BlackBerry maker Research In Motion — aiming to stay ahead of manufacturers of rival devices such as Apple’s iPhone — today unveiled its new BlackBerry 6.0 software and Torch 9800 smartphone.
The software includes features such as a new touch-screen and trackpad interface. RIM, though, described the operating system as easy to use for BlackBerry loyalists — who often depend on the keyboard for quick e-mails to colleagues.
“BlackBerry 6 is the outcome of RIM’s ongoing passion to deliver a powerful, simplified and optimized user experience for both touch-screen and keyboard fans,” Co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said in a statement this morning.
The Waterloo, Ontario, company and wireless carrier AT&T today also announced the new BlackBerry Torch 9800 smartphone, the first device to run the new operating system.
AT&T and RIM are marketing the Torch 9800 to workers who want to stay in touch with the office — and with their friends on social-networking sites. In what AT&T mobility and consumer CEO Ralph de la Vega described as “a true generational shift in hardware and operating system,” the Torch includes both a full 3.2-inch touch-screen display and slide-out keyboard.
A report yesterday from Nielsen showed the BlackBerry remains the most popular smartphone platform — but Google’s Android operating system is rapidly gaining subscribers and Apple’s iPhone is the “most desired” choice for customers’ next smartphone purchase.
In a note to clients yesterday, Gleacher & Co. analyst Mark McKechnie said he expects the new phone will be “a ‘hit’ with die-hard AT&T Blackberry users.”
As for the new software, “We look to Blackberry 6.0 as a catalyst to retain or grow the percentage of subscribers who remain loyal to the platform,” McKechnie said.
AT&T will offer the Torch 9800 starting Aug. 12 for $199.99 to eligible customers who agree to a new two-year contract. In addition to monthly fees for voice service, the carrier will charge $15 a month for a plan with 200 megabytes of wireless data or $25 for 2GB.
At 8:41 a.m. PDT, AT&T shares were at $26.81, up 22 cents, or 0.8 percent. Research In Motion shares were at $58.54, up $1.56, or 2.7 percent.
