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“Worst Smartphone on the Planet”

written by on 26/03/2012

I've been using my BB Torch 9800 for a year now and let me share some background to my claim of "Blackberry Torch 9800, worst smart-phone ever !"

* Hardware
* The two top-edge buttons are completely dis-functional. When the device was new, it clicked in and out of lock-screen whenever I put it in my pocket. Now it's even worse, the mute button simply goes into mute without touching it, and in the middle of a conversation of course....
* the proximity sensor doesn't work whatsoever - if there is one on it, that is - with the obvious nerve wrecking result; going mute, loudspeaker, etc when-ever you don't want it
* I move in between countries a lot and while never an issue with other phones before this one simply does not get connected with the roaming service provider. What is worse is that one can you can "see" the right operator when going into the Mobile Network options, but why the heck doesn't it get connected. The only way to get this fixed is to go through the 5 minute reboot sequence; then it will get connected instantly....
* Sliding open the keyboard is just another nightmare half of the time. It is very hard not to touch the screen if you want to slide open the keyboard, with all its expected an less expected results. Especially when you're in a call and want to look up a colleague's name in the directory for example. Before you know with you've smacked the phone down on you most important customer.
* Try and type some numbers - especially a lot of 7's - in a text if you dare... You'll soon notice that the "alt" and numbers buttons are impossibly closely positioned and end the day with two sore thumbs having knocked each other out.

* Camera
* Apart from the lousy overall results, the lens is naturally smudged with fingerprints, creating hazy pictures by default. If you see a guy cleaning his BB every time he's got to take a shot, its me !
* Taking pictures using the finger pad (or how do you call that pretty OK functioning red plastic patch at the bottom middle of the device) is simply a nightmare. before you know you'e changing flash settings or location finding, which are the soft buttons right next to the "take a picture" soft button

* User Interface
* The touch slider behaves exactly as you don't want it: slide to the right and the screen goes left and the other way around of course
* The various screens with "downloads" "frequent" favorites" and "all" are very confusing; you have the same button on various screens. I just want my all screen with the most frequently used on top. Worse, outside of you will it slides in between these screens and look like an idiot sliding through 4 screens (yes you got it slide left when you want to go right) before you might find what you're looking for.

* The operating system
* the device freezes regularly indeed, like I've read on many other blogs - only fixed by replacing the battery and a 5 minute reboot
* It simply doesn't remember user credentials. Very user unfriendly whenever I want to make a quick note in the Evernote app. you first have to remember another set of credentials, go though some misses before you can type that little note - by the time you eventually managed to log in, you've forgotten what you were going to take note for.
* The settings (in options) : who can find exactly where to find the setting you need amongst the thousands of choices. Yeah, "type what you're looking for in the search bar", you will say. Well, half of the time it still doesn't find what I'm looking for. But hey, I might have my European English to blame for it. RIM ! the world is bigger than the US ! Be international, and that includes the whole world, not only the US.
* The screen doesn't flip half of the time when you want to go landscape
* Checking small spreadsheets with some very simple data proves a massive challenge as well. I just opened one with no formula's just some columns and rows with some data and the phone blocked saying "processing formulas" ... but there are no formula in this spreadsheet !!!!! You could blaim "Docs To Go" (in which this runs) but still... the spreadsheet runs fine on any other portable device - including on the iPad where it runs in Docs To Go as well. Reboot was the only solace...
* More often than not - when attempting to browse on this device (I know, I am a masochist) - screens pop up saying that" you need a SSL socket, click here if you don't want to have this asked again" . well clicking it doesn't make it go away, it just returns and returns like a sticky plaster.
* Conclusion: They must have been very drunk at RIM when this UI was designed and completely oblivious of what customers want

* RIM's App World
* Goes through an upgrade every couple of weeks requiring you manually upgrade all the time. Why not an "upgrade all" button for all apps that need one ?
* Whenever I feel like downloading a BB app (when I'm drunk 'cause who wants to run these "all signing and dancing" BB apps ?), you need to sign in first (read, you've got to remember your log-in credentials at that moment) before you can start browsing for an app. How silly can that be; imagine that all shops where locked and you would be required to enter your credentials before entering.... no wonder hardly anybody buys BB apps - that is if developers were so nutty to go through the nightmare to develop the app version for BB in the first place

....and I could go on and on, probably missed half of the issues I've encountered so far.....

You could say, go and have it repaired under warrantee for the couple of faults mentioned above, but these faults are bound to come back on any new device after a while - just wrong design, AND, as a business user, one simply can't miss a device like that to be gone for repairs for a week.

Others will say, well get another one. Try to convince your boss that after spending 500+ EUR on this device, I need another one that will cost another 500+ less than a year later... K ? So I'm stuck with this dragon until I've lost all my hair, nerves and patience at the same time and I finally attempt breaking the world record BB throwing... That day is nearing soon, I fear.

The only good thing about this device is still it's hard-keyboard; it types like a rocket and much faster (apart from the "numbers" issue above) than any other touchscreen on a phone I've used - though I admit I've not used the iPhone yet. The one one faster is my iPad keyboard - but hey, I admit that's easier when you have a touchscreen 10 times that big.
And the mail system works pretty good as well, I admit. And that what i use this device for 50% of the time. Well what do you expect, RIM almost invented it; imagine if that went bananas, what would then be left for BB to sell...

You know, I was a BB enthusiastic at one time and loved there much simpler devices like the Bold in the past, they simply did what was expected with no bells and whistles. I would encourage BB strongly to keep its focus on its target market: the business user (which I am) and deliver a device than brings out all the strenghts BB used to have: security, reliability and a great keyboard. But please, please, for everybody's sake, stay away from touch screens and to many useless bells and whistles, unless you can do a cracking job at it.

Now you've created a customer that tells everyone who wants to hear it :"Do yourself a favor, never buy a BlackBerry !"