Amazon.com offers new BlackBerry Torch for $100, less than AT&T

Amazon.com recently listed the price of the new BlackBerry Torch 9800 at $100, half the price charged by AT&T, prompting some critics to suggest that the device is already failing in some fashion.

The BlackBerry Torch 9800 first went on sale Aug. 12

The Amazon.com move comes after some lukewarm early reviews of the BlackBerry Torch 9800, along with some concerns that the $200 price tag was too high, especially when compared to devices like like the $200 Motorola Droid 2 Android smartphone that has a larger screen and more powerful processor than the Research in Motion device.

Goldman Sachs called the launch of the new Torch “underwhelming” while estimates from both RBC Capital Markets and Stifel Nicolaus showed that sales for the first weekend were about 150,000.

Does the BlackBerry Torch stand a chance in a handset market dominated by the iPhone and Android powered devices? Will AT&T attempt to match Amazon’s offering with incentives or a price cut so soon after launch?

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