Entry level version of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 on the way?

It makes you scratch your head in bewilderment. After what has been described as luke-warm sales of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 even with a 50% price cut and a massive ad campaign, speculation has surfaced that RIM is planning on a sleeker, cheaper model of the slider.

Because of the smaller size of the body, this BlackBerry would feature a physical SureType keyboard similar to what BlackBerry Pearl users have on their device. We wouldn't imagine that RIM would make the screen that much lower in resolution. After all, the manufacturer was blasted in reviews by giving the Torch 9800 a rather lackluster 3.2 inch screen with resolution of 360 x 480. Other flagship models, like the Motorola DROID X, rock with 480 x 854 pixels while the Samsung Galaxy S devices are a generous 4 inches.

If this new RIM slider is going to be an entry level phone, it will have to be priced accordingly. The problem here is that AT&T has just sliced the price of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 to $99.99 on contract, after rebate. That doesn't leave much room for a competitively priced, low-end phone. There is some good news as the new device will be expected to have BlackBerry 6 OS under the hood along with the new WebKit browser.

source: BBLEAKS