BLOG: RIM's Blackberry Torch (aka Blackberry 9800) and OS6

BlackBerry Torch, aka BlackBerry 9800, was unveiled today by RIM.Company's first touchscreen smartphone with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard runs on an updated software BlackBerry OS6. This is another clear attempt to bolster Research in Motion's standing in the race for high-end consumer smartphones in which it hopes to stop the customers from migrating to the iPhone and Android phone platforms.

The new handset will be the first device to run on the BlackBerry 6 operating system. The new software, which was designed to work better with the increasingly popular touchscreen user interface, faces a crucial test in the coming months as RIM tries to prove that it is still a top dog in the smartphone race.

The new Operating System 6 includes a badly needed update of the BlackBerry Web browser, which is slow and incredibly frustrating to use. The rollout of OS 6 has also been announced for existing BlackBerry devices, such as Bold 9700, Bold 9650 and Pearl 3G.