Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new smartphone (see article below), an online meeting appliance, a Web analytics service, eDiscovery software for early case assessment, legal holds, and document review, and an iPhone/iPad app for remote control of your computer. Don't miss the next issue.
Light My Fire
Just look around the restaurant during your next power lunch. Judging by the number of diners hunched over glowing touchscreens, lawyers and other professionals have abandoned the once-ubiquitous "CrackBerry" in favor of iPhones and Android smartphones. Research in Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry, is painfully aware of this trend. While RIM still maintains the lion's share of the smartphone marketplace, analysts estimate Apple could bypass RIM as early as next year. Yesterday, RIM unveiled its master plan.
BlackBerry Torch 9800 … in One Sentence
Shipping on August 12, 2010, RIM's BlackBerry Torch 9800 is a touchscreen smartphone.
The Killer Feature
With the Torch, RIM aims to play upon the BlackBerry's core strengths (user-friendly email and physical keyboard) while integrating the touchscreen capabilities of its competitors — an approach RIM executives summed up at a recent press conference with the catchphrase "fresh but familiar."
The BlackBerry Torch is the first BlackBerry to feature both a touchscreen (fresh) and a physical slideout QWERTY keyboard (familiar). The design enables you to switch between the 3.2 inch 360x480 capacitive "multitouch" display (which supports pinching and zooming), and a vertical keyboard that slides out from underneath the touchscreen featuring BlackBerry's signature sculpted keys.
Other Notable Features
The BlackBerry Torch marks another first — the first BlackBerry that will run OS 6. This new operating system features higher resolution graphics and icons, new shortcuts, social networking and instant message integration, and universal search. But its standout feature is the WebKit-based browser, incorporating the same technology behind the Web browsers in the iPhone and Android smartphones.
The Torch's camera sports five megapixels, flash, autofocus, image stabilization, and geo-tagging. RIM is also actively courting outside app developers by opening up the Torch to apps made with simple Web technologies like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5 as opposed to the Java-based tools required for earlier BlackBerry operating systems.
What Else Should You Know?
The BlackBerry Torch 9800 will retail for $199 exclusively (for now) from AT&T with a two-year contract. Learn more about BlackBerry Torch 9800.
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So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
