice accelerated open/close when you pass the right spot. Overall, it feels like the hinge was built to last and perform well, no matter how long you have the Torch.

On to the keyboard. This is the best keyboard I have used on a BlackBerry. With the screen at the top and the chin at the bottom it is a little more cramped for those of you with bigger fingers, but moving passed that the fretted styling and typing experience on it make it a joy to use.  Its a much thinner keyboard than the Bold so it has a shorter key travel and more of a clicky feel to it without those very soft keys. I am now pumping out BBM’s and emails faster than ever before. Thanks, Torch!

The screen, although lacking in resolution is very responsive to touch and gestures and does a great job of handling what ever I throw at it. Long gone are the days of clicking the screen to type, thank goodness. The back of the phone is a ribbed, rubbery-feeling material that gives good grip in your hand or on the counter. It gives you the feeling that it wont be slipping out of your hand like some other phones with glass backs to them.  Last but not least, the camera. The camera is an upgraded 5.0 MP from the standard 3.2 that has been seen in the latest BlackBerrys. In my use, the camera actually takes some really nice photos, and with the new camera app with scene selection, you really are able to get the best performance out of it. While the low light performance isn’t great, the flash is incredibly bright and should help mitigate that somewhat. Take a look at some sample shots here…

The Software

RIM has been hyping up the arrival of BlackBerry 6 since April at WES, and it has  done a great job of getting everyone excited for its grand entrance. BlackBerry 6 is everything that I want and need from a smartphone operating system, and it is a great improvement over OS 5. While it’s true that this isn’t the total overhaul that some people wanted, it makes the OS relevant, adding a whole lot of great features and keeping the essence that has made BlackBerry successful for years.

From a user’s perspective, I think a good way to describe the BlackBerry 6 upgrade is that it’s the addition of a bunch of great core applications with a great new UI skin, much like HTC Sense is to Android. The base of BlackBerry is still there, the great messaging, calendar, security and contact management, but the new core applications and tighter integration of the whole platform makes it 10x better.

I would consider these great new core applications to be the Universal Search, WebKit browser, Media App and the Notifications “app”. The universal search is executed flawlessly, start typing anywhere in the home screen and the universal search will start searching everything on your device: options, contacts, emails, calendar, BBM, web search/browsing history, App World and YouTube. It makes getting to anything on your phone incredibly quick. Any third party application can also provide searchable content that will work with the app. Next is the much ballyhooed new WebKit browser. It’s well worth the wait and performs exactly how a modern browser should. Pages render quickly and accurately. Pinch to zoom and scrolling are smooth and the double tap to reflow text on the screen is a great feature. It would be nice if the screen had a higher resolution so you could make more use of the nice browser, but its not bad. Tabbed browsing also works like a charm, with smooth switching between tabs and it doesn’t even hesitate when you have a bunch of tabs open.

The media app isn’t necessarily new but it’s been overhauled and improved enough that I’ll consider it new for this review. The interface feels much cleaner and user friendly, and managing your music is a breeze with the Wi-Fi sync to your desktop/laptop. The cover-flow-like interface is very useful when listening to music and trying to find something. The only bad thing here is that songs from the same album have the same cover art (like they should) but it makes it just a repeat of the same cover. The pictures section improved the scrolling of all of your pictures. Large thumbnails load quickly and smoothly. Once into a picture, pinch to zoom and picture rotating work as they should and make it just a more enjoyable experience. Finally, the notifications app. The unified notifications area that replaced the standard static icon bar of old is a great way to access any event that has happened on your Torch quickly. Right from the drop down you can launch straight into the email/appointment/BBM/Twitter mention without having to first open the app. Efficiency is key here and the new notification bar helps you to achieve that with ease.

Overall

So, if you made it this far, whats the final verdict? Current BlackBerry users will love the software upgrade and will happily upgrade to this phone. If you need a physical keyboard but also want the benefits of a touchscreen, this is the best phone you can buy on any platform (maybe the Epic 4G, according to some, but I can’t stand Android). Business users can enjoy this phone for being a worthy personal phone as well as the amazing enterprise experience they’ve come to expect from BlackBerry. Casual consumers should be pleased and excited picking up this phone for the first time, and it’s definitely RIM’s most consumer focused device yet. The one group that would never switch is the iPhone user who loves his games. So there are winners and losers with the Torch, but RIM at least has me as a customer for another two years.

