2011 Blackberry lineup

[Deeko]

RIM’s 2011 BlackBerry lineupJonathan S. Geller | Jan 14th, 2011 at 02:50PM View CommentsFiled Under: Exclusives, Mobile

We unveiled nearly all of RIM’s 2011 lineup over the past day or so, and we wanted to highlight the devices as well as give you a bit more background and personal thoughts on them — and of course, more photos. For starters, though, let’s talk about RIM’s NFC implementation and its real world use cases… we have been told RIM is planning to use NFC for pairing and streaming control with accessories, in addition to peer-to-peer information exchange. What does that mean? Well, you’d hold up one BlackBerry to another BlackBerry to add that person on BlackBerry Messenger, transfer your vCard information, or even share files. Future NFC uses headed to BlackBerry devices, we’re told, include things as crazy as building access control (no more key cards!), ticketing, and of course, payments. Hit the break for the rest of our break down!

BlackBerry Bold (Dakota)
The BlackBerry Dakota is the creme de la creme of the 2011 BlackBerry family, and it will carry the Bold name. RIM has taken various shots at this form factor and the Dakota will be the first one to see the light of day. We’re glad the company took the time to get it right, because earlier prototypes we’ve seen definitely fell short. The Torch is a great phone for some, but those of us who live and die by the perfect QWERTY keyboard found on RIM’s Bold line had trouble dealing with the thin plastic keys and minimal tactile response on the Torch’s board.
Beyond the heaven-sent full QWERTY / touchscreen combo, the Dakota will feature specs that are definitely a solid bump over today’s Bold devices. By 2011 standards they’re not going to blow anyone away, but higher display resolution, RAM upgrade, NFC, mobile hotspot capability and thin form factor are sure to please the eager BlackBerry-toting masses. Toss HD video recording and OS 6.1 into the mix, and we’re looking at the likely king of Waterloo in 2011.

BlackBerry Curve (Apollo)
The BlackBerry Curve sits lower than the Bold on RIM’s device lineup totem pole, but with the newest Curve ready to debut later this year, people will be in for a treat. With a decent screen, HSPA, a 5-megapixel camera, and an 800MHz CPU, the brand new BlackBerry Curve definitely won’t be a slouch. The styling flows very well on the Curve pictured above with smooth angles and… curves. The phone also appears sleek and perfectly proportioned. RIM’s Curve line is by far its biggest, and we think this update will definitely help keep RIM’s enterprise sales moving in the right direction.

BlackBerry Torch 2
RIM called the first Torch its best BlackBerry ever, though many would take issue with that statement. The Torch did nothing for me, personally. In fact, all it really did was make using a BlackBerry device more clunky and painful. Part of this is the hardware’s vertical slide out design, but part of it was due to the slow processor and weak internals. But if all goes according to plan, one of the Torch’s two big strikes will soon be taken care of. The BlackBerry Torch 2 should scream with its 1.2GHz CPU, VGA-resolution screen and large built-in storage. Again, these specs aren’t going to make anyone’s head spin in Q3 2011, but they’ll definitely give the Torch the shot of adrenaline it so desperately needs.

BlackBerry Storm 3 (Monaco)
We have not confirmed that the BlackBerry Monaco will launch with the “Storm 3″ moniker, though if it did, it would be practically nothing like the first device in the series. The first BlackBerry Storm, internally referred to as an “Apple Killer” and arguably one of the worst handsets ever to created by Research In Motion (remember how we reported it would be terrible before release?), shares nothing with the upcoming BlackBerry Storm 3 — no SurePress screen, no clunky hardware, no slow processor. This new full touchscreen device will be powered by a 1.2GHz CPU and feature the highest resolution display to ever ship on a BlackBerry — 800 x 480 pixels. We’ll have to see how it plays out in the marketplace, though, because by the time it is released in Q3, there will be much, much more advanced handsets with much more robust operating systems.
We hope you BlackBerry-lovers out there are excited with the information we have shared over the past two days. RIM is definitely moving towards better-spec’d devices — we’ll just have to see if it’s going to be soon enough, and if it’s going to be enough to compete with the iPhone and Android juggernauts.

