The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is the first RIM Smartphone to feature the latest version of the BlackBerry Operating System, version 6, with upgrades for certain existing devices also on the roadmap. So what can you expect from this new release?

Home Screen

The first thing you notice about the new OS is the re-worked home screen, as shown above. Application icons can be accessed by sliding the menu bar up the screen to display as many or as few icons as you wish.

Besides the "All" view, by sliding the home screen to the left or right you can view applications grouped by function, such as "Media":

Frequently accessed apps ("Frequent"):

as well as "Downloads" and "Favourites":

The device can also be searched directly from any of the home screens:

Tapping on the, what I have decided to call, Status Bar (below the date and time) brings up a nice at-a-glance run down of all calendar entries, messages and social networking updates:

Personal shortcuts can be added to the home screen from a variety of applications, be they contacts or web page bookmarks:

For easy access:

Throughout the new operating system, context menus can now be launched by tapping and holding on the screen for quick access to common tasks:

When launched for the first time, you are presented with an easy to follow setup wizard, which can also be launched later at any time from the application menu:

Web Browsing

RIM acquired software development company Torch Mobile back in August 2009, makers of a WebKit-based web browser for the Java platform. This browser is now prominently featured in BlackBerry OS6 bringing features such as Flash support, tabbed browsing, pinch to zoom and RSS integration.
When used with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES), it's perhaps important to remember that all web browsing requests are sent "through" the BES and pages formatted correctly for the client browser. Coupled with the fact that all client-server communications are compressed, web browsing on the platform is surprisingly fast whilst still feeling like a 'desktop' browsing experience. The blog is rendered accurately (before zooming):

And, if the device is equipped with the correct hardware, the device will automatically re-orient itself when held on its side for a better browsing experience on text-based sites:

The browser features all the usual goodies you'd expect from a WebKit-based application, including a pop-up blocker and integration with messaging and social networking applications enabling you to send a web page link via email or Twitter, say, at the touch of a button

Web pages can be saved to the home screen as a shortcut, added to your Bookmarks, sent via messaging or social networking accounts all from the main browser menu. If the web site has an RSS feed, this will be detected automatically by the browser and you will be given the option of adding the feed to the device's built-in RSS client:

Social Networking

BlackBerry OS 6 comes bundled with clients for Twitter, Facebook and MySpace:

which can be accessed individually via those clients, or optionally all social networking accounts can be viewed at a glance using RIM's own Social Feeds aggregator application:

which also features an RSS feed reader:

The aggregated client also enables the same post to be submitted simultaneously to multiple social networking accounts without the need to re-type within each individual client application.

A number of popular instant messaging applications are bundled with OS6, including Windows Live, Yahoo and Google:

as well as of course RIM's own BlackBerry Messenger:

Media

BlackBerry OS 6 also features improved media organisation and playback capabilities, including the ability to sync with both Windows Media Player and iTunes using the BlackBerry Desktop Manager 6 software (http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/blackberry-desktop-manager-6) as well as automatically download album art for tracks.

When used with BlackBerry Desktop Manager 6 on Windows, changes to your music library on your PC can be synced automatically to your BlackBerry via WiFi when the device is in range of your home wireless network:

Pictures can be arranged into slideshows or set as the homescreen background:

New to OS 6 is a new Podcast application that allows you to search for and subscribe to podcasts:

The camera application itself includes the ability to take "continuous" shots, enabling you to take a series of still images in rapid succession as the device is moved, good for panoramas or action shots:

Miscellaneous

It is beyond the scope of this post to run through all of the features available in this new operating system, but naturally it includes all of the features you have come to expect from the BlackBerry platform including push email, the ability to view a wide range of email attachments and when used in conjunction with BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5 remote corporate file share and intranet access, integration with corporate instant messaging systems not to mention the BlackBerry Mobile Voice System (http://www.blackberry.com/mvs)

You can read more on the features available on the new BlackBerry Torch 9800 Slider on the BlackBerry web site - http://na.blackberry.com/eng/devices/blackberrytorch/

Contact Brightpoint today for more information on any BlackBerry product - 0870 849 0225.