Today T-Mobile announced the upcoming availability of RIM’s latest handset the Curve 3G or as its been known around the web for quite some time as the Curve 9300. This device is mainly a refresh of the Curve series to include 3G and it comes with all of the standard BlackBerry features you’ve come to expect from every device they offer: Trackpad, Wifi, GPS, 3G. Interesting thing to note is that in RIM’s press release they say that BlackBerry 6 should be coming to this device in the coming months which would be very nice and probably make this device a worthy choice for the budget minded consumers. Look for this handset coming some time in August. Full release below.

RIM Introduces the New BlackBerry Curve 3G Smartphone

New addition to the globally popular BlackBerry Curve series is fast, easy-to-use, richly-featured and BlackBerry 6 ready

Waterloo, Ontario – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the new BlackBerry® Curve™ 3G, an exciting addition to the globally popular BlackBerry Curve series of smartphones. Designed to provide the growing mass of smartphone purchasers with a distinctly powerful, approachable and affordable choice, the BlackBerry Curve 3G supports high-speed 3G (HSDPA) networks around the world  and gives users the exceptional communications features they need to accomplish more than ever, when they’re at home, at work and everywhere in-between.

“The majority of people in the worldwide mobile phone market have yet to buy their first smartphone and the BlackBerry Curve 3G is designed to provide an extremely attractive and accessible choice that will help convince many of them to make the leap,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry Curve 3G is a perfect choice for happily busy people who are looking for a user-friendly 3G smartphone to help them make the most of their day and to stay connected with their friends, family and co-workers.”

The BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone features a comfortable full-QWERTY keyboard for fast, accurate typing, optical trackpad for fluid navigation, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi®, as well as dedicated media keys, so music lovers can easily access their tunes while on the go. The new smartphone also features a camera that can record video and a microSD/SDHC slot that supports up to 32 GB memory cards for media storage. Support for 3G networks makes browsing faster, streaming music smoother, and gives users the ability to talk on the phone while they browse the web, instant message with BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) or share their location with friends on popular social networking sites.

The BlackBerry Curve 3G ships with BlackBerry® 5 and is BlackBerry® 6 ready. BlackBerry 6 is a new operating system for BlackBerry® smartphones that was announced last week. It retains the trusted features that distinguish the BlackBerry brand while delivering a fresh and engaging experience that is both powerful and easy to use. BlackBerry 6 is expected to be available for the BlackBerry Curve 3G, subject to carrier certifications, in the coming months.

The new BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone (model 9300) will be available from various carriers and distribution partners around the world beginning in August. Check with local carriers for details about availability and pricing.

For more information about the new BlackBerry Curve 3G smartphone visit www.blackberry.com/curve3G. For more information about BlackBerry 6, visit www.blackberry.com/6.

Well what do we have here? A tipster just sent us an image of the official invite to an AT&T hosted BlackBerry event in NYC on Tuesday, August 3rd. Based on the obvious icons in the flyer, this event can only mean one thing. BlackBerry 6. Now if I had to guess, this has 9800 written all over it, unless they have some other secret device they have been testing. This would seem to jive with the rumor floating around that the 9800 would be released on the 15th of next month. This time frame gives them space to announce and gather up as many preorders as they can. While this is obviously speculation, the writing seems to be on the wall for us to see BlackBerry 6 sooner rather than later. Heres hoping for the 9800!

Thanks anonymous!

The United States government has officially ruled on in favor of “Jailbreaking” your iPhone thanks to the latest review of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Every three years the Library of Congress reexamines the DMCA for exemptions to secure that copy written properties can be used in a non-infringing way. The iPhone being one of most popular platforms today but, has also been highly criticized for it’s App Store approval process. Developers wanting to bypass Apple, subsequently created a gray market for applications not sanctioned by the Cupertino company.

Apple has argued in the past that jailbreaking your iPhone can hender one’s experience and render the phone unusable. Not to mention Apple views jailbreaking as a violation of the manufacture warranty and continues to inhibit the ability through software updates. On the other side the fence some believe competing alternatives to Apple’s App Store will give freedom to developers to reach users through multiple nuances. With the government having the final word on the legitimacy of modding your iPhone, only time will tell whether the vast majority of users will tap into other sources of app suppliers or just stick to what they know, which is Apple’s App Store.

More on this story here.

