BlackBerry Bold 9790
This mid-range Bold is lightweight, looks good and has a 2.4in multi-touch display which boasts a resolution of 480 x 360. Not bad. Equipped with BBOS 7.1 and a 1GHz processor this is no dual-core delight, but it moves along nicely and clocks up a decent battery life.
The more traditional BlackBerry shaping of the keys, means quick nimble typing is an easy job – so no nasty surprises for the BB faithful here. It even has NFC, if you can find anywhere to use it. You can read more on this and its full feature set in Reg Hardware's full review of the Bold 9790.
BlackBerry Torch 9810
Endeavouring to get the best from both worlds is the BlackBerry Torch sliderphone. It leaves an impression with its noticeable weight, executive build and 640x480-pixel, 3.2in touchscreen. Yet this marriage involves compromises and the smaller than usual keyboard can be quite fiddly. However, the keys feature the characteristic BlackBerry shaping, so you soon get used to their diminished size.
Powered by a 1.2GHz processor, it's smooth enough but it could be making more of its display, as there's no HD video recording, Flash support or the ability to play top gaming apps. Admittedly, being a BlackBerry, BBM and e-mail needs are going to be a priority, but for the price you'd expect something more these days. Still, if you're tempted, check out our full review of the BlackBerry Torch 9810.