One of the first high-speed, quad band phones, the Torch showed the way that others would be moving in the future as it operates GSM, GPRS and EDGE, making it compatible with primarily GSM networks, the ones offering "4G" service, while remaining proprietary with its own operating system.
Recent reports have shown there's life left in Research in Motion (RIM), the first company to release a truly smartphone some years ago. The early Blackbrerry phones operated under a unique operating system and maintained a staff that wrote professional-grade applications for their devices.
It is true that one was limited to the level of the Blackberry Operating System offered at the time in their phone, but, it was equally true that this was the same situation faced by purchasers of the iPhone who were and still are locked, primarily, into Apple's iOS. However, recently Apple indicated there may be an application coming forth that could allow some other apps to operate on the iPhone and it is likely that Blackberry OS 10 will likely do the same. In fact, there are apps written for Apple that allow you to listen to Pandora sound so it isn't far-fetched to think that the newer versions of the Blackberry OS will also offer the same flexibility.
That is one of the items to note about the Torch, its flexibilty. In the world of WiFi (Wide Fidelity) most phones and older devices are limited to WiFi standard 802.11 a/b/g meaning they offer slower speeds, however, since the Torch operates in all WiFi modes, including n, it means that one can have high-speed upload and download capability, plus the ability to set up the Torch as a limited WiFi hotspot to host other phones.
Another key to the Torch is its fixed keyboard. While other iPhones use touchscreen-based QWERTY-style keypads, some even resorting to styluses, the Torch has a real keypad available, just under its own 3.7-inch high-contrast color Liquid Graphic touchscreen. And while you really can't use the keyboard for much more than quick thumbing to type texts and emails, it is still faster and surer to enter your data through a keyboard than an onscreen pad.
The Torch camera is a fine piece of equipment and allows you up to 5 MP images and while this certainly is lower than the 8 MP cameras that are appearing today, it is still respectable. All of the settings are handled automatically.
Driven by it's a proprietary 1.2 GHz CPU, the Torch includes 4 GB of internal memory, which is more than enough for several apps and even streaming music as the Blackberry offers Bluetooth stereo streaming ability. Indeed, it also offers GPS and other location-based capabilities. Altogether, this is a nice piece of work and while it may not be the ultimate in smartphones, it still was the phone that showed the way. Others are just following the path it laid down nearly a year ago when this was truly cutting edge. Now, it's a little less cutting eduge, but it is still a fine piece of work.
Klipsch Quintet 5.0 Speaker System
Continuing a tradition of providing fine sound that began more than 60 years ago, the latest generation Klipsch surround sound is available with some very impressive statistics that will keep even the pickiest HDTV user happy.
Nikon Waterproof Digital Camera
Believe it or not, there are times when you want to operate when the weather is cold and wet or warm and wet, and you need a camera that can operate on either extreme, that is easy to operate and simple to maintain.
2012 Honda Civic
The last time Honda decided to make a "really big change" with its highly popular Civic line was in 2006. Indeed, the look caught so many people by surprise that the automaker is taking a "go-slow" approach with any changes they are making now.
