BlackBerry makers have brought out a new smartphone featuring a touchscreen and slideout keyboard, which it anticipates will ward off rivalry from Apple's iPhone.

The new smartphone will hit the US market on Aug 12.

Priced at $199.99 along with a two-year agreement with AT&T, the new new BlackBerry Torch was launched in New York on Tuesday.

In a statement, RIM said that the device makes use of an advanced OS and has a speedier and user-friendly web browser.

The Canadian company expects that the consumer-friendly traits could assist BlackBerry catch up with the iPhone plus smartphones, which m, akes use of Google's Android OS like Motorola's Droid.

However, market analysts cautioned that it doesn't lift up the bar enough to truly defy Apple's status as a head.

The users of BlackBerry Torch can easily type messages on the screen or a slide-out keyboard. It has a 5 mp camera along with a flash and a integrated GPS for location-based applss.

The newly launched BlackBerry 6 OS integrates access to social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter with its BlackBerry Messenger service.