The Torch is Research in Motion's first device to combine a BlackBerry keyboard with a full touch-screen, as well as the first to feature the new BlackBerry 6 operating system.

 

“We live in an age where people want to connect to the Internet and their social networks at anytime and from anywhere. MTN is committed to ensuring it offers its customers innovative solutions that meet their diverse needs and communication requirements,” says Serame Taukobong, Chief Marketing Officer at MTN South Africa.

 

The BlackBerry Torch features a combination of a large capacitive touch-screen and optical trackpad with a backlit slide-out BlackBerry QWERTY keyboard, designed to feel optimally balanced when opened for typing, said MTN.

 

BlackBerry says that the Torch also offers support for high-speed 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) networks around the world, includes the latest generation in Wi-Fi (b/g/n) connectivity and built-in GPS for location-based applications and geo-tagging.

 

It also has a 5 MP camera with continuous auto focus, image stabilization, scene modes and zoom, and it also supports video recording. In addition, MTN says that it comes with a combined 8 GB of media storage out-of-the-box, and includes a microSD/SDHD memory card slot that can bring the total storage memory to 36 GB for customers that want more.

 

The BlackBerry Torch is the first to launch with BlackBerry 6, a new operating system for BlackBerry smartphones.

 

Recently Vodacom announced that it had also released the BlackBerry Torch to the local market. 

 

No pricing details were made available by MTN.