Those of you in the Great White North won't have to wait much longer to get your hands on the BlackBerry Torch 9800. We just got word that the device will be available starting September 24th for $199 on a 3-year contract. Rogers will be the first Canadian carrier to have the Torch, but we've seen pages from both Bell and Telus that suggest they won't be far behind.
As part of the Rogers RedBoard series, Miranda MacDonald talked with BlackBerry Director of Marketing, Michael McDowell about the Torch and what features it has to offer including hardware, BlackBerry 6 and more. Check out the full video above and then head over to Rogers for more information.
Reader comments
BlackBerry Torch 9800 available from Rogers September 24th for $199
$199 for 3-yr. Wonder what the cost will be HUP.
$199 3yr term.
Wonder what the HUP will be. Even a buy out
Finally! Now to figure out how to get it 2 months before my HUP is officially done....
It's about time!
When is the torch coming to SOuth Africa?
Any word on the no-contract price?
Well shit, its about time! Canadian RIM finally does a release in its native country :P Of course I still have to wait for my BELL announcement! *sigh* and no to mention the friggen OS 6 for my 9700 if that day ever comes. Oh the pain!!
$199.99 for 3year contract? Are you fking kidding me?
Never again will i go with Rogers, Bell or Telus. $199 3 year contract? what a f*cking joke.
I was thinking more along the lines of 129-149.99, I mean, barring everything else - other devices kinda whomp this thing in specs(i.e Captivate for which I still wait).
Meh.. Well, maybe I will still get 2 lines. One Torch, One Captivate
The 9700 was 299 on a three year contract when it first came to rogers and I made the mistake of paying that because I didn't have a phone. It went down to 199 in like 3 months...
This video shows, once again that high level folks at RIM have "no clue".
So, the first thing that the Director of Marketing says is:
"First and foremost, it's really about the hardware."
Then, he follows that with:
"So what we have done with this product is combine the rouch screen interface with the trackpad as well as out best in class keyboard."
Ok, fine, tell me about the book's cover, but I want to know what's inside. No mention at all of the CPU, memory, etc.
Either they are misguided and think this is not important to anyone or they know its important, but don't want to mention a CPU and memory that is less than other current devices.
Sheesh......
People buy benefits, not features. Outside of these forum walls, there's not alot of people out there that really care about specs. They care about performance. If the phone can do what it's told, people are happy.
Oh, I know. And I agree with you.
I guess I was just surprised that there was no mention of the specs. Here on our forum, there seems to be a lot of sentiment that the Torch would be an even better device if it had a 1Ghz processor and more memory.
I guess I am just underwhelmed due to what I would have liked (as a fan, not a customer as I am with VZW) to see come from RIM on this device.
With Rogers you are eligible for a new device after 2 years into your current 3 year contract, however you must renew the contract for an additional 3 years to get the lowest device pricing. They do have 1 year and 2 year contracts as well with higher device costs to match. It use to be you were eligible each year to upgrade and extend on a three year term but they changed it a year or two back to this 2 year device upgrade.
How long till RIM bring one out with a better CPU - seems to be pausing a lot when clicking buttons.
Review here.
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/blackberry-torch-9...
Finally!!!!!
$199? Much better than i expected!
New users in the US can get it for $99, on a 2-year contract. Why is it that Canadians pay more for everything?
cause canada sucks! Anyway i've been waiting forever for Rogers to announce this crap! should i even get it?
you know you will ;)
i dont know why ppl are always complaining about the contracts.... The way i see it is "do you ever see your self with out a cell??" get over it i think its a fantastic price and i am super pumped cause its better than any BB out there right now!!
I will definitely be picking the 9800 up on September 24. Super excited! Compared to my current Blackberry (8120) it'll be a massive upgrade for me. 23 Short days away!
MY DAY HAS COME. SEPTEMBER 24TH (LOOK AT MY USERNAME ON HERE). ACTUALLY WAIT, I DON'T WANT MORE MECHANICAL MOVEMENT SHIT THAT BREAKS....I'LL WAIT FOR DAKOTA