Just as Steve Jobs promised at the July 16th press conference. Apple has initiated their free case program for the iPhone 4. All iPhone 4 users can head right over to apple.com and get the details or more conveniently download the Case Program app from the App Store directly to the iPhone and make their pick from a variety of third party case makers. Also if you purchased a Bumper prior to Apple’s announcement, you’re eligible for a full refund. Apple will honor refunds and the case program until September 30th. The Considering Apple acknowledged signal attenuation wasn’t unique to the iPhone 4, I can’t help but, wonder how other iPhone user feel who may be experiencing the same problems.

For refund status click here.

I’ve had my iPhone 4 for about a week now and I have been paranoid of dropping it since it was handed to me in the AT&T store. Today I can breathe easy because I just received the OtterBox Defender Case for iPhone 4. We have reviewed OtterBox cases in the past and it never ceases to amaze me how well these cases are made. In fact the the Defender Series for the BlackBerry Tour earned so much of my confidence that I posted a video of me giving it a toss with the device camera rolling. I will not be doing that with my iPhone 4 (yet), but only because I have not had enough hands on time with this case, not because it wouldn’t hold up.

At first look the case is typical of all OtterBox Defender series, in that it’s got a high impact polycarbonate shell and screen protector with an impact absorbing silicone cover that wraps around the shell.  The inside of the case has a felt backing to protect your glorious glass “scratch resistant” back while it’s in the case. (Mine already has scratches on it from my keys.), and also sports port-holes for the Apple logo, camera, flash as well as the front facing camera with clear plastic protection all around.

The Silicone cover as well as the shell have all of the needed openings for the volume buttons, mics, headphone jacks etc. The cover seals with a creative lip that goes around all of the edge of the shell and around the openings for the sync cable on the bottom of the phone and make a very tight seal for the case.

With the phone in the case it’s not too bulky and I could still slide it in and out of my pocket with little effort, though it may pick up some lent along the way. If you do not want to pocket your device a holster is included, but it is quite large when on your belt. A better use for the include holster is the fact that the clip can be held open and used as a desktop/bedside stand for your iPhone. Other than protecting you phone from drops and scratches, this is probably my favorite feature of the case.

Overall this case is great, it carries OtterBox’s tried and true reputation of protecting all types of devices without sacrificing the beauty that is Apple products. Also, in an OtterBox press release they note that:

The black OtterBox Defender Series case for the Apple iPhone 4 has been officially NAC tested to address the loss in signal strength. Test results indicate this case solves the antenna issue by acting as a dielectric between the two antennas of the device. No loss of signal strength occurs when using the iPhone 4 in a Defender Series case.

I can without a doubt confirm this to be true. While this case is currently not on Apple’s list of free case offerings, it may be worth holding out on ordering your free case for a week or two and see if it get’s added to the list. If my opinion matters at all, I would say that at 49.95 USD this case is a must have for an iPhone 4 user if there is any chance you may be taking it outside your house. To purchase your’s or see the other cases available from OtterBox head over to their store at OtterBox.com

Version 2.1

Run Skype in the background with multitasking in iOS4. Receive Skype calls and IM while other apps are running or when your iPhone is locked.You can also continue your call while you switch to another application.

You can update for your App Store Update or Click Here to download to iTunes.

[via BGR]

Canada! It’s your turn to enjoy the iPhone 4. Telus announced that that they will be launching the iPhone 4 on July 30th. Pre-orders are not possible at the moment so if I were you, I would call in sick next friday . Rogers is expected to launch on Rogers the same day also. We’ve told that Telus and Rogers would be selling them factory unlocked. I guess we shall wait and see. When getting your iPhone 4, make sure to also grab a bumper!

To all you Android loving, push to talk loving, Spring customers this here phone is for you. On July 25th Sprint will be releasing the Motorola i1 to its business customers for $149.99 with a new line/upgrade  and to everyone else on Sunday, Aug. 8. It purportedly comes with “military ruggedness” as well as WiFi and a full touchscreen. Check out the full press release below for lots more info.

World’s First Nextel Direct Connect Smartphone
Powered by Android, Motorola i1, Available for

Sprint Customers on July 25 for $149.99

Motorola i1 combines military spec ruggedness with the latest in

smartphone technology, industry-leading push-to-talk,
Wi-Fi and a sleek full touchscreen design

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – July 19, 2010 – Industry-leading Push-to-Talk with access to thousands of Android™ applications for less than $150?  Now that is taking care of business!