http://www.bgr.com/2011/01/14/rims-2011-blackberry-lineup/

Looks like a lot of improvement on the hardware front. The Torch wasn't really powerful enough to get the job done, the Torch 2 and Storm 3 look like they fix a lot of that. Combined with the PlayBook, RIM has a pretty decent lineup for 2011 from the looks of it.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

internet access on blackberry is still absolutely horrible, id dont think they can get away with that for much longer

 

[MrX8503]

These phones would be competitive if they were released Mid 2010. Mid 2011, its going to be a fierce dual core super smartphones jungle out there.

I am interested in their Playbook though.

 

[webdave]

internet access on blackberry is still absolutely horrible, id dont think they can get away with that for much longer

This, for the most part, has been addressed in OS6.

 

[DivideBYZero]

internet access on blackberry is still absolutely horrible, id dont think they can get away with that for much longer

*yawn*

Have you used an OS6 BlackBerry?

 

[OBLAMA2009]

*yawn*

Have you used an OS6 BlackBerry?

is that really true? when i tried torch in the att store it didnt seem that much better and when i tried the new bb flip phone in the sprint store it was just as bad as my tour, although i dont know what hardware was in that phone.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

http://www.bgr.com/2011/01/14/rims-2011-blackberry-lineup/

Looks like a lot of improvement on the hardware front. The Torch wasn't really powerful enough to get the job done, the Torch 2 and Storm 3 look like they fix a lot of that. Combined with the PlayBook, RIM has a pretty decent lineup for 2011 from the looks of it.

those phones dont look that great. in addition they still have yet to get them out. there will probably be a 6 month delay in getting those phones onto verizon, as usual, and at that point they will be even less desirable

 

[QueBert]

is that really true? when i tried torch in the att store it didnt seem that much better and when i tried the new bb flip phone in the sprint store it was just as bad as my tour, although i dont know what hardware was in that phone.

He's trolling, OS6 has a better browser but the hardware's absolute shat. Who cares how good the browser is if the phone's super laggy as shit? I've used the latest BB and it was slower than a Palm Pre.

Better web browsing not found....

 

[webdave]

*yawn*

Have you used an OS6 BlackBerry?

Yes I had a Torch for a few months and I loaded OS6 a 9700 for a while. I prefer the way the BB browser formatted tax when you zoom in compared to iOS (which I'm using now) and Android.

 

[JS80]

Do they mean 2009? Or is BB still 2 years behind in everything?

 

[Pliablemoose]

Do they mean 2009? Or is BB still 2 years behind in everything?

No flipping kidding.

There was word through the supply chain that BB tablets are being built now.

Should be interesting...

 

[Deeko]

Pop quiz: how many smartphones are currently on the market with a CPU faster than 1.2ghz? Or higher than 800x480 resolution, assuming Moto's 854x480 also fits that definition?

Yes - there will be a few dual core Android phones with higher resolution by the time these launch, but the hardware is still very competitive, a whole lot more than the current lineup.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Pop quiz: how many smartphones are currently on the market with a CPU faster than 1.2ghz? Or higher than 800x480 resolution, assuming Moto's 854x480 also fits that definition?

Yes - there will be a few dual core Android phones with higher resolution by the time these launch, but the hardware is still very competitive, a whole lot more than the current lineup.

You're asking us to compare a phone that is guesstimated to be released in September (Q3) with phones on the market today?

Good luck with that...

 

[MrX8503]

Pop quiz: how many smartphones are currently on the market with a CPU faster than 1.2ghz? Or higher than 800x480 resolution, assuming Moto's 854x480 also fits that definition?

Yes - there will be a few dual core Android phones with higher resolution by the time these launch, but the hardware is still very competitive, a whole lot more than the current lineup.

