New BlackBerry Torch Unveiled: Will Lawyers Love It?

When it comes to smart phones, lawyers have been big fans of the BlackBerry. But over the past few years, the BlackBerry has lost its sexiness and has fallen behind the Apple and Google. The iPhone iOS and the Google Android now clearly rule the air. But Research In Motion is looking to stage a comeback, and in order to facilitate that, they have released the BlackBerry Torch and a new operating system called BlackBerry 6.

The questions we're asking are:

• Does the phone offer enough new features to compete?
• Will lawyers love it?

New Features:

As to new features, the BlackBerry Torch holds more applications and content than it did in the past. The Torch is more customizable and has a better interface than the past BlackBerry. The Torch also has a 3.2-inch touch screen, slide out keyboard, and trackpad. It also has a notification bar similar to the one of Android phones. One of the most hyped features is the Universal Search Tool which allows you to simply start typing a word and it will search all of your accounts and applications to get you to the right place. In the end the BlackBerry 6 operating system and the BlackBerry Torch are certainly upgrades from the previous BlackBerry, but they fall short of making a big leap forward.

Will Lawyers Love it?:

The BlackBerry is already popular among lawyers, so the new BlackBerry is likely to do well with them. It is probably safe to say that those who already love their current BlackBerry will love the new BlackBerry. But will the new BlackBerry create a huge buzz or get iPhone and Android users to switch? It seems unlikely. Informationweek.com perhaps said it best, "BlackBerry 6 offers enough to help RIM retain existing BlackBerry users, but it lacks the sex appeal to convince Android or iPhone users to defect to BlackBerry."

Related Resources:

• Research In Motion Bites Back With BlackBerry Torch (Wired.com)
• Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) (FindLaw)
• Google Voice Now Available to All: What It Means for Your Firm (FindLaw's Technologist)