Oct 22, 2010 09:25 GMT  ·  By

Australian wireless carrier Optus and Canadian mobile phone maker RIM have just announced the availability of a new smartphone on the carrier's network, namely the BlackBerry Torch 9800.

Starting with October 21st, Optus' subscribers should be able to purchase the new device from the operator for free on $79 pricing plans on a 24 month contract (minimum spend of $1896).

At the same time, the mobile phone carrier announced that the new device is available for its Small and Medium Business (SMB) customers on a $79 Business Complete Ultimate plan.

With this option, customers get $900 call and text value and unlimited BlackBerry POP3 email and web browsing via BlackBerry Browser plus 1GB additional mobile internet data.

At the same time, the device comes to the carrier's users with unlimited BlackBerry Messenger, unlimited voicemail, as well as with unlimited SMS to Australian GSM mobiles, not to mention that they get unlimited voice calls to services on the same account.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 hits the shelves in Australia with a 3.2-inch touchscreen display, complemented by a sliding QWERTY keyboard, and with a 5-megapixel photo snapper on the back.

Moreover, it comes with 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity options, GPS received, microSD card slot for additional storage space, and more.

On top of these all, the new smartphone is powered by the new BlackBerry 6 OS version, which includes a great deal of new features.

Here's what the new BlackBerry 6 operating system can offer, among other capabilities:

- Intuitive fluid design - Sleek visuals, easy multitasking and smart organisation. It’s easier than ever to use your smartphone. - Simple setup - Power up for the first time and see a short intro video, then go straight to setting up and personalizing. - Fast, rich web browsing - Pages load fast and there’s tabbed browsing so you can have multiple web pages open at once. - Engaging multimedia experience - Album art, new camera modes, sharing, a built-in YouTube app and more. - Universal search - Now you can search everything on your smartphone at once – and even reach out to the web too.it to one, all or select networks. - Social feeds and view - See all your social and RSS feeds in one place. Type an update once and send it to one, all or selected networks.

The new BlackBerry Torch 9800 is available for purchase on Optus' website here.