When the original Motorola Droid charged into the smartphone world, it shook things up.

The Droid’s arrival was notable not because it was an extraordinarily kickass phone, but because it was the first serious Android-powered challenger able to stand up against the market-dominating iPhone. Plus, the fact it worked on Verizon gave it better network performance and better call reception than all those iPhones stranded on AT&T, and the physical keyboard made it the more appealing choice for thumb-jockeys eager to ditch their BlackBerries.

The Droid 2 improved on the platform, with a better...

The BlackBerry Torch 9810 series is one of three new RIM phones to be released soon. Photo: Courtesy RIM

Research in Motion announced Wednesday that five new smartphones will be released later this year, including two new versions of the BlackBerry Torch series.

The most noteworthy of the bunch, the BlackBerry Torch 9810, is RIM’s flagship 4G device set to run exclusively on AT&T’s HSPA+ network. The phone will come with a powerful 1.2-GHz processor, a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, and RIM’s signature slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

All of the devices will run on the company’s new BlackBerry O...