Sprint and Verizon have both announced or been rumored to be getting the BlackBerry Torch 9850, and now US Cellular is joining them. According to the US Cellular website you'll be able to pick one of these up for $199 on a two year contract, after a $100 mail-in-rebate. With an official release date of August 26th, are you holding out for the new Torch 9850? Thanks for the tip John!

Source: US Cellular

U.S. CELLULAR LAUNCHES BLACKBERRY TORCH 9850 SMARTPHONE

Delivers a fast, fluid BlackBerry 7 experience in a stylish new all-touch design
CHICAGO (August 24, 2011) –U.S. Cellular (NYSE: USM) is adding yet another powerful device to its cutting-edge portfolio. The all-touch BlackBerry® TorchTM 9850 smartphone arrives in stores Aug. 26 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate along with purchase of a data plan.

“At U.S. Cellular, we continue to offer our customers devices that can keep them entertained, organized and help simplify their day,” said Edward Perez, vice president of sales and marketing operations for U.S. Cellular. “Our smartphone line-up includes something for everyone and is one of the reasons we have the happiest customers in wireless.”

BlackBerry smartphone lovers who switch to U.S. Cellular get unique benefits, like new phones faster without continuously signing contracts, Battery Swap and a rewards program where they get points for paying monthly wireless bills on time, adding a line or referring new customers. Through Sept. 8, wireless shoppers who switch to U.S. Cellular and activate any new smartphone get a $100 switcher credit per line.

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 offers an all-touch design featuring a 3.7 inch display, the largest BlackBerry screen to date. It features Liquid GraphicsTM technology, combining a dedicated high-performance graphics processor with a blazingly fast CPU and stunning high-resolution display to deliver a highly responsive touch interface with incredibly fast and smooth graphics. The BlackBerry Torch 9850 also features the next generation BlackBerry browser with a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience that is among the best in the industry and delivers browsing results that are up to 40 percent faster than BlackBerry 6 based smartphones and up to 100 percent faster than BlackBerry 5 based smartphones*.  Additional enhancements to this next generation BlackBerry browser have also optimized zooming and panning for smoother web navigation and optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

Customers can customize their BlackBerry Torch 9850 to stay connected and to fit their lifestyle through the enhanced BBMTM 6 (BlackBerry Messenger) and various apps for gaming, social networking, online shopping, and increasing productivity through BlackBerry App WorldTM. Additionally, customers can capture special moments with its 5-megapixel camera and brilliant HD video camera.

Several of U.S. Cellular’s value-packed national plans are a perfect fit for BlackBerry smartphone customers. The $79.99 Primary Plus Plan is the best value in wireless and offers 5GB of data with unlimited text, picture and video messaging. The plan also comes with 450 voice minutes, free incoming calls, free nights and weekends and free mobile-to-mobile calls. A family of four who switches to U.S. Cellular can save more than $1,000 a year with the company’s National Premium Plus family plan. All plans and devices are backed by U.S. Cellular’s high-speed nationwide network, which has the highest call quality and network satisfaction of any national carrier.

For more information about all of U.S. Cellular’s deals, plans and phones, and other restrictions on these offers, visit any U.S. Cellular store, go to uscellular.com or check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook.

The BlackBerry Torch 9850 is available for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Purchase of a data plan is required, and a new two-year agreement and activation fee may apply for new customers.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular rewards its customers with unmatched benefits and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier has a strong line-up of cutting-edge devices that are all backed by its high-speed nationwide network that has the highest call quality of any national carrier. U.S. Cellular was named a J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Customer Service Champion and received PC Magazine’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Award. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

For more information:

LaTrina Blair Shepherd
U.S. Cellular
(773) 355 – 3364
latrina.shepherd@uscellular.com

* Requires BlackBerry 7 OS. Testing was performed by RIM in July 2011 and measured average page load speeds using pre-release BlackBerry 7 software.* The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.