Aug 16, 2010 07:54 GMT  ·  By

BlackBerry Torch 9800, the first touchscreen slider from RIM, available for purchase in the US with AT&T connectivity, can be acquired from Amazon for only $99.99, which is half the price tag the device currently sports at AT&T's.

Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion launched in the beginning of this month its first device to pack a touchscreen display and a sliding QWERTY, the BlackBerry Torch 9800, available on AT&T's airwaves, and the handset has already tasted its first price cut.

The wireless carrier that brought the BlackBerry Torch 9800 to the market has it available for $199.99 upon the signing of a two-year contract agreement, but those interested in the new slider can have it for only $99.99 if they make the purchase via Amazon (the two-year contract is a requirement).

According to the retailer, the reduced price tag is available not only for new customers to AT&T, but for existing users eligible for an upgrade as well. All customers would benefit from free shipping.

One thing that is certain is that the price tag for Torch might seem pretty appealing to some, especially since this is the first device from RIM to include both a touchscreen display and a QWERTY keyboard, but it won't come as a surprise if the price would drop even more in the near future.

In case there are some unfamiliar with the specs of this device, we should mention that it comes with a 3.2 inches screen, a 5.0-megapixel camera, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS receiver, and a 1300 mAHr battery that can offer up to 5.5 hours of talk time or up to 14.1 days of standby time.

The first BlackBerry 6-based handset comes with 4GB of internal memory, complemented by a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional memory, and with a 4GB card included in the package.

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 is available for purchase at Amazon here, and can be seen on AT&T's website here.