New Blackberries: What This Means

Lately, my viewpoint of Blackberries have slowly weaned from the Finese-Well-Built-Quality phone to an ancient, Dinosaur-age platform. And I almost didn't care to look at the three devices that leaked today. But glancing over, they caught my eye. Okay, so maybe this isn't QNX or 4G Speeds, but this looks to promise semi-evolution in one of Software's oldest camps.

Blackberry Curve "Apollo"

The next generation Blackberry Curve "Apollo" is a compelling upgrade for current Curve 8520 users. It has a Tavor MG-1 CPU clocked at 800 MHz (faster than the Torch) and can reach 3G download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps. 512 MB of RAM and a 5 MP Camera are hefty upgrades from the previous Curve, and not to mention it's going to be launched with the latest BBOS (not 5, not 6, but 6.1). While overall, it's a great upgrade from the previous Curve, I may just want to point out the next device on this list, the Blackberry "Dakota"

Blackberry "Dakota"

The Dakota stays true to Blackberry's well-received Bold, but this one has a major feature that puts it over its predecessors (most recently the 9780). Namely, a touch screen. Admittedly, this isn't the finest of touch screens, it's nothing compared to current Samsung models, but the important thing here is that it's a new advantage the Dakota has going into the business playing field. Other cool features include 768 MB of RAM and 4 GB of ROM, support for NFC, and a 5 MP Camera. It also launches with Blackberry OS 6.1. All things considered, this is a milestone leap over the Bold 9780.

Blackberry Torch 2

This here is the Blackberry Torch 2. If you remember the Torch, it was basically something between the Storm and the Bold. While it wasn't a great success, the device did look interesting, and promising (to some degree). As for being the latest member of the family, the Torch 2 has several needed upgrades. It supports NFC technologies and has a CPU clocked at 1.2 GHz (by the way, that's twice as fast). It pulls down data at 14.4 Mbps, which is actually in the range of AT&T's "4G" HSPA+ Network, and a nice sized 1300 mAh battery. It's not the 4G you're looking for, it's an improvement. Other noteworthy factors include a VGA (640x480) display and Blackberry OS 6.1. While the original Torch gave me a bitter taste, I'm going to go out there and say that this device actually competes with SOME (dual core excluded) of today's top-line devices. Moderate pricing is going to play a big role in whether this device succeeds or not.

So no, this isn't the QNX Revolution, but it'll give us something to think about until then. Decent Blackberries with noteworthy specs that are on lieu with current Android devices. The key for RIM here, once again, is pricing. But otherwise, these are some decent devices, and throw in a Storm3 here, and we can expect some great things out of RIM.

[Images Courtesy of Boy Genius Report]