Consumer Confidential: New BlackBerry, GM sales, Escalade thefts

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Here’s your no-topping-off Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- As expected, Research In Motion, the folk behind the BlackBerry, have taken the wraps off a new smart phone they hope will give the uber-popular iPhone a run for its money. The new BlackBerry Torch has a touch-screen like the iPhone, but it also has a slide-out Qwerty keyboard that may be more appealing to on-the-go business people. The Torch goes on sale Aug. 12 and will cost $199.99 with a two-year AT&T contract. (Side note: Enough with the ‘99’ pricing already. I know studies show that $199.99 isn’t as expensive-seeming to consumers as $200, but the price appears designed solely to make us look like chumps.)

-- General Motors posted a 5% gain in sales last month. This is a good thing, not just because a healthy company potentially means more jobs, but because we taxpayers own the bulk of the company. GM is expected to offer its shares to the public once again later this year. Strong sales should bode well for an IPO, which might mean taxpayers could actually make a buck on this bailout. I like the sound of that.

-- In another sign that things are looking up for GM, it turns out the Cadillac Escalade remains the most-stolen vehicle in the United States. This has been the case since 2002, according to our friends at the Highway Loss Data Institute. Every year, nearly 11 out of every 1,000 late-model Escalades get stolen, broken into or have parts ripped off. Number two on the sayonara list is the Chevy Silverado, followed by the Dodge Charger, the Chevy Avalanche and the Infiniti G47 coupe.

-- David Lazarus