Sprint (NYSE: S) today shared pricing and timing for the world’s first Android-powered smartphone with Nextel Direct Connect^® – it will be available first on Sunday, July 25, through direct ship sales channels, including Business Sales, telesales (1-800-SPRINT1 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              1-800-SPRINT1      end_of_the_skype_highlighting) and Web sales (www.sprint.com/motoi1) for $149.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade, two-year service agreement and after a $50 mail-in rebate (taxes & surcharges excluded). It will then be available in all remaining Sprint sales channels beginning on Sunday, Aug. 8.

With more than 17 years of experience, Sprint is the undisputed industry leader in push-to-talk, serving the world’s largest push-to-talk community with millions of Nextel Direct Connect subscribers on the fastest national push-to-talk network. More U.S. workers communicate in less than a second with Nextel Direct Connect than with any other push-to-talk service.

With solid body construction that meets military specifications for protection against dust, shock, vibration and blowing rain¹, Motorola i1 is designed for those who work and play hard. It offers the Android 1.5 operating system, and automatically syncs and integrates office and personal information such as emails, calendar appointments and contacts.

“Motorola i1 is the only Android device to offer Nextel Direct Connect as well as the latest smartphone features and the ability to withstand some of the harshest environments,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint.  “This phone brings a new level of smartphone to our Nextel customers making it one of the most efficient devices to get work done, and our customers who rely on Direct Connect will appreciate this feature-packed phone that doesn’t miss on must-have features like Wi-Fi and a 5 megapixel camera.”

Motorola i1 enhances the Nextel Direct Connect experience with the ability to view who is calling regardless of what application you are in, whether you are managing your emails, checking your calendar, composing messages or viewing media.

Motorola i1 also offers a variety of robust business and entertainment applications through Android Market™, and when combined with the built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, it provides a great view of what’s happening both personally and professionally.  Applications like Scan2PDF Mobile 2.0, Unit Converter – ConvertPad and RealCalc Scientific Calculator can help get work done, while staying connected to friends through Facebook™ or Tweeting using an easily customizable Twitter™ app like Touiteur.

In addition, Sprint partner applications available for businesses on the Motorola i1 include:

• Xora™ mobile workforce management solutions provide businesses with real-time visibility into field operations, and helps automate payroll and job workflow processes. The Android version of Xora Time Track™ includes new features like photo barcode scanning and signature capture, eliminating the need to purchase additional hardware to support such capabilities.

• TeleNavTrack™ uses the latest technologies to make mobile workforce and asset management reliable and affordable for businesses of all sizes.  It lets businesses use wireless barcode scanning to track inventory and assets, manage deliveries, better predict arrival times, change schedules on-the-fly and deploy workers.  It can also reduce paperwork by allowing the mobile workforce to complete invoices, orders and timesheets on the device.
• Sprint Mobile Locator is a Web-based solution that allows businesses to easily track and locate workers, and view a mapping display on a PC in near real-time using a wireless phone’s built-in GPS capabilities.

Key features include:

• Popular business tools such as Microsoft^® Document Viewer and corporate sync ensure Word or PowerPoint files can be accessed on the go
• Message entry is a breeze with both Android standard virtual keyboard and Swype™ virtual keyboards being offered
• A 5 megapixel camera with flash, geo-tagging and panoramic capabilities provides crisp photos and clearly displays them on the vibrant 3.1-inch HVGA screen, and video can also be recorded and stored on a provided microSD for sharing or future viewing straight from the device
• The Android browser allows you to see web pages and Flash 8-enabled sites in full view using Wi-Fi, and the latest Opera Mini 5 browser enables quick browsing over the Nextel National Network and Wi-Fi

With the new Sprint Free Guarantee, the most robust satisfaction guarantee in the wireless industry, customers can try a new line of service with Sprint for 30 days. If they aren’t completely satisfied with Sprint during that period, they can cancel service and return their device to be reimbursed for the device purchase and activation fee, get the early termination fee waived, get a full refund for monthly service plan recurring charges incurred and get all associated taxes and fees waived.

In addition, Sprint will waive the restocking fee for new customer exchanges as part of this policy. Refund excludes usage not included in the plan, premium content, third-party billing and international charges.

Application development information for Motorola i1 is available on the Sprint Application Developer web site at www.sprint.com/developer. Sprint offers developers a free sandbox with iDEN capabilities to test their apps. Sprint is a charter member of the Open Handset Alliance™ and the Sprint Application Developer Program has been providing tools for third-party developers since Sprint first launched the Wireless Web on its phones in 2001.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, and is the first and only wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless and instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.