Blackberry Torch Already Pricecut 50%

By  Mike Vert

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Research In Motion (RIM) the creator of the blackberry series of smartphones has cut the price on its latest offering by HALF.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 was originally $199 with a 2 year AT&T contract, but now it's been busted down to $99 with a 2 year. It seems that the phones just aren't selling. With lukewarm reviews of the handset, even though it's the newest model, combined with AT&T's general Hate-On for its customers (it's like a hard-on, but hateful), the newest model is a tough sell.

The new Blackberry 6 OS adds some features like touch screens, but since they're just playing catch-up to Android and the iPhone. I don't think anyone is going to be switching from either of those to move to a blackberry for features they already have.

I can see that if you're using this in a business capacity, and already have entrenched software for the blackberry, that you'd be hesitant to upgrade to a Droid-based system. But since RIM has only 3.4% of the current smartphone market, I would think that they'd try a little harder. The ONLY thing they seem to have going for them right now is vendor-entrenchment.

It seems that the Android-based phones will probably be the corporate choice in the near future. Its enormous customization abilities should be valuable to large companies looking to tailor the phones specifically to their needs. RIM would do well to learn from Android in this case.

If the Torch had been released to a broader consumer base, not just AT&T, they might have had some additional sales. But if you're like me, you probably are avoiding AT&T service whenever possible. It's the reason I don't own an iPhone right now. Well, that, and the lackluster iPhone 4. Should the iPhone eventually find its way onto another carrier (Verizon, Sprint, Tmobile, etc) I'd reconsider. Personally, I prefer Android. I like to use my phone the way I want, not how Apple wants.

It should be noted that the AT&T website still shows the Torch for $199. So if you want the lower price, try amazon.com or other dealers instead.