BlackBerry Torch up for pre-order on Vodafone

The Torch is the first handset to ship with BlackBerry 6 OS

RIM's BlackBerry Torch is now available for pre-order on the Vodafone web site with an expected shipping date of 27 September.

Price plans start at £25 per month for a 24-month contract, which includes 500 mobile minutes, 3,000 landline minutes, 250 texts and 500MB of data. Customers will also have to pay £170.21 for the handset.

The BlackBerry Torch is available free starting at £30 per month on two-year contracts. This tariff offers 1,000 mobile minutes, 3,000 landline minutes, 250 texts and 1024MB of data.

Customers wanting to sign up to a shorter 18-month contract will have to pay a minimum of £30 per month and £170.21 upfront. Those wanting a free handset on an 18-month contract will have to sign up to a £40 per month price plan.

Orange has confirmed that it will stock the handset, but has yet to announce pricing details. O2 is also expected to be a UK carrier.

The BlackBerry Torch comes with a 3.2in touch screen and a slide-out Qwerty keyboard, and is the first device to ship with BlackBerry 6 OS. A 5-megapixel zero shutter camera and 512MB of internal memory is also included.