These phones are DOA when Tegra 2 is mainstream this summer.

 

[Deeko]

If you can't see the giant improvement between these phones and their last lineup, or recognize that the hardware gap between these and the 2011 competition, I don't know what to tell you, because you are lying to yourselves.

 

[Deeko]

People aren't slamming Samsung for their 1.2ghz single core phone coming up. Don't forget that CPU speed hardly improved from September 2009 and now, and this is faster than everything currently on the market.

No, its not as fast as the Moto atrix and probably not the iPhone 5 - but as much as it might pain your soul to realize, these phones are not really weak from a hardware perspective.

 

[Pliablemoose]

No FFC, no dual core, BB's OS, postage stamp sized screens, no 4G, RIM's piss poor history with touch screen devices, yeah, there'll be lines around the block for these Deeko...

 

[MrX8503]

If you can't see the giant improvement between these phones and their last lineup, or recognize that the hardware gap between these and the 2011 competition, I don't know what to tell you, because you are lying to yourselves.

Dude, you're lying to yourself. These phones are an improvement, but it's still not going to compete with Tegra 2 LTE phones with a constantly updated OS.

The samsung being a single core is a POS, no one is saying that it's cutting edge.

The BB phones are good enough, that is all.

 

[Deeko]

Pb - yes...people are indeed still buying blackberries in high quantities. More than ever before. And that was when the hardware was far more out of date than these.

MrX - I invite you to look up the thread about the Samsung phone and find the people slamming it for slow hardware. In fact, I believe I was harshest on the hardware in that thread (for different reasons).

Fact is - these are considerably improved devices, and are the closest to hardware parity that RIM has had in a long time. People hold them to a higher standard than other companies because for some reason, some of you desperately want them to fail. Its amusing.

 

[tokie]

The Dakota looks to be exactly like I want.

Coming from a Bold 2, I am leery of it being the same size as the Bold 1, but the 10.5mm thickness might make it tolerable. They do need the larger size to accommodate the 2.8" screen.

 

[shortylickens]

The new Curve looks pretty sleek. If they have a T-mobile compatible version I'll get it for my mom this Mothers Day. If its not out, moms birthday is in August.

 

[gsaldivar]

People hold them to a higher standard than other companies because for some reason, some of you desperately want them to fail.

It's not about wanting RIM to fail.

It's about expecting more from manufacturers who would otherwise be content to let their platforms grow stagnant. Competition breeds innovation, and that benefits everyone.

 

[tokie]

Why are people acting like dual-core phones are now suddenly mainstream? These are announced in very few products, and even fewer that you can actually get your hands on.

I'm actually glad these phones are single-core. Nobody publicly knows the effect of a dual-core processor on battery life since there are no publicly released phones on which to test.

I find this whole argument similar to that against Apple laptops: they use slower processors. However, the benefits of the platform and the focus on battery life is what draws most tech-savvy people. Why can people not see that for BlackBerry phones?

 

[zerocool84]

People aren't slamming Samsung for their 1.2ghz single core phone coming up. Don't forget that CPU speed hardly improved from September 2009 and now, and this is faster than everything currently on the market.

No, its not as fast as the Moto atrix and probably not the iPhone 5 - but as much as it might pain your soul to realize, these phones are not really weak from a hardware perspective.

CPU speed is different than architecture improvements. That 1GHz from 09 is slow compared to 1GHz from newer phones. Hell even the 800MHz in the G2/Evo Shift is much faster than even the 1GHz in the Evo from last year.

 

[Deeko]

CPU speed is different than architecture improvements. That 1GHz from 09 is slow compared to 1GHz from newer phones. Hell even the 800MHz in the G2/Evo Shift is much faster than even the 1GHz in the Evo from last year.

Barely faster, not much faster. The CPU speed difference between the G2 and the HD2 is not very big. CPU performance stagnated quite a bit in 2010.