14 DAY TRIAL // Shortly after announcing two new BlackBerry 7 devices, the Curve 9380 and Bold 9790, Research in Motion launched the BlackBerry Torch 9860 in Hong Kong.
The smartphone will be available for free from 3 Hong Kong carrier, but customers are required to subscribe to its HK$398 (US$51 or 38 EUR) monthly service plan, which will net them 1,000 voice minutes, unlimited data usage and unlimited access to the Wi-Fi services.
Customers who want to avoid being tied by a long term contract can purchase the BlackBerry Torch 9860 for no less than HK$4,888 (US$630 or 465 EUR).
3 Hong Kong also announced that the first 1,000 customers who purchase the Torch 9860 will receive a GelaSkin from the carrier for free.
“We were the first operator in Asia to launch the BlackBerry service in Hong Kong in 2002 and started the trend of wireless email,” said Amy Lung, Chief Operating Officer (Mobile) of HTHKH.
RIM's first all-touch smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch 9860 comes with a large 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen display that supports 16 million colors and 480 x 800 pixels resolution.
In addition, the phone offers a smooth Internet browsing and multitasking experience, thanks to its powerful 1.2 GHz single core processor and BlackBerry 7 operating system.
On the inside, the device packs 2.5GB on-board memory, 768 MB of RAM and microSD card slot for memory expansion (up to 32GB).
“We are very excited to be bringing another BlackBerry 7 smartphone to Hong Kong together with 3 Hong Kong. This time, we are introducing an all new touch experience with the BlackBerry Torch 9860 smartphone, which allows customers to stay connected, informed and entertained while on the go,” concluded Urpo Karjalainen, Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific at Research In Motion.
There's also a 5-megapixel rear camera that can shoot HD (720p) videos, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as built-in GPS receiver.