On Tuesday in New York City, Research in Motion officially launched its new smartphone hardware, the BlackBerry Torch 9800, along with the BlackBerry 6 software platform.
The new BlackBerry OS has been widely anticipated as the North American smartphone leader tries to catch up with the innovations that Apple and Google have brought to the smartphone market in the past three years.
The BlackBerry 6 software looks and feels a lot more like iPhone and Android, but the first BlackBerry 6 device, the BlackBerry Torch 9800, features a slide-down version of the traditional BlackBerry keyboard. Below are more details on the new device and the OS upgrade.
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis described the Torch as "Fresh and exciting, and also familiar."
Here are the official specs of the Torch:
Lazaridis said, "BlackBerry users will find BlackBerry 6 fresh but familiar. We spent a lot of time on the details."
Here's what's included in the new BlackBerry operating system: