[JSpira]

I've just started to test the BlackBerry Torch in the BMW environment and will update this thread as my test continues.

In general, though, I like the phone a lot.

I'm not surprised - I've been waiting for the rumored BlackBerry with slideout keyboard for a while.

What surprised me was that, despite the fact that the Torch is only 2 mm wider than the Bold, the keyboard seemed far less cramped. I also liked the touchscreen, and RIM has done a good job implementing multitouch.

The biggest problem I ran into was that the virtual (phone) keyboard didn't like it when I tried to dial + (holding 0 down).

The unit itself is nicely made and, despite a little additional weight (161 g v. 122 g), it felt comfortable in my hand.

Call quality was excellent and the built-in speakerphone works quite well.

The new user interface and the BlackBerry 6 OS bring a lot of useability improvements into the BlackBerry world - unified search is a particular favorite of mine but the multiple home screens are very useful as well.

For anyone interested, a more detailed review (of mine) is online here - and I'm happy to answer any of your questions here of course.