BlackBerry unveils new touchscreen phones

Research In Motion unveiled two new versions of its touchscreen BlackBerry Torch on Wednesday as it seeks to regain ground it has lost to Apple and Google with powerful consumer-friendly models.

Investors reacted favourably, pushing RIM's deflated stock price up more than 5 percent.

But some analysts were sceptical, given delays leading up to this launch. They said a radically new software package due next year would be RIM's big test.

The new Torch models include an all-touch version that mimics the popular style of Apple's iPhone and most Android devices.

Along with a previously announced upgrade to its workhorse Bold model, they are part of what the Canadian company called the biggest global launch in its history.

Text: Alastair Sharp, Reuters

Image: A person poses the new Blackberry Torch 9860 at a release party to promote the BlackBerry OS 7 devices in Toronto.

Reuters Images