RIM releases BlackBerry Torch, looking to gain clout in the touch-screen phone market

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The newest smart phone from Research in Motion, called the BlackBerry Torch, went on sale Thursday. It costs $200 and is available exclusively on AT&T.

Also on Thursday, research firm Gartner said sales of smart phones running Google’s Android software outsold RIM phones in the U.S. last quarter. That makes the Torch an important product for RIM, which is hoping to regain its dominance over the smart-phone market here and defend its standing worldwide.

AT&T is also the sole U.S. carrier for Apple’s iPhone. Like the comparably priced iPhone 4, the Torch has a touch screen, but also sports a slide-out keyboard. It’s the first phone from RIM to have both features.

Some reports after the Torch launched indicate that stores still have plenty of the phones in stock. AT&T doesn’t appear to have seen anything close to the stampede it had for the new iPhone’s debut in June.

Still, AT&T’s stock was up slightly late in the week. RIM’s was down, along with the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index.

We have a video review embedded at the top of the post. Keep an eye out for my full review this Sunday in the business section of The Times.

-- Mark Milian
twitter.com/markmilian

Video credit: Pat Benson / Los Angeles Times